• DEBORAH Lavin was many things: a teacher, an actress, a playwright, a poet, a curator, a mother, and a comrade and friend to many.

Deborah was the ultimate curator of “quite interesting” things, and she built them up into a coherent history that told a clear story.

She was a detective: master of detail when detail mattered, and reliable adjudicator of circumstantial evidence when the big picture was called into question.

She was a fantastic writer and editor, able to discern what needed to be said, to whom, and how: precise, clear and to the point.

Deborah was a good friend, encouraging and praising, but able also to give constructive criticism.

Dramatic and witty, Deborah endeared herself to everyone she met, whether she was bemoaning the collapse of civilisation because someone had failed to use a coaster or holding forth on issues like prostitution or imperialism.

She could deliver the most thorough criticism, yet you still wanted to be her friend. She could declare a conversation over, because, of course, she was indisputably right, but you still wanted to speak with her about the next thing.

She expected everyone to try to improve, to hold themselves to a higher standard, and under her influence you found yourself slowly becoming a better person.

In a world filled with dullness, timidity and confusion, Deborah was a lighthouse: upright, reliable and vivid.

Above all else she was a revolutionary: steadfast in the knowledge that only through socialism could humanity achieve peace and each person their full potential.

To this end, she dedicated herself to the Communists (CPGB-ML) during her last 16 years.

She had great optimism for the future and expected us all to work together to build a better one. Let’s do it!

DANIEL O’BRIEN
Central Committee
Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)