Sue Powell, Gloucester Socialist Party
There will be a Zoom meeting on 8 September to say happy birthday to 100-year-old Socialist Party member, Claude Mickleson.
Claude hasn’t been in the Socialist Party as long as you might expect. He joined when he was 89!
He was also a member of the National Pensioners’ Convention. And never hesitated about showing his new political allegiance to the Socialist Party. He never shied away from speaking out or selling the Socialist paper.
He wasn’t stuck in his ways either. He had been a Communist Party member in the 1940s, but readily admitted he got “Stalinism all wrong”.
And he never gets uppity with young Socialist Party members, who, in turn, love him.
His discipline is formidable. And his sheer bloody-minded determination to keep going is remarkable.
He attended Socialist Party campaign activity with broken ribs in icy weather. He did at least one Socialist paper sale every week. And attended Socialist Party meetings on Zoom with Covid.
He might need a wakeup call. But, otherwise, he never misses a Socialist Party branch meeting.
And many know of his generosity. I’m telling you all this so you can see why he is so important to Socialist Party members in south west England.
We are appealing for donations to the Socialist Party and National Pensioners’ Convention.
