Keir Hardie Talk - 07/03/2012

The Keir Hardie Society is delighted to return to Hamilton Townhouse Library following the success of it's last meeting there.

On Thursday 7th March (from 7pm to 9pm) the Society's founding member Richard Leonard (GMB) will lead a discussion  on how a Scottish Miner wuth no schooling became one of Britain's most notable politicians.

The event is free but will be ticketed.  Please email richard.leonard@gmb.org.uk to secure a ticket

150th Anniversary of the birth of James Brown - Ayrshire's first Labour MP

Sunday 16th December marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of James Brown - Labour’s first MP in Ayrshire.  First elected for South Ayrshire in 1918 retaining his seat until 1931, Brown was re-elected in 1935 and was the MP for South Ayrshire until his death 4 years later. 

He began working in the Ayrshire coalfield and was active in the miners’ union, becoming First President and then Secretary of the Ayrshire Miners Union.

James Brown was also very active in the Church of Scotland and taught in the Sunday School at Annbank Church for 50 years. He became Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland in 1924 then again in 1929.

Keir Hardie served as a great influence in the life of James Brown and as such the Keir Hardie Society is delighted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of James Brown's birth on the 16th of December.

Firstly, at Annbank Church for the Sunday service at 11.30 a.m. on the 16th December led by the Minister Margaret Shuttleworth.

The service will be followed at12.30 p.m. by a few speeches and laying of flowers at the James Brown Memorial in Annbank. 

Society members along with local labour and trade unionists will be joined by local MP’s Brian Donohoe and Sandra Osborne and we hope that James Brown’s nephew Loudon Melrose will join us too. 

Tea and coffee will be served afterwards in Annbank Village Hall.

Keir Hardie Society Secretary Richard Leonard and local Labour Councillor Sandra Goldie at the James Brown memorial in Annbank.

Keir Hardie 156th Birthday: Meeting in Hamilton Town House Library

The Keir Hardie Society will celebrate the 156^th anniversary of the birth of the Labour Party founder with a meeting in Lanarkshire.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 16^th of August in Hamilton Town House Library (map here)  starting at 7pm.

The Society are delighted to have local MP Jimmy Hood address the meeting, which will also serve as an excellent opportunity for anyone wishing to join the society.

Promoting Keir Hardie's values, work and life has never been more important than it is now. Please come along and celebrate the birth of the great man, and help play a part in maintaining his legacy.

Newham Council and Scottish Parliament Honour 120 years since Hardie's Election Victory

As we publicised, the 4^th July 2012 marked 120 years since Keir Hardie made history in being elected to the British Parliament as MP for West Ham South. 

The Keir Hardie Society was delighted to see the anniversary marked both in Newham Council which covers the area in which Hardie was elected, as well as in the Scottish Parliament. 

The Society also welcomed the news ftrom the Mayor of Newham that the council would honour Keir Hardie with an exhibition in the Old Town Hall in Stratford later in the year.

Picture from the commemorative walking tour outside the Old Town Hall by Dan McCurry

Below is an excerpt from the official minutes of the full meeting of Newham Council, with special thanks due to the Mayor of Newham, Robin Wales for taking the time to highlight this important anniversary.

"The Mayor informed that 2012 marks 120 years since Keir Hardie was elected to Parliament in the (then) West Ham South seat. Born in 1856, Keir Hardie was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament and a pioneer and founder for what would later become the Labour Party.

Keir Hardie was the first truly working class representative in Parliament. He drew on his own experiences and hardships that he faced growing up in Scotland, where he first started work at the age of 7 in Shipbuilding in Glasgow, before at the age of 10 becoming a miner. He went on to become a trade union activist and leader. As secretary of the Ayrshire Miners Union, he lead some of the first organised campaigns for decent wages and living standards. His contribution as one of the first leaders of the Labour Party cannot be underestimated, in particular in helping to establish it's founding principles and becoming the party which fought for the rights of the working class.

Hardie won the West Ham South seat in 1892, winning by over 5,000 votes. He stood for free schooling, pensions, women's rights and the abolition of the House of Lords… Proof that sometimes over a century isn’t a long time in politics!

The Mayor stated that Newham Council would honour this great man this year with an exhibition at the Old Town Hall, Stratford, and that more details would be publicised in due course".

The bust of Keir Hardie inside Stratford Town Hall taken during the 4 July West Ham Labour Party and Newham TULO Commemorative Tour 

The Scottish Parliament also saw a motion submitted from Labour MSP Neil Findlay, shown below.

