John McGarry had been an active Socialist Party member in Peterborough for the last nine years. Of Irish heritage, his family settled in Peterborough, after moving from south London for work – which explains John following Crystal Palace.
John had many talents, including as a classical pianist. He looked forward to attending the BBC Proms concerts each year. He also performed regularly at a local church, when there were food and drink sessions at whatever prices, if any, those attending could afford.
John first met the Socialist Party 18 years ago. But it was some years later, during the height of the Brexit dispute, when he was evidently weighing things up, that he attended some of our meetings, and found he agreed with the Socialist Party over the alternatives really open to the working class.
It was also during the time that Jeremy Corbyn became the overwhelming choice for Labour Party leader by hundreds of thousands that John saw the need to have organised discussions with our party, with a view to joining. Prior to this, as a middle manager in a big unionised communications company, he would have been subject to conflicting demands from both higher management and the organised workforce.
John was also the victim of harassment at his housing association home. Getting this resolved took grit and courage, especially as he was undergoing treatment for a serious illness. Socialist Party members with social housing experience were pleased to assist John.
Since joining the Socialist Party in 2017, John was also active in Unite Community, latterly as Fenlands branch equalities officer, and in Peterborough Palestine solidarity events, including on national demos in London.
John was also very involved with the idea of workers having their own public representatives, and topped the local Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate votes in the 2024 Peterborough Council elections – with 101 votes in North ward, ahead of the Liberal Democrats.
We will all miss John. Our most sincere thoughts and condolences go to John’s family and friends.
Cambridgeshire Socialist Party members
John’s brother Brendan wrote to the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
Dear Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition,
I am writing with very sad news about my brother, John McGarry, who stood as a TUSC candidate in the May 2024 local elections for the North ward in Peterborough.
In August of this year, John was seriously assaulted in Peterborough city centre, and sadly he never recovered. He passed away after spending an extended period in a coma at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Campaigning for TUSC, and for trade union and socialist causes, was central to his life and his identity. His commitment to workers’ rights, anti-cuts campaigning, and fighting for social justice defined so many years of his activism, and he was deeply proud to stand under the TUSC banner.
The work and community of the trade unionist movement meant more to him than I can fully express. As an employee of the railways, I am too a member of a trade union (RMT), and I will always remember the many chats myself and John had how important it is to belong to a union!
I wanted to let you know of his passing, and to thank you sincerely for the role that TUSC played in his life – providing purpose, solidarity, and comradeship that sustained him over many years.
If appropriate, I would be grateful if you could acknowledge his campaigning and commitment to the cause, and share that with others who knew him in the movement.
Thank you for everything you have done, and for the work you continue to carry forward.
With respect,
Brendan McGarry
