TUC president and POA leader STEVE GILLAN speaks to Ben Chacko on the eve of Congress 2026
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Be patient with your liquorice
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Liquorice roots
[Jeansef/Creative Commons]
DOUG NICHOLLS welcomes a turning point at this year’s Congress, where many motions call for a co-ordinated plan to revive British industry, a perspective outlined in his new book
HOPE VIRGO of campaign Dump the Scales warns MPs voting today they should be alert to the threat legalised assisted death poses to people with eating disorders
The Together Alliance is hosting two summits, North and South, to build power and plan action against the scourge of racism peddled by the right. DANIEL KEBEDE urges mass participation
The drift toward militarisation in Europe is not inevitable, left-wing and peace movements can preserve sovereignty and prevent war, says DÁIRE HUGHES MP
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
IF you’re sending off your seed orders this month, and fancy including something a little less familiar than potatoes and radishes, I’d suggest buying some liquorice seeds. It’s a surprisingly ornamental plant, and interesting to grow. The only thing is, you mustn’t be in too much of a hurry for your first crop.
Of course, readers in some parts of Yorkshire and Surrey may already have an old liquorice plant growing on their allotments, perhaps a souvenir of the days when Glycyrrhiza glabra was a commercial crop in Britain, and Pontefract cakes were made from home-grown rather than imported roots.
You’ll find the seeds offered in several catalogues, including Suttons (www.suttons.co.uk; tel 0844 326 2200), and there are also two-year-old plants on sale on the internet, which would give you a head start, but at a considerably higher price. If you know someone who’s already got a liquorice plant, you can propagate from it by taking root divisions in autumn or spring.
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