After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
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By appointment: Tory-fying the state
This era of crony conservatism has been characterised by sticking failed politicians into any state body available — sometimes to neutralise it, sometimes for a favour down the line, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
TORY INSTALLATIONS: (L-R) Nick Herbert, David Willetts, Julia Mulligan
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
YOU think some burnt-out Conservative Party figure, some terrible old former minister from yesterday, is gone; the small space they occupied in your mind can now be used for something more useful.
Only it turns out you can’t. Because the Tories are increasingly busy rejuvenating their old assets by giving them new salaried jobs as officials.
Caroline Spelman is the latest. She was the Tory environment secretary from 2010-12, among other roles. She stood down from Parliament in 2019 because she was sick of Tory infighting over Brexit (Spelman favoured Remain).
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It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES
Why is the Labour government so addicted to giving government jobs to Tories when it spent so long trying to oust them? In the hope the favour is returned the next time the Tories return to power, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Health Secretary Wes Streeting taking £53k from Tory-linked recruiter and outsourcer Peter Hearn’s OPD Group is a great example of how Labour’s rich donors shape policies targeting the poor – not their wealth, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
SOLOMON HUGHES probes the finances of a phoney ‘charity’ pushing the free schools and academies agenda