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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Good riddance Gove
Rarely has one man united so many against his attempts to turn the education system into a free-market experiment, says NICK WRIGHT
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
What a week it has been. In three days I retire as editor of the education professionals’ magazine Improvement, delighted in the knowledge that Michael Gove has gone from office.
Teachers already at work and parents on the school run felt a frisson of delight as news emerged that Gove had been sacked as education secretary.
When NUT secretary Christine Blower said in the wake of the reshuffle’s biggest scalp that Gove had forfeited the trust of the teaching profession she understated the issue.
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