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
Latest editorial
Orgreave: when miners faced the full weight of the state
Thatcher’s administration said it was an innocent bystander in a dispute between the NUM and the Coal Board — but the truth is that it was involved at the highest level in state repression against ordinary workers, writes IAN LAVERY
Ranks of police face the picketing line outside Orgreave Coking Plant near Rotherham
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
JUNE 18 1984 is a date that will long live in the memories of coalmining communities.
It was on that day 37 years ago that the full brutality of the state was unleashed on striking miners and in the aftermath used to cover it up.
The battle of Orgreave, as it became known, and the truth and justice campaign it inspired are marked today.
Similar stories
MIKE QUILLE applauds an excellent example of cultural democracy: making artworks which are a relevant, integral part of working-class lives
The Home Secretary’s recent letter suggests the Labour government may finally deliver on its nine-year manifesto commitment, writes KATE FLANNERY, but we must move quickly: as recently as 2024 Northumbria police destroyed miners’ strike documents
The Gala’s core message of working-class solidarity offers renewed hope and provides the antidote to the anti-worker policies of Reform UK, argues IAN LAVERY MP
