Gloucestershire’s phlebotomists have brought their historic strike to a close after almost a year of action, leaving a legacy of determination – and a clear lesson about the power of solidarity in the face of anti-union laws and austerity, says FBU general secretary STEVE WRIGHT
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In National Curry Week, PETER FROST explains why he won’t be going out for 'an Indian' but he will be having a curry
IT IS National Curry Week. The first was held 22 years ago. Just about the time then Labour foreign secretary Robin Cook made an excellent speech explaining why immigration made such a valuable contribution to Britain and its way of life.
After Cook had dealt with the serious economic and societal advantages of immigration, he went on: “It isn’t just our economy that has been enriched by the arrival of new communities. Our lifestyles and cultural horizons have also been broadened in the process.”
Then came a soundbite that would be much more widely published than his wise views on socialism, post-imperialism or why he opposed the Iraq war or Israel’s illegal settlements.
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This is poetry in paint, spectacular but never spectacle for its own sake, writes JAN WOOLF
JESSICA WIDNER explores how the twin themes of violence and love run through the novels of South Korean Nobel prize-winner Han Kang



