Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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130 years of the Independent Labour Party
In a move welcomed by Engels, the formation of the ILP in 1893 represented a break with the Liberal dominance of the late 19th century, writes KEITH FLETT
Keir Hardie was elected as the Independent Labour Party's first chair in 1893
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
ONE hundred and thirty years ago this month, on January 13 1893, the Independent Labour Party was formed in Bradford.
Keir Hardie was elected as the first chair. There has been little to mark the anniversary, even though independent Labour politics remains a significant issue 13 decades on.
The ILP ceased to exist as a party by the mid-1970s, having broken with the Labour Party in the 1930s.
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