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
Latest editorial
Making the most of your compost
[Gabriel Jimenez / Creative Commons]
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
IF YOU grow many plants in containers you’ll have noticed that potting compost isn’t getting any cheaper — and it wasn’t particularly cheap to start with. (Apparently, the rising cost of everything is the fault of Covid, Russia, Brexit and possibly astrology, and nothing to do with rampant and opportunistic profiteering by oligarchs, gangsters, capitalists and kleptocrats, so we’ve just got to accept it and definitely not riot like our ancestors have always done in the past.)
Several people have asked me lately whether compost — meaning in this context the stuff you buy in bags, not the stuff you make on the allotment — can be reused.
The answer is definitely yes, I’ve been doing it for many years, but there are some provisos.
Similar stories
MAT COWARD presents a peculiar cabbage that will only do its bodybuilding once the summer dies down
It’s a dead easy crop to grow and can be made into one of Britain’s best sauces. MAT COWARD explains how
MAT COWARD battles wayward pigeons in pursuit of a crop of purple sprouting broccoli
Although there’s not much growing in the garden in January, globe artichokes are worth a try if you follow these tips from MAT COWARD