Farewell to Tony Mulhearn

On Monday 21st October we said goodbye to our friend and comrade Tony Mulhearn, known to us in ARMS Mersey as organiser of our group, but that was just one of many roles he played over a long and very active life, most famously as the driving force behind the Liverpool Militant council in the 1980s.

The Unitarian Church in Ullet Road, Liverpool, was packed to capacity for a non-religious service. Thanks were given to the church for opening its doors for a humanist funeral. This impressive Victorian church has been associated with progressive causes, having been built by a group opposed to the slave trade, and they currently have a football team that raises money for refugees. There is a even children's playgroup with a toy named Trotsky!

The proceedings were interspersed with music, as Tony was a keen music lover and singer-guitarist himself. The former Groundpig singer-songwriter John O'Connell played instrumental versions of 'Love Story' by Andy Williams and 'Why Worry' by Dire Straits.

Tony's friend and comrade Peter Taffe gave a comprehensive eulogy, summarising Tony's various jobs and activism over his lifetime, including various setbacks, of which Tony once commented: “It was traumatic to be thrown out of office by (Margaret) Thatcher and the district auditor, out of the party by Kinnock and out of my job by Murdoch. But to upset Thatcher, Kinnock and Murdoch – I must have been doing something right!”

Born to a working class family close to Liverpool city centre, Tony had a hunger for learning which led him in later life to obtain a good degree as a mature student. He was a genuine polymath with a wide range of knowledge.

Derek Hatton also made a heartfelt personal tribute, describing Tony as his mentor and detailing holidays and social activities they had enjoyed together as well as all the political work they had both been engaged in.

Audrey White of the Merseyside Pensioners Association told us that Tony, the group's press officer, had made them proud to be old with lifetimes of experience of activism to draw upon, making the group the effective and active campaigning group that it is. She also read a poem by Robert Burns (below).

Tributes from Tony's children revealed a side of the man that those of us who knew him solely from political and trade union activism rarely glimpsed. One of his sons said how he and his brothers were distressed seeing pictures of their Dad on his wedding day and as a young man in his 20s and 30s because they all realised they'd never be as handsome!

Tony's wife Maureen had died early in 2018, and we learned that he had later commented that he had never realised that missing someone could be so hard. They clearly had a loving relationship and she had supported him in all his activism in more than half a century of marriage. There is no doubt that losing her was a major blow that he struggled to overcome.

On a lighter note, we learned that Tony had a tendency on holiday to get lost or go wandering off as something attracted his attention. On one holiday in Spain, the family wondered where he'd got to; it turned out that he'd spontaneously decided to go by train to Barcelona, well over 100 miles from where they were staying.

The proceedings in the church were concluded by Tony's own version of 'My Way' which segued into the Frank Sinatra recording, followed by 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien' (No Regrets) by Edith Piaf.

Daughter Lisa later at Springwood Crematorium struggled not to break down during her tribute. She and her sister Vicki described how Tony rarely told them off, and on the odd occasion when he did, he got over his anger almost immediately and would later apologise to them.

The service at Springwood ended with the singing of 'The International'; most of us joined in with raised clenched fists. The final event of the day was a reception in the beautiful surroundings of the Palm House in Sefton Park, surely one of the finest urban parks in the country.

PCS was represented on the day by PCS Deputy President Martin Cavanagh and several members of staff from the PCS North West regional office. From ARMS: national chair - Phil Green; ARMS Merseyside - Ray Beeton, Keith Hebron, Steve Ion and myself, and ARMS Manchester - John Hadfield, Jacquie Hadfield and Barry Fuge. The PCS North West Regional banner was prominently displayed.

Thus did we say farewell to a comrade who, although he was probably the most famous member of our union, was unassuming and respectful even in disagreement. There are lessons for us all in how to debate without rancour, how to listen courteously to opposing views and how to conduct oneself with integrity and natural dignity.

Epitaph on my own friend - Robert Burns

An honest man here lies at rest,

As e’er God with His image blest:

The friend of man, the friend of truth;

The friend of age, and guide of youth:

Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d,

Few heads with knowledge so inform’d:

If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;

If there is none, he made the best of this.

Tony (left) with the North West ARMS banner in the PCS office in Liverpool