Obituary: Kevin Lennon (2006)

Obituary from the July 2006 issue of the Socialist Standard

Members of North East Branch were saddened at news of the death of Kevin Lennon in March. Kevin had been a member of the Socialist Party since October 1979, almost 27 years. Anyone who ever met Kevin knew him as an activist above and beyond the call of duty – rain, snow or hail, he never missed branch meetings, indeed he was almost always the first one there, regardless of the location of the venue or how difficult it was to get there via public transport. He was always with us at demos and during election activity and always spoke his mind, with passion, on subjects he felt strongly about.

Members who turned up for his funeral at Sunderland Crematorium found it painfully ironic that Kevin should be given a religious send off – a member of his family had said funerals were for the bereaved – for if there was one thing Kevin was famous for at branch meetings it was when someone raised the subject of religion and he’d rise to his feet, finger in the air, venting his spleen on Rome and Mecca. Again he very often turned up at meetings with some quote, or photocopied article on religion that he’d copied from a book in the local library and which he would use to reinforce his arguments. For Kevin, religion taught us to put out faith in Gods to help sort out our problems, whereas, most of our problems being social and economic, rooted in the way we organise our world for production, we were more than capable of solving such problems and creating a paradise on earth – if only the workers could be convinced it was well within their capabilities to create such a world. He would often remark that if the time people spent praying over the past 100 years had have instead been spent campaigning for socialism, then we’d have a paradise on earth already.

Needless to say Kevin was much loved within the branch and each member has their own favourite anecdote of him.

John Bissett