obituaries
– Residence Papers for All, a campaign group for educating the public on immigration, asylum and anti-deportation. His bulletins brought together news articles and views from individuals, organisations and campaigns. In 1996, he founded the non- political, non-funded MOJUK (Miscarriages of Justice UK) to keep alive the stories of prisoners affected. John once drove a bus to help
John O
Pioneering industrial activist John O died in February following a long illness. He was 82. John, a long-time member of the
NUJ, changed his surname to O by deed poll in solidarity with those seeking asylum in Britain. He spent his life campaigning for justice, not only for those seeking asylum but also for those in prison – whatever the charge – and for whom he wrote a regular newsletter. A strong member of the anti-
fascist movement, he was coordinator for No Deportations
during the mass picket of the Saltley Gate coke works in Birmingham where thousands of striking miners and engineers scored a historic victory. Miners from all over the country closed the works, and the workers went on to win wage rises of more than 40 per cent. He rarely missed a meeting of the
NUJ Birmingham and Coventry branch, despite his deteriorating health, and attended the union’s delegate meeting several times. A supporter of the National
Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, John was central to the growth of the West Midlands Anti-Deportation Campaign. For two decades under his leadership (although he would definitely not have called it that), the coalition provided daily practical and
for the National Union of Students, the Inner London Education Authority, the National Union of Teachers and, finally, the Society of Civil and Public Servants. Then he went freelance, for clients
Alan Slingsby
Alan Slingsby, who has died aged 76, designed and laid out The Journalist for two decades until 2009, took over and ran a much-valued community newspaper, and was editor or production editor for a host of publications. Alan is pictured above with former Journalist editor Tim Gopsill (centre) and myself. As a teenager, he went on the Aldermaston CND marches. After editing the student newspaper at the University of Manchester, he worked on the Morning Star, followed by jobs editing magazines
26 | theJournalist
including the NUJ, the Fire Brigades Union, the University of the Third Age and the Ben Uri Gallery. Though he parted company with
the Communist Party, his commitment to trade unions and to working for a better world never left him, and was behind what was probably the biggest venture of his life: the Brixton Blog and Bugle, which he and his wife Linda Quinn took over in 2016 – although, to Alan’s regret, it is now only online as the Brixton Blog. He threw all his energy, skills and resources into building a much-loved local publication. He never took payment for this. He did it because he was sure the community in Brixton, where he lived for the last 44 years of his life, would benefit from it – and because he believed passionately in the
personal support to individuals facing deportation. It produced national bulletins and helped to build a national movement. Chris Morley, northern and Midlands organiser, said: “On first meeting, John O could seem austere and imposing but he was very generous of spirit and loyal to the NUJ and labour movement and it was always good to hear his informed opinions on any given dispute or progressive issue. He was a solid trade unionist, generous with his time to our movement and courageous in his own life battling cancer and progressive cognitive problems for a few of his last years.” Branch chair Barbara Goulden
said: “John was a fierce fighter for justice for adults and children in poverty and one of our most loyal members. He was delightfully eccentric with his Mohican-style haircuts and wearing the occasional string vest. His LinkedIn account gave a clue to his playful humour – under the ‘languages’ section, he declared ‘Effin & Blinding – professional working proficiency’. “John was often frustrated that members were not as active as they once might have been, but times had changed and working
importance of local news, written to the same exacting standards as the best in international reporting. He was always the first on scene for a local story, even when his health was starting to fail. The Brixton Blog and Bugle proved serious local journalism can exist and that small yet thoroughly professional teams can fill the gaps left by declining local papers. Linda died in 2021, and Alan kept it going. Now the trustees say: “Without his energy, skills and commitment, we are not able to keep it going.” They have launched a fundraiser to create a permanent archive of its journalism. A huge amount of Alan’s time
went into work he did without payment. His talent and skill were always available for campaigns he thought important – in recent years, for justice for the Palestinian people – or to help out friends. I was one of the many friends
who had cause to be grateful to him. When, late in life, I started writing and staging plays on the
conditions for journalists are certainly being pushed to the limits. “With his surname change, John O
may have given the odd bank manager cause for concern when signing cheques but nobody had any doubt that his heart was in the right place. He was known to cycle to hospital for a dose of chemotherapy before jumping back on his bike to get back home in time to join the monthly branch Zoom meeting.” John had attended the West Midlands Pensioners’ Convention, where fellow members held a minute’s silence in his honour at their March meeting. Delegates told their favourite stories about John, who was always up for action. During a campaign to keep free TV licences for the over 75s, convention members were picketing the BBC Mailbox studios and John was arguing they should occupy the building and hold a sit-down protest. Just as he was urging them to ‘blockade the building’, staff came out and invited them in for a cup of tea and a sit down – then proceeded to listen to their grievances – much to John’s annoyance.
Barbara Goulden and Chris Morley
London fringe, Alan refused payment for the marvellous leaflets and programmes he created for me. We met in the 1970s, when he was on the Morning Star. Four decades later, we worked together to produce the magazine Third Age Matters for the University of the Third Age. I was editor. He was production editor, designer and chief sub. As a journalist, he was fast, professional, creative, absolutely reliable, obsessively accurate, un-fussy, quick to find out what use every technological advance could be and a joy to work with. As a citizen, he had strong beliefs and utter integrity, as well as a vision of a better society regardless of evidence that things were getting worse. As a friend, he was talkative, entertaining, kind, thoughtful, generous and loyal. • Donations in Alan’s memory can be made to Medical Aid for Palestinians or the Brixton Blog:
https://brixtonblog.com/save-the- brixton-blog-bugle-archive-campaign
Francis Beckett
JANINA STRUK
BARBARA COOK / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28
