Olive Paul

Paul Olive

 

Born into a Jewish Communist family in Chelmsford, Essex, Olive attended King Edward VII grammar school in Chelmsford and read philosophy at Edinburgh University. He was involved with the anti-apartheid movement and a local community newspaper. Following this, throughout the 1970s, Olive worked full-time for the Communist Party, editing its fortnightly magazine, Comment.

 

A contributor to Marxism Today, he was a key figure in the Euro-Communist faction. He moved to work for the Morning Star and later edited the journal of the local government union NALGO.

 

In 1988, he joined the Guardian and became chief sub-editor on the foreign desk.

 

He retired in 2008 to devote himself mainly to music, a commitment that resulted in the annual Fleetville festival in St Albans.

 

Paul Olive died suddenly aged 67.

 

Source: Article by Caroline Rowan-Olive, from 1977 Paul Olive’s partner, joint parent to Daniel and Rachel and wife from 2002 – The Guardian 3rd February 2011