Marnie Holborow

The sudden passing of our dear friend and comrade, John Molyneux is a huge shock. I struggle to come to terms with him not being here – to pick up the phone to ask him advice, to be at every meeting with, to discuss with, to pass evenings with him and Mary – it will be such a loss for us all. John took to Ireland like a duck to water – throwing all his political commitment and experience into building People before Profit and within that the Socialist Workers Network. I think few pickets, stalls demos, rallies protests happened without John. I remember the founder of the British SWP, Tony Cliff in Britain saying of John that he was our best polemicist who had the rare gift of putting complex Marxist ideas into simple language. And that is totally true. The book that he wrote not long after he had moved to Ireland was a great example of this; the Point is to Change it puts Marxist philosophy and historical materialism in lively, accessible and practical way. Particularly influential for me I think was his Marxism and the Party which cemented so clearly for me and my generation the need for a revolutionary socialist organisation. Rest in power John. Deepfelt condolences to Mary, and to his family and to his friends and comrades in the UK and all across the island of Ireland who will miss him so much.