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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Defeating the payday loan sharks
A new coalition 'clampdown' on these poverty-profiteers does nothing to curb their usury - but there are ways we can act, says RICHARD LYNCH
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
So much for cracking down on payday lenders.
Details of the long-awaited coalition crackdown on payday lenders who make huge profits by exploiting the poor were finally announced at the beginning of this month.
But the proposals from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) do not amount to what most people would consider a crackdown. They have even been welcomed by Wonga, the payday lender in chief.
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