I´m deeply saddened to hear of John Molyneux´s death. It is a very personal loss of a friend as well as the loss of someone from whom I learned so much.We were friends for many years, not always in agreement but always guided by our mutual respect. John and I arrived in Portsmouth at more or less the same time. I had come back from Mexico unsure of my next political steps until John drew me into the SWP. It was the group´s politics that convinced me , but equally it was John himself as an example of what it meant to be a socialist. John was a brilliant intellectual, a thinker but also a dedicated activist with the sensitivity to address the day to day manifestations of capitalism in the lives of others. Thought and action combined. He was also, throughout his life, convinced of the significance of literature and the imagination for Marxism. It was something we talked about at length and an element we both continued to develop. But his independence of mind did not guarantee him an easy life in the party we had both chosen though he was unwavering in his commitment to it. I have a lovely photograph of the tall, bulky John with my small daughter to remind me of his gentleness.Like all his friends I was delighted for him that he found happiness with Mary in Ireland, and impressed, as always, by his renewed commitment and activism as well as the creation of the Irish Marxist Review.He is a terrible loss to us all, but I am fortunate to have memories of our conversations – and our arguments -that will keep him present.