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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Lib Dem links to hospitals of shame
SOLOMON HUGHES examines the connection between the deputy party leader and the man behind a string of failing private mental hospitals
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
Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes accepted a £60,000 donation to his constituency party from a businessman whose company runs a private health-care business heavily criticised by inspectors for poor treatment of NHS mental patients.
Hughes lists the £60k donation from Sudhir Choudhrie in the current register of MPs' interests.
This unusually large sum will help Hughes defend his 8,000 majority in his Bermondsey constituency at the next election.
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