Pauline Dunlop (left) with the Liverpool 47 councillors' banner, photo Militant

Pauline Dunlop (left) with the Liverpool 47 councillors’ banner, photo Militant   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of our good comrade Pauline Dunlop. The messages already posted on social media testify to the esteem in which she was held.

Pauline was a stalwart socialist and Labour councillor who supported Militant, forerunner of the Socialist Party. She played a leading role in the 1980s struggle to defend Liverpool from Thatcherism.

In her capacity as deputy chair of personnel, she played a key role in liaising with the local authority trade unions who, in the main, gave massive support to the 47 socialist Liverpool councillors.

She was courageous and unflinching in her defence of the socialist policies determined by representatives of the city’s working class through the District Labour Party. Her speeches espousing support for those policies, and the necessity of socialism to replace capitalism, both in party meetings and the council chamber, were models of clarity.

Pauline was present on all the great demonstrations organised in support of the council. On many she could be seen carrying the banner bearing the immortal words “better to break the law than to break the poor.”

While Neil Kinnock’s Labour leadership ferociously opposed such a brave, uncompromising sentiment, Pauline was one of the strongest advocates for its practical application. She was, without question, a warrior in defending the ‘city that dared to fight’.

She will be sadly missed. We send our condolences to Pauline’s family.

Tony Mulhearn, president, Liverpool District Labour Party, 1980-86