Ted Gannon, who passed away before Christmas in his 69th year, played a leading part in the Militant Tendency, fore-runner of Militant Left, in Ireland. Ted joined Militant in the late 1970s. Joe Higgins, later a TD and MEP, sold him a copy of our paper. He recognised a paper that spoke his language.
Ted was then an apprentice electrician from the Liberties in Dublin one of the city’s oldest working-class areas. He began life in a tenement, before the family got a flat. As well as being an electrician, Ted also worked as a bus conductor and a porter before becoming a full-time worker for Militant. In the 1980s Ted represented Labour Youth on the Administrative Council of the Labour Party. It was a hot and heavy time in the party. Labour was deeply divided over participation in coalition governments with Fine Gael. A strong left wing was opposed.
Ted was a capable representative. He was able to strongly, even fiercely, argue his case without being personal. Ted worked as a full-time organiser for Militant for a number of years. He had an ability to explain Marxism and complex political ideas in an understandable way, linking those ideas to the lives working class people and young people in the 1980s lived. It was part of his own experience of life. Importantly, he had an ability to develop ideas.
Ted was a critical thinker in the good sense of the term. That is, he examined ideas. He had to be convinced to understand. Thus, he was able to recruit and politically educate a whole number of young workers, many still active in the movement today.
When Ted was around, Marxism could also be fun. This could particularly happen at Labour Youth summer camps.
In his later years, Ted kept up his work ethic. Ted produced creative work. He became a well-known script writer, mostly writing soaps. Ted had the discipline to deliver on time, with the required length. He brought a deep understanding of the lives of working-class people into his scripts for soaps – Ted suffered challenges in life. He defeated them. Unfortunately, he was unable to defeat his final illness.
Rest easy Ted you played your part. Militant Left sends our condolences to his wife, Dympna, and his son William.