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
TODAY, amid a new world crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, falls a major anniversary.
On this day, May 9, 75 years ago, victory was declared over Nazi Germany, the culmination of combined counter-offensives by the Soviet Union, the allies and resistance movements across Europe that had reached their climax during the late winter and early spring.
The victory marked the triumph of life over death and an affirmation of the vitality of democracy, led by the working people and their allies.
CJ ATKINS commemorates one of the most dramatic moments in working-class history
BRENT CUTLER is intrigued by the imperialist, supremacist and contradictory history of a word that is used all too easily
JIM JUMP looks forward to the International Brigade Memorial Trust AGM taking place in Belfast later this week where the spirit of solidarity will be rekindled
In a speech to the 12th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, SEVIM DAGDELEN warns of a growing historical revisionism to whitewash Germany and Japan’s role in WWII as part of a return to a cold war strategy from the West — but multipolarity will win out


