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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Rebutting Tory attack lines: crime and punishment
In the second of a three-part series, IAN SINCLAIR gives Labour campaigners the correct line on bogus conservative ideas about being 'tough on law and order'
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
EARLIER this month the Guardian reported that the Tories hope to win Labour seats at the general election “with a tough stance on law and order.”
This follows a string of tabloid-friendly announcements by Boris Johnson’s government in October, including extending sentences, creating 10,000 new prison places, increasing police numbers and giving the police more stop-and-search powers.
Polling indicates these proposals may have widespread public support. An August 2019 YouGov poll found that 75 per cent of people support increasing stop-and-search powers, including 61 per cent of Labour and Liberal Democrat voters.
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