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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Ken Gill: A union leader ahead of his time
On the fifth anniversary of his death, LYNN COLLINS recalls working with Ken Gill as a Tass youth organiser
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
It’s hard to believe it’s five years since Ken Gill died. It was Ken’s leadership of the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (Tass), his style of work and political astuteness that started me out in trade union activity.
I was 17 and active in Youth CND and received an invitation to speak at a Tass youth committee meeting. Most of those in the room worked in defence-related industries, and
so the prospect was somewhat daunting.
But they were part of a union that could have an open debate about issues from a wider perspective than just industrial protection, and so by the end of the meeting they had affiliated to Youth CND and I'd joined Tass.
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