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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ScotRail's nationalisation must be only the start
Now that Scotland's railways are back in public hands, we must make sure they stay that way — and that the government invests in more services, better stations and lower fares for our passengers, writes KEVIN LINDSAY
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
SCOTRAIL was taken out of public ownership and privatised 25 years ago today. Placing ScotRail into private hands saw Scotland’s rail services suffer for a quarter of a century, with a model of passenger service based on corporate greed and not on building the world-class rail services that Scotland needs.
Privatisation has meant corporate welfare, with the public purse subsidising private companies and failure. It has meant endless profiteering with fares escalating way beyond inflation, unaffordable for too many people — and often it has meant a deterioration in service.
Privatisation of ScotRail also resulted in a vital part of our national infrastructure being taken out of the democratic public realm, with too many decision-makers and regulators operating without accountability to the travelling public they serve and the staff they employ.
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On the eve of the 157th Trades Union Congress, MICK WHELAN, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, celebrates victory in his campaign to get dignity for drivers at work
Our members face daily abuse, being spat at, sometimes even deadly assaults, and employers fail to take the issue seriously despite the increasing danger, writes RMT general secretary EDDIE DEMPSEY