I never seen Pat that often but he always came down to London a couple of times a year for a Fabian Society Conference or an article that he had written for a magazine or paper and me and Brian used to always arrange to meet him for lunch. And not just any old dive, Rules, Le Colombier, St Johns etc rate a special mention. And the common denominator at all these places was: following lots of good food , wine, brandies and other assorted drinks we would either retire to the bar or even stay in the dining room until we had to move as the staff were preparing our surroundings for dinner. Hang-overs the next day were compulsory!! 

He was always brilliant company as everyone knows but he was also a great listener and any advice or comment he might issue  was always relevant and persuasive and honest. It was always great too when Julia was able to join us in any of these outings , as the way that her and Pat used to bounce off each other was not only very funny but also an excellent example as to how to make a relationship work whilst still not fully agreeing on quite a few things.

I will miss Pat a hell of a lot and sadly will not be able to make it to the funeral as I have got a pre-booked trip to Madrid already paid for and unable to change, but I am sure that he is resting in peace now and probably even doing a bit of campaigning already at his final destination wherever that maybe.

Finally, I would like to send my deepest sympathies and condolences to Julia, Rachel, and Annie at this very sad time and I know that it may not be much comfort to them at present that they had a husband and father who they can be very proud of and who will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to have known him over the years.

In deepest sympathy and with love,

Michael Crossey