Nick Stone
Bristol SWP is sad to announce the death of their long-standing comrade Nick Stone.
He died on the way home from marching against the far right in Bristol.Nick was a deep thinker with a real grasp of Marxist theory, particularly regarding the impacts of imperialism on the world. He would take on political arguments with clarity and commitment to our tradition.
But theory was not enough to satisfy his inquisitive mind. Nick was able to see the impact of imperialism around the globe, visiting many countries to talk to people about their life experiences.
These were often given as contributions in our branch meetings. He was a determined and steadfast comrade who could be relied on to support picket lines, demos and party stalls.
Nick’s later working life was as a mental health support worker in NHS community mental health teams. He was proud of being trusted to work with some of the more complex clients who were seen as representing a high level of risk of harm to others.
Working on a low pay band, he would come into conflict with management. Nick did not refrain from pushing back against managers and getting into various scrapes as a result. At times there were colourful disciplinary processes and the union successfully defended him.
In these situations, colleagues in his workplace rallied to his defence. They had a lot of respect for his authentic way of relating to service users as whole human beings, rather than simply as diagnoses.Nick’s passing was shockingly unexpected. He always tried to make the best of the time he had to build resistance and rescue hope in the face of enemies.
Our thoughts are with his daughter and grandson at this sad time.
