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The inspiration of Keir Hardie
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Mar 07, 2010 06:26pm |
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| Category | Profile |
| Author | Bob Holman |
| Media | Newspaper - Guardian |
| News Date | Monday, March 8, 2010 12:25:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Every 25 January in Scotland, Robert Burns's birthday is marked by celebrations across the country. Yet the birth date of an equally significant Scot, Keir Hardie, on 15 August, is ignored. With a general election in the offing, it is appropriate to remember the man who, as Tony Benn puts it, was "Labour's first, and in many ways, greatest leader".
Born illegitimate near Glasgow in 1856, he went down the coal mines at the age of 10. As a young man, he was sacked for being a spokesman for the trade union. He later accepted a post as a trade union official which, along with his political activities, led eventually to his famous general election victory at West Ham South. By this time he was a socialist whose ideas owed little to Marxism and more to his experience of poverty and his conversion to Christianity.
After losing his seat at West Ham, Hardie gained another stunning victory at Merthyr Tydfil. He was joined by others in the Commons who elected him the first chair of the parliamentary Labour party. More than anyone, he succeeded in keeping Labour distinct from the Liberal party. When Labour's political fortunes ebbed, some flirted with an alliance with the Liberals. Hardie was prepared to co-operate on certain issues but never to lose the identity of Labour. He regarded the Labour party as the natural home of the working class. He was proved right after his death when the Liberals declined and Labour flourished. |
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