Sylvia was a remarkable woman with a big heart, who devoted herself heart and soul, and at whatever cost, to the cause of the downtrodden and oppressed masses.

She recognised the working class as the ruling class of a future society, even if she did not understand the form that rule would take in its early days or the compromises that might need to be made in a country where the working class was only the minority of the population.

She was fearless, she was a great orator and she was a great organiser. She espoused every progressive cause with enthusiasm and flair.

But what her example teaches us is that to serve the working class properly what is needed is not only courage, dedication, self-sacrifice and deep love of the people, but also the scientific understanding that comes from a deep knowledge of Marxism.