Obituary
Andrew Glyn, 1943-2007
WITH GREAT sadness we report the death of Andrew
Glyn, an internationally renowned socialist economist and a former
supporter of the Militant, the Socialist Party’s precursor. Andrew died
on 22 December, aged 64, only a few months after being diagnosed with
inoperable brain cancer.
Over three decades, Andrew’s books, together with
many articles, provided socialist activists with vital analysis and
factual ammunition for the fight against contemporary capitalism.
British Capitalism, Workers and the Profit Squeeze (written with Bob
Sutcliffe in 1972) analysed the deep malaise of British capitalism at
the end of the world post-war upswing and, at the same time, stirred up
controversy among Marxists over the fundamental causes of capitalist
crisis.
Capitalism Since 1945 (written with Phil Armstrong
and the late John Harrison, 1984, second ed. 1991) quickly became an
indispensable handbook for anyone seeking to understand the rise and
fall of the post-war capitalist order, from Keynesianism to
neo-liberalism.
Andrew was a fellow of Corpus Christi College,
Oxford, for 38 years. He came from a wealthy banking family and went to
Eton. But from his early years he rejected the inequality and privilege
of the existing system, actively supporting workers’ struggles and
working for a socialist change of society. His research and writing was
always focussed on issues that, in some way, would provide useful
material for the labour movement.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Andrew was an
active supporter of the Militant, helping to build a strong group in
Oxford. In 1978, Andrew wrote a Militant pamphlet, Capitalist Crisis or
Socialist Plan, a critique of the ‘Alternative Economic Strategy’ put
forward by the Tribune group of left Labour MPs.
Andrew later left our ranks, while continuing to
participate in many struggles, notably the 1984-85 miners’ strike and
the battle to defeat Thatcher’s poll tax. He was very willingly enlisted
by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as an expert advisor, and
quickly researched and wrote The Economic Case Against Pit Closures
(NUM, 1984), which exposed Thatcher’s energy policy as a politically
motivated vendetta against the miners.
Later, Andrew elaborated on the devastating effects
of the miners’ defeat in clearing the way for the implementation of
ultra-free-market (neo-liberal) policies by Thatcher and then New
Labour. In 2006, he published an illuminating analysis of the system’s
latest phase, Capitalism Unleashed (reviewed in Socialism Today
No105, November 2006,
http://www.socialismtoday.org/105/capitalism.html). This latest book
shows the links between accelerated globalisation and the international
neo-liberal offensive against the working class. It also highlights the
growing domination of finance capital, driven by the short-term drive
for maximum profits.
Andrew spoke at a well-attended session on
globalisation at the Socialist Party’s Socialism 2006 event.
Andrew’s enthusiasm for ideas was undiminished until
the end. He would have made many more valuable contributions on the
latest developments in capitalism, and they will be greatly missed.
Andrew’s work as an economist has been widely
admired, even by many who do not share his socialist outlook. Yet he was
a very modest person, with a great sense of humour and a generous gift
for friendship. Conversations with Andrew were always immensely
stimulating and a lot of fun. He loved jazz, playing the double bass and
recently learning the piano. He should not have died so soon.
Lynn Walsh
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