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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British sitting on the fence gave encouragement to Hitler
John Ellison looks at the ambiguity the political Establishment displayed on the eve of WWII
HAND IN GLOVE: Neville Chamberlain (left) and Adolf Hitler leave the Bad Godesberg meeting on September 23 1938
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
IF YOU think these last few weeks have been a time of confusing politics for socialists, glance back 80 years to December 1939 for a comparison.
Socialists then had to consider their positions about the war against nazi Germany — and about the Soviet Union.
Neville Chamberlain’s government had declared war on September 3, two days after the unprovoked invasion of Poland.
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