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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Remembering Doug McAvoy, former leader of the NUT
ARTHUR JARMAN pays tribute to a formidable and highly respected negotiator
Doug McAvoy
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
DOUG McAVOY was born in 1939, the son of Wilson and Jenny. His father was a printer at CWS Printworks in Pelaw, Gateshead, and father of the chapel.
Doug went to Jarrow Grammar School along with Jack Cunningham, later a Labour minister. A successful athlete in school sport, he was offered a trial at Burnley. His father said there was more money in teaching.
Doug was secretary of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Teachers’ Association and was elected to the national executive in 1970. He soon became chairman of the pivotal finance and general purposes committee.
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