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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Black Lives Matter – the latest fashion accessory?
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 go anywhere on the left without hearing someone mention how Black Lives Matter should move from a moment to a movement.
This often from people who have done virtually nothing – never attending a march – never spoken at a rally – never prioritised race equality in bargaining. Yet still they proclaim a long-held commitment to something they have never really done anything about.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against people arriving late to the party. Better late than never I say. But I really wish they wouldn’t treat anti racism or the Black Lives Matter movement – because yes, it’s already a movement and has been for some considerable time – as some sort of fashion accessory. An accessory to be paraded and then, as with all other fashions, to be discarded when a new fashion emerges.
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