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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The answer is not Sir Keir Starmer
'Calmer for Starmer?' RICK EVANS is unconvinced that this supposedly ‘safe pair of hands’ will maintain Labour's political progress - or win back lost support
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
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
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
LABOUR leadership contests are obviously a vital guide to the future direction of the party — which is why it is vital we make the right decision.
At the moment, Keir Starmer seems to be favourite and his campaign is definitely picking up a head of steam. I understand why to a degree, given we have just had a catastrophic defeat in the general election and Starmer seems to be the safe option.
Some of the talk I have seen in his favour is that he “looks the part” and he can talk well, that he is clever and is “the only credible option” — and then the one that really has me confused: that he is “media friendly.”
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While Reform poses as a workers’ party, a credible left alternative rooted in working-class communities would expose their sham — and Corbyn’s stature will be crucial to its appeal, argues CHELLEY RYAN
From Gaza complicity to welfare cuts chaos, Starmer’s baggage accumulates, and voters will indeed find ‘somewhere else’ to go — to the Greens, nationalists, Lib Dems, Reform UK or a new, working-class left party, writes NICK WRIGHT