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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Jim Murphy pops up from the dead
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SOME years ago at a Labour Party conference, I stumbled into a trade union leader brandishing a coconut on the terrace of Brighton’s Grand Hotel. “This one’s for Jim Murphy” (pictured), the general secretary growled.
Just what is it about the former Scottish Labour leader that provokes such passions?
I should really be praising him, as he’s clearly been reading Landin in Scotland. Last week, I documented the efforts of several “ghosts of Scottish Labour past” to cling onto their influence.
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