Early on Saturday morning, 6 June, our friend and comrade Anne Marie Forster lost her long struggle against cancer, a struggle she had fought stoically for many years.
Many of the younger comrades won’t know Anne Marie, as she had been ill for so long. But for those who did know her, we will remember her as a remarkable, working-class woman with what can only be described as a ferocious intelligence.
Anne Marie joined the Marxist Tendency at Newcastle University a few months before Margaret Thatcher was elected in 1979. At that time, the Marxists were active in the National Organisation of Labour Students and the Labour Party Young Socialists (LPYS).
Anne Marie, together with her husband Neil, was active in Gateshead East LPYS. She stood out as an inspiring speaker. Recently, when we knew how ill Anne Marie had become, a number of comrades wrote about the impact she had on them:
“She was an amazing, clear, articulate speaker, and was so clearly an ordinary working-class lass. She was different from anyone I‘d heard so far. She was very intelligent. She was crystal clear in her delivery, and was unashamedly a revolutionary.”
“I remember the Bridlington YS conference when you spoke, Anne Marie. I was so inspired by your passion and commitment. I never felt I could possibly live up to your grit, enthusiasm, and total commitment to justice, and championing the aims of the revolution.”
Anne Marie went on to work as a Housing Officer for many years, firstly in Gateshead and then in North Tyneside. She played an important role in Gateshead UNISON as Political Officer and in UNISON’s political structure. It’s hard to overestimate the impact she had on the people around her.
I used to meet her for lunch every week at Gateshead Civic Centre, it would take ages for her to carry her tray to the table as she would stop and chat to several people on the way.
In 1992, when our comrades were expelled from Militant, Anne Marie was one of the small group of us in the North East who stayed loyal to the ideas of genuine Marxism, embodied by Socialist Appeal and the International Marxist Tendency.
Those were difficult times, and we had very few resources other than our ideas. But that was of course the most important thing.
Anne Marie always inspired with her energy, her courage, her intelligence and her political understanding. She made a big contribution to building our organisation, particularly at the most difficult time. Even when she was ill she continued to sell the paper and take an interest in our work.
But she was far from being simply a political activist: her energy seemed boundless. She was an intrepid globe-trotter who would take herself off to Nepal, or to South America, to go walking in the mountains. She was an enthusiastic gardener, too, and a loyal and very warm friend.
Farewell, Anne Marie! You touched a lot of peoples’ lives, and we will never forget you.
Our thoughts go out to Neil, to her brother Chris, and all the family.
