Neil had been suffering from a very aggressive form of blood lymphoma for seven months. During most of that time, Neil remained optimistic and kept up his incredible work rate.
Neil was the author of nearly 20 books, including the ambitious Radical History of the World that has just been translated into Chinese. He was the author of books on historical topics as varied as Lawrence of Arabia and the first great Jewish revolt against Rome, as well as contemporary political issues like Creeping Fascism and System Crash. He was also the editor of Military History Matters magazine.
All Neil’s work was aimed at transmitting the heritage of Marxism, and its relevance to contemporary struggle, especially to young people. Since the merger of Mutiny and Socialist Resistance to form the ACR, he had played a leading role in the organisation, both on its steering committee and on the editorial board of its very successful website.
Neil’s death is an irreparable loss for the ACR, for his partner Lucy and the rest of his family, and for his many friends and collaborators, both in the socialist movement and in the archaeological community. During his illness, he felt that he had never been so productive. All the more tragic that he should have died at what is today a very early age and when his future work would have been immensely valuable.
Anti-Capitalist Resistance will be publishing details of commemorative events and more detailed tributes. We send our solidarity to his family, and assure all his comrades, inside and outside the ACR, that we will continue his struggle, and like him never give up.
Below are just some of the articles written by Neil for the ACR website, they capture what a wonderful writer he was and with every word his revolutionary spirit leaps off the page. We will miss you comrade.
Already the backsliding begins. ITV news is reporting that the Government has changed one point in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. They have accepted that academies will retain their ‘freedom’ to set their own pay scales for teachers. So the criteria in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions document will only apply to teachers in Local Authority schools. Why have the Government climbed down on this issue? It’s not as if this is a major financial problem for academies. But what will be the next change/climb down by the Government? Will academies be exempt from the National Curriculum? Will Local Authorities be able to build schools according to the needs of their communities or will all new schools, as at present, have to be academies?