Rhodri and Hardie
Saturday, December 02, 2006
The first ever Labour MP is now officially commemorated in his constituency.A bust of Keir Hardie has been unveiled outside the council offices in Aberdare - he won what was the Merthyr and Aberdare constituency in 1900 and held it until his death in 1915.
I wonder what he'd make of Rhodri Morgan's '21st Century Socialism'? Probably not much more than he'd have made of Morgan's 2003 election gimmick, 'Clear Red Water'.
It's all pre-election gobbledygook, isn't it?
He certainly wouldn't have been happy that Ann Clwyd was the MP to unveil him. Hardie was an ardent pacifist who fervently opposed the Great War. Clwyd, by contrast, makes no bones about her support for the war in Iraq.
Merthyr, Aberdare and Wales used to be political melting pots, formative of some of Britain's great ideas and ideals. But back then we had real heavyweight politicians. Hardie said, 'mankind in the mass is not moved by hatred, but by love of what is right.'
But mankind is also moved by great leaders. Regrettably, most Welsh ones are now statues.
Labels: Ann Clwyd, Keir Hardie, Labour, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhodri Morgan
posted by Blamerbell @ 7:48 pm,
