‘An ounce of practice is worth a tonne of theory’. Few others that contribute as much as John Molyneux did to socialist theory manage to embody this the way he did.

I was very sad and shocked to hear yesterday’s awful news.

Over a decade ago now, in the midst of one war or another (not sure which), I remember hearing him in a meeting make a short and sharp point about why no-fly-zones are an aggressive act. Like nearly everyone’s first interaction with John, I learnt something.

He gave me a new perspective on the question at hand – and given that I hadn’t been around the left long at that point there was probably a useful lesson in there that I didn’t know it all!

I’ve thought about that largely run-of-the-mill episode a few times in the years since as I came to realise the critical role of organisations for socialism. An argument about a no-fly zone could easily be taken for granted, but it was actually an example of something rare and valuable: lessons from the past, kept alive and transferred to the struggles of today.

Of course, this is one of the cornerstone reasons why we need organisations. John wrote much and often about ‘the party’, why they’re crucial and all the rest. It’s important, incisive stuff that should be read and re-read.

But a key ingredient for any socialist organisation, one without which the whole project would flounder and one which John might not have admitted to in his books and articles but which he had in absolute abundance: generosity.

As is clear from all that has been written and said today, John *shared* his experience. Patiently, gladly, encouragingly. Agus nach mór an t-ádh a bhí orainn.

Comhbhrón ó chroí le Mary, teaghlach, cairde, comrádaithe.