SOCIALIST Outlook's Alec Acheson died last week at the Loros hospice in Leicester. BERNIE HYNES recalls the life of a dedicated socialist. OVER fifty comrades, friends and family remembered Alec by singing the Internationale at his funeral service last week.
Indicating the breadth of Alec's activity, tributes were offered by East Knighton Labour Party, Socialist Outlook, members of the Socialist Labour Party, the Troops Out Movement, the Irish Studies Group and veteran Trotskyist Harry Ratner.
Alec was an active supporter of the Fourth International for sixty years of his life.
Since the war Alec spent his time as an activist in his union, the Labour Party and the anti-racist movement. He was an honorary President of the NUT.
He was a fonding member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
He will be remembered as a teacher, a good friend, a secularist and a leading representative of what he once called the "red thread" that links the present revolutionary movement to the experience of relation between capitalism and barbarism.
Fax: 31 20 6732106. Phone 31 20 6717263. E-mail: [email protected] For financial support to the Ernest MAY Saturday 25 National Dockers Conference, I lam, Transport House, Islington, Liverpool.
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the twenties and thirties. While stationed in North Africa and the Mediterranean during the Second World War he was in contact with Trotskyists in the Middle East. Alec had a great love of reading, particularly Irish literature and culture. A wake is to be organised in the near future with Irish musicians and dancers. We all shall miss Alec's friendship, experience, knowledge and personal warmth. CHARLIE VAN GELDEREN describes his encounters with Alec in the thirties. THE DEATH of any comrade is a loss to our movement, but to me it is particularly sad to contribute to the obituary of Alec Acheson. Alec was one of the tiny handful of pre-war Trotskyists who was still in the ranks of the Fourth International until his death. My earliest memories of Alec go back to 1937/8. We were both in the Islington branch of the Revolutionary Socialist League (RSL). He was closely associated with the veteran Trotskyist, Hilda Lane, John The Contribution of Ernest Mandel to Marxist Theory Seminar organized by the Ernest Mandel Study Centre (EMSC). Amsterdam, July 4-6, 1996 • Jesús Albarracin and Pedro Montes (Econcmists, Bank of Spain): The theory of late capitalism as a Marxist interpretation of post-WWz capitalism • Rodın Blackburn (Editor, New Left keview, London): The place of Ernest Mandel in the history of Marxist political thought • Alan Freeman (Fionomist, University of Greenwich): Economic dynamiis: Mandel's legacy • Michael Löwy (Sociologist, CNRS, Paris): Ernest Mandel as a revolutionary humanist o Francisco Louça (Economist, IESG-University of Lishon): Ernest Mandel's contribution to the theory of long waves of capitalist development • Charles Post (Historian, City University of New York): The theory of bureaucracy o Catherine Samary (Economist, University of Paris XI): The conception of the transition to socialism o Enzo Traverso (Political Scientisi, University of Amiens): Ernest Mandel's vision of the For information about inexpensive accomodation and entrance fees and for registration forms (reservations necessary: due to space limitations only a limited number of people can attend): EMSC c/o IIRE, Postbus 53290, 1007 RG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mande/ Study Centre send vour cheques to Ilkt, or make a bank transfer to account 630-0113884.65 at Caisse Privée Banque, Brussels, Belgium. What's Happening JUNER Friday 14 Fight for Comprehensive Education, meeting 7.30, Union Club, Pershore Road, Selly Park, Lawrence and the Finch brothers and sister.
In those days we used to hold open air meetings in Highbury Fields. I clearly remember one evening, when the speaker who had to follow me failed to turn up.
Alec, who was selling our paper The Militant, but who had never adressed a public meting before, monted the platform and spoke.
He was clearly nervous but there was a job to be done for the revolution, and he did it.
This was typical of Alec-his never-failing devotion to the fight for socialism, which to him were synonymous with the bulding of the Fourth International.
When war broke out in 1939 Alec threw himself into the revolutionary opposition to the war.
On January 6 1940 he organised a conference of sixty delegates from the Labour Party, the Independent Labour Party Guild of Youth, the ILP, the Communist Party, the National Unemployed Workers Movement, Leicester Trades Council and local trades union branches. It was adressed by Fenner Brockway and Starkey .Jackson.
When he was conscripted into the army he continued his socialist activities as far as it was possible.
When he was sent to Egypt he contacted comrades living there.
There was an election going on and the Trotskyist Group supported the socialist candidates.
Alec, in defiance of military discipline, took part in the election . campaign, going round to the houses and tenements where the workers were.
Together with another British comrade Joe Pawsey he drafted a leaflet on the developing situation in Greece, which was duplicated by the Egyptian comrades.
called on the squaddies in the British army not to fight against their working class brothers in Greece.
They were nearly caught by the military police.
This was Alec Acheson. a convinced Marxist revolutionary. Birmingham. Speakers include Roy Hattersley, Birmingham Socialist Campaign Group and Socialist Teachers Alliance. Friday 21 to Sunday 23 Counter-Summit to the G7 meeting, Lyon, France. Details: Cedetim, 2l ter, rue Voltaire, 750| | Paris. Friday 19 to Sat. 27 International Youth Summer Camp, Portugal. Saturday 20 Respect!, antiracist music festival sponsored by TUC, Finsbury Park, London N4. AUGUST 23-26 Socialist Outlook Summer School, Aberystwyth, Wales.
Socialist 50p • Issue 102 May 25, 1996
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