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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Jeremy Corbyn is the only person who is speaking for the whole nation
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Unite the Union general secretary Len McCluskey
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WHILE today’s Durham Miners’ Gala is always a highlight of my year, every time I come here my mind goes back to the evil of Margaret Thatcher and how she set out to destroy the miners. That memory isn’t such a highlight.
It’s 35 years since the beginning of the miners’ strike and the start of Thatcher’s programme to close the pits and we see the lasting impact of the biggest act of industrial vandalism ever.
The devastation of our former mining communities is replicated in the deindustrialisation of cities and towns the length and breadth of our country.
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With 170,000 children living in poverty in north-east England and teachers leaving in droves over 20 per cent real-terms pay cuts since 2010, all while private companies siphon off billions, it is time to unite and fight for education, writes MATT WRACK
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
Durham Miners’ Association general secretary ALAN MARDGHUM speaks to Ben Chacko ahead of Gala Day 2025