In August 1892 – 125 years ago today – Keir Hardie took his seat in the UK Parliament.
The MP for West Ham South had defeated the Conservatives in an election and would now be sitting at the very heart of British democracy. In his 35 years, he had come a long way from the two-roomed cottage he was born in in Newhouse, North Lanarkshire.
Just four years before he entered parliament, at a public meeting in Glasgow in 1888, the Scottish Labour Party was founded – with Keir appointed the party's first secretary.
In his election address in the Mid-Lanark by-election of that year, he said:
“I ask you therefore to return to Parliament a man of yourselves who being poor can feel for the poor, and whose whole interest lies in the direction of securing for you a better and a happier lot.”
Women’s rights… healthy homes… work for the unemployed… opportunity for all… the values that Keir Hardie stood for all are still at the heart of our movement today.
When Keir took his seat in parliament in 1892 he wore the clothes of a working man, rather than the top hat and frock coat that was expected of an MP. Earlier this year, our new MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill – Hugh Gaffney – continued in that fine tradition by wearing his old work shirt on his first day in the Commons.
Hugh is the treasurer of the Keir Hardie Society. Keir dedicated his whole life to the Labour cause, which is why we honour him today by keeping alive his ideas and promoting his work.
By remembering what he achieved in the past, we remind ourselves what we seek to achieve in the future – a Scotland and UK that works for the many, not the few.
Unlike the Tories and the SNP, our party is not funded by big business and lottery winners. We rely on individual donations from our members and supporters, to fund our campaigns and to help rebuild our party from the grassroots up.
To celebrate this 125th anniversary, Scottish Labour and the Keir Hardie Society are offering an opportunity to purchase a commemorative pin badge gift box, which includes three special edition pin badges, in return for a donation of £12 or more. All donations will help us keep the spirit and values of Keir Hardie alive in towns and cities throughout Scotland.
Click the image below to donate:
Join the Keir Hardie Club by clicking here:
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