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
Latest editorial
Empathy fatigue: painful fact or privileged fiction?
Amid what can feel like overwhelming times, many activists are ‘choosing their battles’ in order to avoid burnout. EMILY INGRAM explores the issues
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
IN THE “post-lockdown” world, checking the news can often feel like a grisly, dystopian ritual.
Our news feeds are a veritable flood of misery: more avoidable Covid-19 deaths; police brutality; the worsening climate crisis; rampant homophobia; the list is endless.
In some cases, the natural reaction is to switch off. This is where the idea of “empathy fatigue” or “ally fatigue” comes in — for activists, particularly those not directly affected by their causes, it can seem almost too easy to “take a step back” in the name of self-preservation.
Similar stories
Austerity in a red tie is still austerity, warns RAMONA McCARTNEY of the People’s Assembly – rally with us to demand different choices
Seventeen years after losing her council job due to needing endometriosis surgery, Michelle Dewar’s campaign for paid menstrual leave gained 50,000 signatures in a week, reports ELIZABETH SHORT
ROS SITWELL reports from the Morning Star conference on ‘Race, Sex and Class Liberation’ last weekend