[ANDREW WIARD, REPORT JONATHAN • Hammond, last year's…]

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ANDREW WIARD, REPORT JONATHAN • Hammond, last year's president of the National Union of Journalists, and chair of the Socialist Organiset Alliance, was commemorated at a crowded meeting in London last Wednesday, 28th.

Jonathan died on August 17, aged 41, from a heart attack brought on by asthmatic trouble.

The meeting was chaired by Annie Pike, a colleague, friend and comrade of Jonathan's at work, in the union, and in Socialist Organiser. "Don't mourn, organise", , was how she summed it up, and that was indeed the spirit of the meeting.

Marek Garztecki spoke from the Solidarnose Trade Union Working Group, who were given office space in the NUJ headquarters on Jonathan's initiative. Marek told the meeting now for over a year Jonathan shared with them the room he occupied as union president. "Of all the people I have met in the British labour movement" said Marek, Martin Thomas reports on meeting held on. September 28.

"Jonathan was the most truly an internationalist"

Marek also paid tribute to Jonathan's qualities of generosity and kindness. Jonathan never complained about the inconveniences of sharing his office: he did not make elaborate speeches about the strength of his commitment to Solidarnosc, he simply did what he could to help.

These same qualities were mentioned by many other speakers. Two other qualities would have been evident from the number and variety of speakers even if no-one had spelled them out: Jonathan's immense energy and dedication, and his ability to argue his views politically without ever personalising issues.

Many branches and committees of the NUJ, Fulham Labour Party; CND; Amnesty InternaREGARDING Martin Thomas's criticiam of me in Socialist Organiser no. 137: it certainly would be a mistake to advocate the immediate setting-up of fully-fledged soviets throughout the Netherlands.

However, that was not what I was advocating. The point I was making was that in the present situation it is necessary to advocate linking up the local representatives who have been leading the various actions.

This is in fact building towards soviets. I used the word towards in my original article. Whether fully-fledged soviets develop will obviously depend on the way the whole situation the commemoration rional, Information on Ireland; Turkey Solidarity Campaign, and others, were represented. And many speakers were astonished to find that what they knew of Jonathan's political activity -which was hectic enough - was only one aspect among many.

Speaking from Socialist Organiser, I emphasised Jonathan's honesty and straightforwardness. In a fragmented labour movement, lacking, coherent unifying strategy and infested by bureaucracy, there is a pressure on all of us to develop tunnel vision. confinet by our own little line of activity. ~ Jonathan had no such tunnel vision. That's why he could be president of his union and yet never be "too busy' to help, never 'above' the most humdrum actilonger than 400 words please: longer letters are liable to be cut.

develops. But we should not be caught out.

n my view the emphasis S0 u lacing on the building of Lab. vity in his Labour Party, never 'too important' to join the every. day work, uf an ideologically defined tendency like Socialist Jonathan always cherished the non sectarian nature of Socialist Organiser - but this was not ideological indifference. He was also prepared to argue our corner, even when it was difficult.

• Eddie Barrett, current presi dent of the NUJ, made an appro priate final speech, pointing to the NUJ banner at the front of the meeting and saying: "Jonathan carried that banner more often than anyone else. The best way we can pay tribute is by making sure that there are more of us behind that banner in future".

The meeting then closed in a way that Jonathan would have appreciated: with a brief report from Rod Prince of the NUJ/ NGA chapel locked out at Latin American Newsletters, and a collection for their strike fund. our Party workpl ace branches is absolutely right.

AVID HARRIS, West Sussex.

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