Keir Hardie rather than the Trade Unions deserves the credit for the emergence of the Labour
Numerous arguments propose that the emergence of the Labour Party was due to a number of different entities; Keir Hardie being one, Trade Unions and Ramsey MacDonald. The authors interpretation sides the argument that Keir Hardie should gain the credit for this emergence, as opposed to Trade Unions. I agree with the authors interpretation; that Keir Hardie deserves the credit, however to assess the validity of it, we must analyse the relative importance of both Keir Hardie and the Trade Unions towards the emergence of the Labour Party. ... The Fabian Society, The Social-Democrat Federation, and the Independent Labour Party, led by Keir Hardie are examples of such movements, all consisting of a Socialist constitution; public ownership of the means of production and distribution. By 1890, Trade Union officials were seeking to secure parliamentary representation for themselves. That very year, at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), 129 delegates passed a resolution allowing the establishment of a `Labour Representation Committee. The Labour Representation Committee united the three Socialist movements. It contained seven trade unionists and two members from the Independent Labour Party, two from the Social-Democratic Federation, one member of the Fabian Society. The future of the Labour Representation Committee was in doubt however, since its membership amongst Unions was very limited and it was feared that the party might disappear from the political scene completely. ... This prosecution followed a decade of attacks on trade union rights.