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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Electrifying dilemmas
PETER FROST takes stock of the present options in lighting and heating our homes and running our factories
An aerial view of a solar farm in Hampshire
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
In Britain today we all take electricity pretty much for granted. Many places in the world still don’t have the luxury of instant light and heat at the flick of a switch.
A century ago, Lenin said of his native Russia: “Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country,” showing how important he thought electricity was.
We seem to have two issues around electricity supply in Britain. One is the endless Tory free market nonsense that suggests, if we all swap our supplier every few months, the privtised industry will become more efficient and prices will drop like a stone. Excuse me while I laugh.
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