Tonight I go to bed in tears. A very dear friend and comrade, my fellow co-operator, Ali Sayeed, has died. Ali was a Labour man through and through, of the very best kind. Dedicated to his work as a scientist for the NHS, and a Trades Unionist. A strong supporter of the Palestinian People, a campaigner for peace and justice abroad, and for socialism at home. He was a community activist, who helped hundreds of people, privately, quietly, and with no expectation of reward. When I was a Young Socialist and first met Ali at Scottish Labour Conference in Inverness, Ali spent at least an hour explaining to me how socialist societies worked, and what the Co-operative party was about. I was horrified some years ago when I had to chair an appeals panel after the Scottish Labour Party had refused to accept Ali as a potential council candidate, and delighted when the panel unanimously over ruled that decision. ( He had some stellar witnesses, including my friend Alex Mosson, with whom, I think , he was about to visit Palestine). I cant believe I will never hear Alis gentle voice, reminding me what socialism is about, and sad that he felt his Party, my Party, had lost its way. He will be mourned by many. Few more than me.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 21:45:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015