Keir HArdie Society Press Release

The Keir Hardie Society was officially launched on Sunday August 15th 2010, birth date of Lanarkshire born James Keir Hardie, who became the founder of the Labour Party. The large turnout for this event at Summerlee, were it was standing room only heard from Chairperson Hugh Gaffney from NLTUC, who as part of the steering group how delighted and honoured he was to be asked to Chair this special event to launch a Society to a man who was not only known for his Politics but also his Trade Union work and his Socialist Christianity.

Our Honorary President Tony Benn, was unable to attend, due to family commitments and congratulated the steering group on the launch of a Keir Hardie Society.
Deputy Lord Provost Jim Robertson from North Lanarkshire Council gave a Civic welcome to the Keir Hardie Society and congratulated the steering group members for their good work in recognizing what Keir Hardie had done. He spoke about the young Keir Hardie who worked 12 hours a day, and his education was self taught showing what a remarkable young man he was.
Jackson Cullinane talked about Keir Hardie at 22 years old leading the miners union in Hamilton, and how today’s unions are still facing struggles similar to those that Keir Hardies miners would have faced. Even though Keir Hardie lost his job along with his brothers, for being a union leader he still kept faith with the unions and moved to Ayrshire as he was blacklisted from the Lanarkshire pits.
Keir Hardie saw how workers and the poor suffered and wanted to do more, which led him to politics. MP Cathy Jamieson who is also the MSP for Carrick, Cummnock and Doon Valley home land of Keir Hardies family life, told the audience of how proud she is to be following Keir Hardie footsteps in to Westminster, were his presence today at Westminster is a statue bust, which helps Cathy find her way about in the large corridors of Parliament. Parliament at present is like a public school which needs reminded of Keir Hardie policies. As the newly elected MP for Kilmarnock and Loudon, and Ayrshire born and bred, Cathy would like to see more tourist road signs highlighting Keir Hardie the same as Robert Burns, and with the Keir Hardie Society this is something we could achieve.
Author of the new Keir Hardie Book, Professor Bob Holman was delighted that Keir Hardie would be recognized with this new Society, because although he was most commonly known as the Labour Leader, there was more to Keir Hardie. He was a Christian, and it was his Socialist Christianity that saw him through his trade union work and his political life, always doing what was right, not what was popular.
The final speaker, who outlaid plans for the future, was Richard Leonard GMB, whose dedication to the life of Keir Hardie was noted. Richard spoke about an open membership to the Keir Hardie Society, about reprinting the work and speeches of Keir Hardie, how the Education and tourism trade locally both here in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire could benefit in promoting the life of Keir Hardie. Already we have been asked to attend other places in the UK like Durham, West Ham, Merthyr Tydfil and we hopefully will be able to attend Irish and Welsh TUC Conferences, with the possibility of Keir Hardie Branches across the UK.
Chair Hugh Gaffney finished by thanking the audience for such a good turnout, their own participation and their ideas for the Keir Hardie Society. Although Keir Hardie born today on 15th August 1856 and died at 59 years old in April 1915, today we have seen his re-birth with the launch of the Keir Hardie Society, Happy Birthday Keir Hardie!