Barry Winter

That this House recognises the pioneering political and intellectual work over seven decades as a writer and organiser of Barry Winter who was a leading light in the Independent Labour Party and from 1975 Independent Labour Publications, a respected pressure group within the Labour Party; notes that he contributed to increased understanding of issues as varied as the importance of the Italian theorist, Antonio Gramsci, the murderous nature of Stalinism in the Spanish civil war, the iniquities of the poll tax, and the diminishing authority of local government; further notes that he and his colleagues did much to improve left-wing understanding of the complexities of the Troubles in Northern Ireland that added to the power of grassroots organisations to help advance the Good Friday Agreement in 1998; further recognises that his widely respected kindness, decency, and openness made him a popular friend and mentor, especially in his university work in Leeds; and believes that his life well spent deserves wider appreciation.