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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A communist alternative for Salford
The city of Salford in Greater Manchester needs radical action to tackle its housing crisis and many other problems, writes CHRIS NEVILLE, Communist Party candidate in council elections on Thursday
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
BRITAIN’S housing market is broken. Salford and Greater Manchester illustrate the crisis. There is a massive shortage of actually affordable homes and council houses while luxury apartments are simply unaffordable, too small and not suitable for many people including families.
Our housing policy is outsourced to the likes of billionaire bookie Fred Done, who churns out build-to-rent tower blocks, monopolising landlordism on an industrial scale.
All across the city we have also seen a massive rise in homes of multiple occupancy, in which landlords cram as many tenants as possible with no regard for their welfare or living conditions.
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