Alec Hart (1924-2004)
Alec Hart died in his 80th year in South Africa where he had lived for
almost 50 years. Alec came across the Socialist Party when he heard a
young speaker, Doug Verity, at a meeting in Finsbury Park, North
London. He was so impressed with the case for Socialism that he
arranged for Doug to
address the youth club he attended, and politically, Alec never looked
back.
He joined the Party in 1944 and influenced some of his siblings, two of
whom (including the writer at the age of 16) also joined. Alec was a
member of the old Islington branch and was sometime branch treasurer.
He much valued the Education Classes held in the 1940’s at the Rugby
Chambers Head Office, especially the Economics Classes. He always
challenged non- or anti-socialist comments and arguments and often
crossed political swords with Father and other members of the family.
In 1956 he followed and later married a girlfriend when she went to
live in South Africa, and although they eventually parted, he couldn’t
face returning to the English climate and the problems of resettling
there.
Throughout the repressive regime of apartheid he remained staunchly
socialist, even though the South African Special Branch paid attention
to him, by visiting him and also examining his
mail, and at one time the Socialist Standard and Party pamphlets were
gazetted in South Africa as prohibited literature. However, at Alec’s
insistence, and with little concern about the risk this posed for him,
the Socialist Standard was sent to him regularly as well as Party
pamphlets etc. as they were published. He wrote and often had
published, letters to the South African press giving the socialist view
on current topics and replying to other correspondents in the press.
He was very knowledgeable about classical music and built up a large
collection of records. A keen cyclist, he took many holidays touring by
bike in the UK and in South Africa. Ill-health in his last few years
took him into residential care where he shared a room with a very deaf
old Trotskyite, and political arguments between them usually ended with
Alec’s opponent removing his deaf-aid when he’d “had enough”. Alec
though never gave up.
Phyllis Hart
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