Keir Hardie and the 21st Century Socialist Revival

About the Book: 

To remember Hardie is not to look wistfully backwards but to remind ourselves of the absolute necessity of unflinching principles, vision and determination in looking forward to the future we want to build. RICHARD LEONARD

James Keir Hardie founded and was the first leader of the Labour Party. In this book, Pauline Bryan brings together a varied group of commentators to discuss his legacy, including MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Burton; Richard Leonard MSP; Ann Henderson, the Rector of the University of Edinburgh; and Sharon Graham, Executive Officer of Unite. In their fascinating and varied essays, each contributor shows the importance of using Hardie’s legacy as a foundation for the future. Discussing his support for women’s suffrage and his fight to tackle unemployment, as well as his stance on issues of Home Rule and the British Empire, here they show how intrinsic his beliefs are to Labour Party politics to this day.

Never has socialism been more relevant; only by providing for need not greed can we eliminate poverty and ensure the sustainability of our precious planet. Hardie taught us much, above all, that his staying power against adversity could bring about change. JEREMY CORBYN MP

About the Author

PAULINE BRYAN, Baroness Bryan of Partick, is a Scottish writer and socialist campaigner. She was nominated for a life peerage by the Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, in May 2018. Bryan is part of the Red Paper Collective, a group of Labour activists who aim to provide an alternative from the perspective of the Labour movement to the ‘sterile nationalist vs. unionist debate’ around the Scottish independence referendums. In a review of Neil Findlay’s book, Socialism & Hope: A Journey Through Turbulent Times, Bryan wrote that the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party ‘was a lifeline for the left. It rebuilt friendships and enthusiasm... By the 2017 election, we saw the beginnings of a renewed Scottish Labour Party and a renewed activist base who, regardless of what their MPs and MSPs thought, were committing themselves to a radical Labour Party’. Bryan is a founding member of the Keir Hardie Society, and was the editor of the 2015 book What Would Keir Hardie Say?. She is also a founding member of the Campaign for Socialism.