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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I entered Parliament 30 years ago among the first black MPs to sit there. Too little has changed
Shadow home secretary DIANE ABBOTT says the way immigrants are demonised today is little different from the cruel era of Thatcher
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
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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 IS 30 years since myself, Paul Boateng, Keith Vaz and the late Bernie Grant became the first black MPs in Parliament.
This was a historic breakthrough for black representation, for the black communities in Britain, and a moment of pride for the Labour Party.
The 1980s were a tumultuous time, with Thatcher and the Conservatives as emboldened as ever. The presence of black MPs in Parliament was provocative to the status quo as much as we were pioneering.
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