Obituary: Stan Pearce, a Militant miner

I heard the sad news that Stan Pearce has died. In a week that commemorated the 30th anniversary of the strike, Stan’s passing ranks with that of Bob Crow and Tony Benn for a whole generation of Marxist miners associated with Militant, forerunner of the Socialist and the real Miners’ Broad Left.

It was my privilege to work with someone who I looked up to as having the virtues of an irreconcilable militant miner.

He was 20 years my senior but treated me the same as he would any other miner in the heat of battle.

Sure of his ideas, consistent with his support and attendance at meetings, determining the positions in a complex and difficult battle that he never doubted needed to be fought.

No regrets for Stan, no doubts about the need to fight for the jobs for future generations. No navel gazing either, he could only see the justice of the miners’ cause. The movement is smaller without Stan Pearce.

Good bye comrade.

Ian Isaac, former St John’s NUM, S Wales Area