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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‘It’s a scorched-earth policy. It’s about destroying the railway’
Aslef leader MICK WHELAN talks to Ben Chacko about how the government is preventing resolution of the rail dispute and how other countries put Britain to shame when it comes to transport planning and green travel
THE GOOD FIGHT: Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan (second from right) on a picket line at Euston station in London on Friday, September 1, 2023
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
SUSTAINED industrial action has moved government and employers in multiple sectors in the last year — leading to an uptick in wage growth across the economy, as reported by the Office for National Statistics last week.
But one sector where the bosses seem completely intransigent is rail. Ministers have actively prevented rail operators from presenting new offers, tying deals to job-cutting conditions.
Drivers’ union Aslef has just announced new strike action at 16 rail operators on Saturday September 30 and Wednesday October 4, alongside new overtime bans.
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