In defence of Keir (Hardie) and genuine Keiths. No to KPhobia
I was concerned to read on Twitter that doing a book signing Michael Rosen had come across no Keiths (or Michaels for that matter).He tweeted that he never came across Keiths.
I suspect there is a KPhobia stretching from Keith to Keir and Karl
I’ve spent a life on the left and so in general I vote Labour, although I sometimes vote to the left of Labour where there is a credible candidate and the Tories stand no chance.
I’m not an enthusiast for Parliamentary Socialism(see Ralph Miliband) so I don’t have great expectations of Labour leaders. I’m no fan of Keir Starmer but then again one thinks back to the days of Hugh Gaitskell and Harold Wilson (indeed I am 66).
All that said the Labour leader is named or appears to be named after the first leader of the Party Keir Hardie.
He is not called Keith except on social media where he often is.
Nor is Keith an Anglicised imperial alternative to Keir. In fact Keir is the English variant of the Gaelic name Ciar.
It may be a joke but it’s one I find hugely amusing. Nor one reads does Starmer which is a little more amusing.
There was a discussion on Facebook in 2021. One quote from the thread:
‘Keith is often applied to people who are generally viewed as quite boring, whatever their class’.
The Fletts originate from Orkney and I’m named after the north-east Scotland town of Keith.
Its home to a brewery and whisky distilleries which may explain something of my later development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith,_Moray
If Keir could stick to his name I’ll stick to mine. Also hands off Karls but what news of Kevins?
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