Scottish Labour Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham |
| Secretary-General | Keir Hardie |
| Founder | Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Keir Hardie |
| Founded | 25 August 1888 |
| Dissolved | 1895 |
| Split from | Scottish Land Restoration League |
| Merged into | Independent Labour Party |
| Succeeded by | Scottish Labour |
| Ideology | Socialism Nationalisation Home rule Georgism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Slogan | No Noble Task Was Ever Easy |
TheScottish Labour Party (SLP), also known as theScottish Parliamentary Labour Party, was formed byRobert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, the firstsocialistMP in theParliament of the United Kingdom, who later went on to become the first president of theScottish National Party, andKeir Hardie, who later became the first leader of theIndependent Labour Party and theLabour Party.
The initial spur for the party's foundation was Hardie's unsuccessful independent Labour candidature in the1888 Mid Lanarkshire by-election. He had tried and failed to gainLiberal Party support for his candidature, and the experience convinced many of his fellow miners of the need for an independent party representing the interests of labour.[1] The cause also appealed to someradicals, and his movement gained the support of theDundee Radical Association.[2] Like many of the party's initial members, Hardie had previously been involved in theScottish Land Restoration League.
A preliminary meeting was held in Glasgow in May, and a foundation conference was held on 25 August. This was chaired by Cunninghame Graham, while other attendees included Irish nationalist politician John Ferguson, crofter John Murdoch, land reformerShaw Maxwell and miners' leaderRobert Smillie. However, the organised socialist movement was not initially involved; both theSocial Democratic Federation and theSocialist League boycotted the event. The diverse factions had very different perspectives on the party's future, but were able to agree a programme, largely based on a draft by Hardie.[3]
Hardie became the party's Secretary, while George Mitchell was the first Treasurer and Cunninghame Graham was the President.[3]
R B Cunninghame Graham, a strong supporter ofScottish independence, was the party's main MP, for theNorth West Lanarkshire constituency, between his defection from theLiberal Party in 1888 and his defeat in theUnited Kingdom general election 1892, in theGlasgow Camlachie constituency. Two other MPs,Gavin Clark andCharles Conybeare, held honorary offices in the party until January 1893.[4] Following their departure, with many of the other radicals, the party declared itself in favour ofsocialism, and prohibited officials (but not other members) from dual membership with other political parties.[5] The party ran two other candidates in 1892: J. Bennett Burleigh inGlasgow Tradeston andJames MacDonald inDundee. Attempts by Cunninghame Graham and Shaw Maxwell to arrange a non-contest pact with the Liberals failed, and the SLP candidates did not poll well.[6]
The party initially supportedHenry Hyde Champion'strades council movement, but became concerned when it formed theScottish United Trades Councils Labour Party under the secretaryship ofChisholm Robertson, presenting itself as a potential rival to the Scottish Labour Party. However, Champion's movement soon faded, while it did serve to move some trades councils to a position supporting independent labour candidates, and closer co-operation with the Scottish Labour Party.[7]
In 1894, Hardie became President of the newIndependent Labour Party (ILP), and the vast majority of Scottish Labour Party members supported him.[8] In early 1895 the SLP dissolved itself into the ILP.[4]
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee | James MacDonald | 354 | 1.3 | 5 |
| Glasgow Camlachie | Robert Cunninghame-Graham | 906 | 11.9 | 3 |
| Glasgow Tradeston | Bennet Burleigh | 783 | 10.7 | 3 |