"Keir Hardie Anniversary

Neil Findlay (Scottish Labour): That the Parliament notes that 4 July 2012 was the 120th anniversary of the election in which Keir Hardie became the Member of Parliament for West Ham South; remembers how Keir Hardie represented miners across Scotland as a trade union official and went on to represent constituents in West Ham South in England and Merthyr Tydfil in Wales as an MP; understands that Hardie used his time in Parliament to fight for a number of issues and greater rights for the working classes; notes that Hardie was a strong proponent for votes for women, which was achieved 13 years after his death; recognises his support for home rule for Scotland and considers that it was delivered by a Labour government, a government of the party that he founded; commends the Keir Hardie Society for its work in promoting the life and work of Keir Hardie, and looks forward to the 2020 celebrations marking the 120th anniversary of Keir Hardie’s election as MP for Merthyr Tydfil".

Keir Hardie Election Anniversary Walking Tour

Wednesday 4 July 2012 is the 120th anniversary of the election of the first ever Labour MP Keir Hardie. Who was elected as the MP for West Ham South on this day in 1892.

To mark the anniversary, members of the modern day West Ham Labour Party are organising a free walking commemoration tour around Stratford town centre.

Meet 7pm Wednesday 4 July 2012 outside the Old Town Hall, High Street, Stratford, E15. Which of course was where the 1892 election count took place and it was from its open balcony overlooking the High Street that the result was read out to cheering crowds and Hardie made his first speech as a Labour Member of Parliament. For people on the walking tour, Newham council have kindly offered to provide a tour of the Old Town Hall on the evening.

The tour will be very informal and will take around 90 minutes following which people will be the opportunity to go for an optional meal at Manus Indian Restaurant in nearby West Ham Lane. Or a beer (or Temperance soft drink) or two may be purchased at the King Eddie's or one of the other historic pubs in the area.

Keir Hardie Society 2012 AGM

The Keir Hardie Society held its second Annual General Meeting at the Netherthird Community Centre on Saturday June 16th.

The Society welcomed Cumnock born David Lorimer to address the meeting. David’s father, also David, was Provost of Cumnock, and his grandfather, Hugh Lorimer was Keir Hardie’s tailor. Keir Hardie famously caused a stir when he first entered Parliament as the Labour MP for West Ham South in 1892 because he dressed in a brown home spun tweed suit and a tweed cap with flaps rather than a black frock coat and black silk top hat that was conventionally worn by Members of Parliament at the time.

David Lorimer (Left) and Society Secretary Richard Leonard

David last month presented to the Keir Hardie Society three letters that he had in his possession  which had been sent to the District Valuer in Ayr in December 1913 about the valuation of the Hardie family home Lochnorris in Cumnock.  Two of the letters were from Keir Hardie himself and  another was from his wife Lillie.

Society Secretary, Richard Leonard said
 “It was an honour to welcome David back to his family roots in Cumnock. His own life story brings together Labour politics, James Keir Hardie and a fascinating family history which includes a living connection to Labour’s greatest hero.

“Any socialist movement needs moral values, class solidarity but also a sense of history too.
This year is the 120th anniversary of Keir Hardie’s first election to Parliament, 2014 sees the 75th anniversary of the unveiling of the magnificent Benno Schotz bust of Hardie outside the town hall in Cumnock, and 2015 marks the centenary of the death of Keir Hardie. We would like to work with the local community as well as national authorities in commemorating these important milestones.”

Also at the Annual General Meeting Cathy Jamieson MP was re-elected as President of the Society. The former Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn and Keir Hardie’s great grand daughter, Dolores Arias were re-elected as Honorary Presidents. Richard Leonard was re-elected as Secretary and Hugh Gaffney as Treasurer of the Society.

Keir Hardie Society Members at the AGM in Netherthird

Society Slams McAlpine Over Keir Hardie Comments

Following an article written by the SNP’s Joan McAlpine the Keir Hardie Society has rejected the MSP’s claims that the Labour founder would now be a supporter of the SNP.

The Society which aims to promote the life and work of Keir Hardie called the article a “dreadful attempt at body snatching” given his service as a Member of Parliament for both English and Welsh constituencies.

Society Secretary Richard Leonard said: “ Keir Hardie formed the Independent Labour Party not the Independent Scotland Party.  This article is a dreadful attempt at body snatching – Keir Hardie was an internationalist not nationalist.  His politics were guided by principle not geography, indeed he was MP for West Ham and Merther Tydfil - where he worked tirelessly for the working class.

To refer to Hardie as one of ‘Scotland’s Political Giants’ is only part of the story.  Keir Hardie was a man who fought for justice and rights for the working class across the United Kingdom – something Joan McAlpine conveniently ignores.”