Kmflett's Blog

In another political stunt Nigel Farage has posed leaning on the statue of Keir Hardie in Aberdare, South Wales. With him is the former Tory leader of Barnet Council.

Farage’s knowledge of labour history is risible. If he was better informed he’d know that Hardie was a temperance campaigner and hardly a kindred spirit for Lunchtime O’Booze Farage.

Keir Hardie’s original base, from the late 1870s, was amongst first the Lanarkshire and then the Ayrshire miners in Scotland. He was a trade unionist, a full time organiser, with a Lib-Lab, that is a trade unionist within the Liberal Party, perspective on the world that focused strongly on issues of respectability such as temperance and religious observance.

Hardie stood as an independent labour candidate election in Lanark in April 1888 and in August of the same year he became the first Secretary of the new Scottish Labour Party.

In 1892 he travelled to the East End of London, another centre of a newly organising working class, to stand, without Liberal opposition, as a small ‘l’ labour candidate for Westminster. Hardie won and in August 1892 took his seat as an MP.

Questions were asked about where Hardie’s campaign funds came from. While Hardie presented himself as moving beyond his trade union background, as Caroline Benn’s definitive biography underlines, unemployment was even more of an issue in West Ham than it was in Ayrshire. The Scottish miners understood the link well enough and certainly gave some of the money for Hardie’s election.

The following year he was one of those who formed the Independent Labour Party.

When it came to the 1900 General Election Hardie, in era when it was possible to stand in more than one seat, was nominated in Preston and Merthyr in South Wales.

Preston was never likely at this point, on a still restricted franchise, to return a labour MP.

Hardie’s chances in Merthyr weren’t thought to be too good either. After all he was a Scot who had held a seat in London’s East End and was largely unknown in the area.

Hardie however had two things going for him. Firstly he had been a miner and a miner’s union official. Merthyr was a mining seat, but one which remained firmly Lib-Lab. This though was the period when the new Trades Councils were being formed in the area, and they were often a bedrock of support for independent labour politics

In a two member seat Hardie was elected MP and in the 1906 General Election was re-elected with an increased majority.

Hardie’s politics remained as they had developed from his background. A pacifist, he opposed war, and the First World War on that basis, not that of anti-imperialism. He was a determined advocate of an independent labour politics (although one that did deals early on with the Liberals) and a supporter of women’s suffrage which at that time placed him on the left of the labour movement. On the left, but certainly no revolutionary as Victor Grayson the MP for the Colne Valley was

The central historical point is that Hardie’s trajectory as a union and labour activist demonstrates that while issues of national independence are important ones, class politics transcends boundaries.

The spectre of united working class internationalism that Hardie in a way personified, continues to not only haunt the right but be of great relevance for the labour movement.

Thornbridge’s new pub in central London

Thornbridge are based in Bakewell but while Jaipur IPA is an omnipresent beer the opening of the Wild Swan in Fetter Lane is a first appearance of the brewery as opposed to its flagship beer in central London.

The area is well known to me. I had a summer holiday job in nearby Bouverie St in 1971 (the school leaving age was raised to 16 in that year- I didn’t leave btw) with Post Office telecoms who in a privatised format remain my employer 55 years later. That is another story.

I still have an office nearby in \Queen Victoria St but that also is another story.

Anyway for those wondering where the pub actually is its equidistant between Holborn Circus and Fleet St- a 5 minute walk either way- might be a bit quicker it depends how fast you walk- in central London most people except tourists do fast.

The Wild Swan has step free access (the gents are downstairs but decent). These are important matters for some.

Anyway there are six handpulls and two banks of keg taps. The pub has the luxurious feel of another Thornbridge outlet the Colmore in central Birmingham. The beer range on 14^th April was fine but not of specific interest to beer tickers (or whatever they are called now). Whether six handpulls works in the location I’m not sure (the Law Courts) but time will tell on that. I had a pint of 4.5% Hirondu Spring ale on cask. At £6.10 that was an Ok price for the area and it was a well-conditioned pint.

