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
CAPITALIST society is a class society where the relationship between workers and capitalists is based on the exploitation of labour power. In Wales today, this continues to generate huge inequality: poverty for many, alongside enormous wealth for a few.
This divided society fosters discrimination and provides a breeding ground for bigotry and xenophobia.
Wales faces a severe economic crisis once again. The cost-of-living crisis is the latest example of the impact of capitalism, with millions of working-class people facing hardship as gas and electricity bills rocket and petrol prices rise along with food, mortgages, rents and rail fares.
From summit to summit, imperialist companies and governments cut, delay or water down their commitments, warn the Communist Parties of Britain, France, Portugal and Spain and the Workers Party of Belgium in a joint statement on Cop30
Our economic system is broken – and unless we break with the government’s obsession with short-termist private profit, things are destined to get worse, warns Mercedes Villalba
RICHARD BURGON MP points to the recent relative success of widespread opposition to the Labour leadership’s regressive policies as the blueprint for exacting the changes required to build a fairer society


