Keir Hardie was a founder and the first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party. At the turn of the 19th century he was Labour's most famous face. But despite being voted Labour's 'Greatest Hero' at the 2008 Party Conference, in recent years his extraordinary story seems all but forgotten. Born illegitimate just outside Glasgow in 1856, his life didn't start gently. Before the age of 10, he was the sole wage earner in his working class, atheist family. He never went to school but was self-taught, avidly reading books lent him by a kind young clergyman. This led to two major conversions in his life: first to Christianity, and then to socialism. While earlier biographies have neglected the former, pointing out his experience of hardship as the source of his passion for social justice, the role of Christianity in Hardie's life was profound. It shaped his involvement in many of the greatest social changes of the time.

For James Keir Hardie, founding father of the British Labour Party, Socialism was the Christianity of his day. Keir Hardie realized that the abject poverty of his early years was economic, social, and political oppression, so he dedicated his life to fighting for justice. He found inspiration in the visions, insights, and concepts of figures from Jesus of Nazareth to Robert Burns and Karl Marx. At the heart of Keir Hardie's creed was the belief that human solidarity is sacred. What underpins this study is the understanding that labour history is religious history.

First published in 1978. This book is an essay in labour biography. Labour leaders of the nineteenth century are often enigmatic personalities, and James Keir Hardie is no exception. The main purpose of this study is to penetrate the heart of the enigma that is Kier Hardie. Why does he remain so puzzling? The author explores Hardie’s childhood and his interest and involvement within the Labour Party. This title will be of interest to students of politics and history.

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher focuses on the life and efforts of Keir Hardie, one of the founders of the UK Labour Party and one of the foremost figureheads of trade unionism. Drawing upon the work of two contemporary and significant American theorists-Herbert Gutman's classic essay on “Working-Class Religion” and Michael Gold's call for “Proletarian Literature”-Smith-Christopher marries British and American historical and theoretical debates to argue that Hardie's work is surely the quintessential example of a “proletarian exegesis” of the Bible. Beginning with a summary of the major events in Hardie's life, Smith-Christopher draws both upon existing biographies and more recent historical discussions that question assumption of British social history. He then reviews previous debates upon the influence of Hardie's own Christian faith upon his journalistic output, and assesses three Christian Socialists whose work was advertised and reviewed by Hardie himself: Dennis Hird, John Morrison Davidson, and Caroline Martyn. Smith-Christopher proceeds to Hardie's copious writings, both for The Labour Leader and separately published lectures, pamphlets, and somewhat longer works of autobiography and comment. Highlighting Hardie's tendency to cite favorite texts (heavily from the Gospels and James, but also some notable Old Testament discussions), Smith-Christopher proves Hardie's serious discussion of these texts beyond mere political rhetoric; concluding by comparing a selection of Hardie's favorite Biblical arguments with contemporary research in Biblical Studies about these same passages, evaluating the problems and possibilities of proposing a “Proletarian Exegesis”.

Keir Hardie is a significant figure in British history. He is known as the founder of the Labour Party but his influence went much wider. 100 years after his death the question is still often asked, "What would Keir Hardie say?" A group of distinguished writers have come together to write about different aspects of Hardie's life and legacy: Fran Abrams, Melissa Benn, Jeremy Corbyn, John Callow, Bob Holman, Cathy Jamieson, William Knox, Richard Leonard, Owen Smith, Dave Watson, Barry Winter. Each of them tackles one aspect of Hardie's varied interests from his support for women's suffrage, his internationalism, to his central role in the foundation of the Labour Party. Each essay considers the relevance of Keir Hardie's work to our lives today. The Foreword by Keir Hardie's great granddaughter, Dolores May Arias, reminds us that as well as his huge public presence, Hardie was a family man. And like so many great figures in history his family paid a price.

'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 Burgon; 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 policies to this day.

A captivating biography of the first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie (1856-1915)