My friend Denise Tunstall, who has died aged 92, was a teacher, a union rep and a passionate and active socialist. As president of Haringey Teachers’ Association (HTA) in London for an unprecedented three terms, she helped countless teachers in difficulty, representing them in hearings and giving them the benefit of her expertise.
She was a delegate to many National Union of Teachers (NUT) conferences, where she displayed a healthy contempt for the executive, usually sitting at the front with a knitting group, as if in front of the guillotine.
