IAN LAVERY MP warns that decades of neoliberal policies have left former industrial communities behind — but a renewed Labour commitment to working people could change the political landscape
‘Recharging the batteries for the fight that will continue’
Matt Trinder talks to Durham Miners’ Association general secretary ALAN MARDGHUM about the 2023 Durham Miners’ Gala, taking place this weekend
Durham Miners’ Association general secretary Alan Mardghum
PAOLO SANTALUCIA reports on how an Italian region defies US pressure to end a Cuban doctors programme
HENRY FOWLER outlines the GFTU’s new 2026-27 education programme and argues that investing in trade union education is essential to building worker power, developing leaders and strengthening collective action
We need a government that invests in saving lives not destroying them, argues SOPHIE BOLT
More expensive by weight than gold, saffron is surprisingly simple to grow. MAT COWARD explains
The public inquiry is the result of more than a decade of determined campaigning. Now, those who fought for justice want the full story of government involvement and police conduct to be told, says KATE FLANNERY
The Durham Miners’ Gala is a celebration of working-class culture, but also a call to action — to rebuild workers’ collective strength, says KIM JOHNSON MP
“I CAN’T understand why anyone wouldn’t be in a union, but I was brought up in a culture of trade unionism. Kids today are not. You’ve got zero-hour contracts, you’ve got workplaces that are not the same as they used to be in the pits or the shipyards, where industrial communities used to socialise together.
“We need to get back to the grassroots and explain why we’re stronger together. If you’re not in a union, join a union — rise up!”
Rise up is a very appropriate theme for this weekend’s Durham Miners’ Gala, which barring world wars and pandemics, has hit the streets of the city in England’s north-east every 12 months for more than 150 years.
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