From Denmark
Dear comrades,
I promised to write these very difficult lines on behalf of all the Danish comrades. After speaking with many of them I know they are shocked and really, really saddened.
Phil was what we all want to be - a very good Marxist and also a warm person. He lived as Ted always said a revolutionary should be like, to have "a sense of proportion and a sense of humour" - and Phil certainly had both. He inspired many a young comrade with his speeches and his good mood - and it will be very sad and strange not to meet him again.
Now it is sad to think about him, but it must be said that he certainly did not live in vain - he has passed on as much as he could to the younger generation, and it will be up to us to work to carry out what he, and Ted, spent their lives building - an organisation that can place itself at the forefront of the struggle for a better world - nothing less, nothing more. As time goes by, it is this we will remember Phil for: that he was always a great class fighter, Marxist and revolutionary.
All our warmest thoughts go to all of you in London and his family.
The Danish comrades
From Mexico
Condolences from the "Militante" comrades on the passing away of the British Marxist, Phil Mitchinson
The death of our dear comrade Phil Mitchinson is an irreparable loss for the British and world labour movement. At 38 he suffered a heart attack the doctors could do nothing about. This is truly a lamentable fact.
Ever since 1984, at a very young age, Phil dedicated his life to the cause of the British and world proletariat. In his studies of the classics of Marxism, and in the teachings of Ted Grant, together with his class background (Phil was an authentic son of the working class), he found the road to becoming one of the most consistent socialists of today's Marxists movement both in Britain and internationally. His untiring work on the Socialist Appeal is proof of this.
The loss of Phil affects all of us, both personally and politically. Always attentive and with a smile, Phil was always a great friend. On the political side, his contribution to the development of the Marxist movement and the labour movement will remain for ever invaluable. Phil has left his imprint on the building of our International Marxist Tendency, and this remains one of his principle legacies, for which we workers of the world remain especially grateful.
We, the comrades of the Militante Marxist Tendency of Mexico send our condolences to our comrades of the Socialist Appeal for the unfortunate loss of Phil. We are sure that with revolutionary activity, the British Marxists and workers will pay homage to Phil in the best way possible: through the victory of the workers over capitalist exploitation.
We, the Mexican Marxists, commit ourselves to struggle from the trenches of the class struggle, to pay the same homage to comrade Phil Mitchinson.
Militante, Marxist Tendency in Mexico
From Tom Rollings
Dear comrades,
I was deeply shocked by the news of Phil's unexpected death. I spent Friday night and Saturday morning re-reading his recent articles. I thought it would be appropriate to quote some of the humour that they contain and let him speak for himself but any readers of the website can always read these articles themselves if they have not done so already. And though his humour is what comrades who knew him well remember the most because it's the first thing that comes to mind there was obviously much more to him than what you first saw, whether it was his humour or his friendliness, especially with young comrades, and his interest in things that interested other people, the way in the pub after a meeting he wouldn't lecture to us unless he was talking about how rubbish and expensive a lot of pubs in London could be and the list goes on (both regarding his qualities and the state of the pubs). This down to earth atmosphere that he had about him made you think that socialist ideas and Marxism, such as the nature of infinity which we discussed following a meeting on Reason in Revolt, were perfectly simple. To which he would reply, "you're quite right, they are perfectly simple". With time though, with a more detailed knowledge of different subjects and their interconnections, you'd see that there's a lot more to Marxist ideas than an introductory meeting can present. But that didn't mean that the clear explanations that comrades like Phil gave were simplistic. It meant that you would go back to the friendly discussions that you had as a new comrade and add depth and colour to ideas that became even clearer at the same time as they became more complex.
This is a point that Alan and other comrades made about Ted at Ted's funeral and the memorial meeting in September. Many comrades I spoke to gave many examples of Ted being keen to discuss with the newest comrades, of being friendly and enthusiastic, and of being able to talk to people who weren't comrades with interest and respect. It isn't an accident that Phil had these qualities too. What a contrast to the self-proclaimed geniuses with their cunning plans for phantom parties outside of the Labour Party who quote Marx and Lenin to sound clever! Instead like Ted, Phil made politics simple, and managed to do the difficult thing of keeping it simple, without getting carried away by secondary details. Like the example he often repeated that an old miner gave, of zebras running away from one lion when if all the zebras fought back collectively they'd destroy the lion. Why complicate things and think up a different example just to sound clever? And anyway this image did not become simplistic by being repeated but was enriched by the richness of the processes and contexts he was explaining.
Apart from Ted's memorial meeting, where he gave an excellent speech, and a few phone calls, the last time I spoke with Phil was at Ted's funeral. We passed him in the car, walking from the station to the crematorium. We thought of stopping to give him a lift but he waved us on, with a cigarette in his hand, enjoying the warm August afternoon. When he caught up with us he noted philosophically that no one else had offered him a lift, and then added with a grin that he hadn't wanted one either. For all his sociability and his love for friends and family, especially his sons, he was someone who was comfortable being by himself, which isn't surprising considering all the people and comrades he could bring to mind, and all the ideas and facts he could choose to think over again. Like other comrades in the minority during the split he would have been faced with difficult moments of being on his own, having to rely only on himself whether it was in trips around Britain to rally support or in dealing with London transport when commuting to the office at Old Street (and many an editorial would have been written in rough). He was a comrade who had come through a difficult period and was keenly looking forward to the period we have now entered into, and it is a blow that he will not be around to aim the blows against Blairism and the right wing in the labour movement that he had been preparing. But he would be the first to reassure us and explain that he has every confidence in our ability as comrades and in the ability of the working class to carry on the struggle.
We must take the positives from Phil's work and how he highlighted the talent of all the comrades he came into contact with and constantly underlined the tremendous potential of the working class. In being conscious of this talent and potential, in remembering him, we will counteract the sudden and unfair loss that we have sustained.
From New Zealand
Thanks for letting us know. The tragic news didn't sink in at first, knowing Phil's age. It is quite a shock having known Phil all these years, in particular during and since the split in the old Militant and when he regularly came to visit us up in Yorkshire. I am sure our movement will sadly miss him and appreciate all the work he has done in building the Marxist movement. Certainly, Phil's contribution will not be forgotten and undoubtedly will be built on into the future. Please pass on our condolences to his family.
Gary & Allan
From Nigeria
Comrades,
To say the least, Phil's death is a shock for those of us here in Nigeria who have over the years been students of his regular analysis of the world situation, particularly his rare grasp of the workings of the British economy and political system.
Although, I had not met comrade Phil Mitchinson personally, his writings were a regular companion in the understanding of the aforementioned subjects. He will be greatly missed by the Nigerian comrades. Notwithstanding the relatively short time he spent on earth; his works will definitely live everlastingly with us, as he will continue with us in the struggle to save our world from the ever killing crisis of capitalism and as we march towards a socialist society.
Adieu Phil.
Goke Akins, Nigeria