The food much like the Colmore is mostly pizzas, again reasonably priced for the location.

There is a bit of a history of breweries from Oop North appearing in a pub or two in London and not quite capturing the zeitgeist. However Thornbridge have a done a good bit to define the beer zeitgeist over the last 20 years so I hope the White Swan does well.

Ralph Miliband published the Parliamentary Road to Socialism in 1961 a study of the then six decades of the existence of Labour Party. His key point was that Labour was much more interested in procedures and Parliament than it was in socialism.

One of Ralph Miliband’s sons Ed is currently a Labour Minister and to his credit (recent New Statesman interview) he hasnt entirely forgotten what his father wrote.

Ralph Miliband however could never quite decide if socialists should be in or out of the Labour Party.

The recent decision of the Your Party CEC to exclude anyone found to be self identifying as an organised socialist is somewhere in that area. If, say, Andy Burnham rather than Starmer was Labour leader might they not call it quits and re-join?

Time will tell, although no doubt there remain some good activists in Your Party and uniting to fight the right is more important than pondering internal processes.

Guardian explainer

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/big-oil-huge-war-windfall-consumers?CMP=share_btn_url

A JL Partners poll for the Telegraph has suggested that the Green Party may be get the biggest number of Councillors in two London Boroughs on 7th May. They are the neighbouring north-east London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey.

Leaving aside the Telegraph spin its an MRP poll. The media like these because they ‘predict’ outcomes in each contest rather than just give a national poll. However they don’t poll locally. They take the national figure and apply it to local contests. At the 2024 General Election for example MRP polls suggested the strong possibility that Suella Braverman would lose her seat. Sadly she did not.

Anyway to Hackney and Haringey. Green leader Zack Polanski lives in Hackney and both Councils have a handful of existing Green Councillors. Interestingly on May 7th both Boroughs also have a Green- Socialist pact with the Greens making way for independent socialist candidates in a small number of Wards. The collaborations reflect joint activity over Palestine and Council policies over the past several years.

The background is interesting. In the 2011 AV Referendum Hackney and Haringey both voted for, while hardly anywhere else did. In the 2016 Brexit Referendum they recorded the highest remain votes. The reasons might not be quite what could be surmised. As a Tottenham resident I’d suggest that the Brexit vote did not reflect a huge love for the EU but a correct understanding that Leave meant the racism of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage- pretty much the last thing residents need. Several years back it was reported that there were 192 different languages spoken in Haringey, and people get along and work together.

It would be good in my view to see some independent socialist representation on both Councils. A key issue is pension fund investment in companies that are on the wrong side on Palestine. Other issues such as continuing austerity and the right to protest are not determined by local Government (but can be fought by it).

Looking at the experience of Councils where the Greens have had control, the record is not hugely impressive, partly because constraints (lack of budget) make change difficult and fulfilment of statutory responsibilities is important whoever . A Green vote would certainly send a message to Starmer but I tend to think a strong, principled and active Green-Left opposition might work best. Others may lean towards a Green Council with independent socialist support.

Either way change is likely. Haringey was formed in 1965 and the only period when Labour has not been in control was 1968-71 when the Tories were in charge. That is an interesting but another story.

By the way certainly in Haringey neither the Tories or Reform will be winning any seats.

As ever the real struggle often lies beyond the Council chamber, On Palestine, on racism and Reform and on the impact of Trump’s War. But in the run up to May 7th there can be expression of that at the ballot box, so campaigning is essential.

Beard Liberation Front

15th April

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has called for a specific beard passport to be issued for the hirsute who plan to travel across borders.

The call come after author, broadcaster and Arsenal fan Michael Rosen, was refused entry to a flight to Bologna where he was due to be named as the winner of a major literary award. The key reason given was that Rosen’s passport did not conform to post-Brexit rules. However he late admitted that he had trimmed his beard before travelling and this may well also have been issue.

