A farewell to our comrade who shared his life with us
If you saw a Solidarity Federation sticker on a lamppost in Didsbury, the chances are it was Ron Marsden who put it there. Ron, born in 1937 in Lancashire, passed away peacefully on 21 August 2026 after six decades fighting for and promoting anarcho-syndicalism, a revolutionary form of trade unionism based on direct democracy, class struggle and anti-authoritarianism.
Ron first became interested in syndicalism after being active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and began to move in anarchist circles where he met his first wife, Jan. He joined the Syndicalist Workers Federation when he moved to Manchester, an organisation that emerged out of the Anarchist Federation of Britain (AFB) in 1948. The SWF, along with some other class-based anarchist groups and individuals, became the Direct Action Movement in 1979; this became the Solidarity Federation in 1994. Like Ron, these federations have kept their allegiance to the International Workers’ Association (IWA/AIT), an International that continues to grow today
Ron was alert to movements that embraced a broad interpretation of anarchism as well as a syndicalist approach and it was in the context of anarcha-feminism that he met Clare, his second wife. Ron attended many of DAM’s and SF’s federal conferences and even though he often only decided to do so at the last minute (sometimes to the frustration of other members and delegates), his contributions were always incisive and focused on strategic aims, publicity campaigns and ways of getting our ideas across. His range of interests was wide and his early acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities (often going to bars in Manchester’s Gay Village after meetings with younger members), awareness of racial discrimination and ability to connect with a diverse set of libertarians – often through the feat of attending meetings nearly every weeknight – meant that our Federation achieved a public face that was welcoming yet decisive politically.
He wrote for the federation’s paper, Direct Action, often bringing to editorial meetings scraps of paper with ideas and phrases noted down that magically became articles for publication. He also drew and was interested in design and art as propaganda. He was the author of the legendary Heinz-spoof on Lenin and authoritarian communism, “57 varieties – all unfit for human consumption” on what could have been a tin of baked beans. Not everything was serious with Ron, and his ability to connect with others of any age was renowned and much appreciated by those who were feeling less sure of themselves or who had come from overseas sections of the IWA. Politics and gentle satire merged in his opposition to religious fundamentalism and his cartoons depicting a rodent decrying religious intolerance (“Blasphemouse”) always raised a smile and occasionally an eyebrow as the reader tried to disentangle their cryptic nature.
He will be missed for his energy, inclusiveness and unwavering dedication to the cause of anarcho-syndicalism. His mission was the fight for a better world and this stays with us as we struggle for the same.