Beards and passports have long been an issue because of concerns that facial hair can be used to disguise identity.

The campaigners say these concerns are largely promoted by beard haters but the current complexities of travel indicate that a specific beard passport related to an existing passport could ease delays.

The beard passport would show four photographs of the beard wearer reflecting different stages of their beard wearing from stubble to full organic ZZ Top.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we don’t think anyone should be discriminated against because of their facial hair and Michael Rosen’s case underlines the need for action

Michael Rosen wins Hans Christian Andersen award | Books | The Guardian

Above is the lead story in the Financial Times 15th April 2026.

It won’t come as a surprise to some at least that war is good for business. According to the report Trumps actions in Venezuela and Iran have produced good rather than bad volatility and led to profits increases. A final paragraph does note that the impact of petrol price rises might hit the least well off more.

War of course is not good for business for ordinary people in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran, some of whom are either dead or injured and many more face destroyed dwellings and food shortages.

E P Thompson in the Making of the English Working Class notes the importance of beer to working class diets and what happened when the price rose to levels that could not be afforded- primarily tea drinking.

He noted ‘In 1830 the duty on strong beer was repealed and the Beer Act was passed- and within five years 35,000 Beer Shops sprang up.

Fast forward to 2026 and the Morning Advertiser (15th April) has published a survey of beer prices across the UK.

The cheapest pints are mostly in North-West England £2.50 in Bury to £3.50 in Blackpool.

On the expensive side is London £6.50 and Oxford £6.75.

I’ve been in London (where I’m meant to live) for the past few days and can report a pint of Kirkstall (cask) pale in Stoke Newington at £5.20 and a pint of Thornbridge Spring Ale at £6.10 in central London Both pints btw were in excellent condition, suggesting that there was plenty of custom for them.

Its a reminder that increases in the minimum and living wage also see wages rise generally (a rising tide floats all boats) and while the pub trade focuses on increased labour costs its as well to keep in mind that this also means increased ability to buy the beer they are selling

Whether beer is an essential part of the working class diet in 2026 as it was in 1830 is another matter, because while there is still plenty of heavy physical work around that brings the thirst for a pint or two, a desk or shop job may (or may not) be a different matter.

The left often raise the slogan welfare not warfare underlining that money spent on public services is better than money spent on arms. Harold Wilson when Labour leader and PM in the first half of the 1970s promoted a policy of welfare and warfare. Namely that while defence was important people might query what was being defended if there was poverty and poor services.

An alternative view again has been warfare not welfare. Its a demand that can be heard regularly at the moment with Messrs Putin and Trump leading the way. NATO is often not far behind. It is supposed to be a defensive alliance not one that engages in wars of choice.

Former NATO Boss and ex Labour MP George Robertson has been in the news attacking Keir Starmer for failing to spend enough on defence. It is an interesting line of argument since Labour has only been office since July 2024 and building new warships and even recruiting more soldiers (assuming either is desirable) takes time. The big cuts in defence came under the Tories from 2010 to 2024.

Robertson was Defence Minister in the early Blair Government from 1997 and was busy backing (unaffordable) increases in military spending even then. During his period as NATO Boss he backed the US (and UK) follies in Afghanistan and Iraq neither of which were conceivably within a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation remit..

Views may and do vary on defence but some historical perspective is important

George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen – Wikipedia

Author, Arsenal fan and former Beard of the Year Michael Rosen, was not allowed on a flight to Bologna on Monday. He was due to receive an award at a literary festival. The technical details related to the amount of time left on his passport which was some months from expiry/

However subsequently Rosen admitted that there might also have been another issue in that he had trimmed his beard before attempting to travel. Beards and passports have long been a contentious issue and it seems his follicle folly may have given passport control an additional reason to refuse boarding

BLF Organise Keith Flett said. its a warning about beards and passports but behind this lies the post-Brexit travel issue. Its indisputable that the key campaigners for Brexit were all clean shaven and may have secretly plotted to cause travel problems for the hirsute.