By John Pickard
On June 23, 1894, the future King Edward VIII was born. On the same day, at the Albion Colliery, Pontypridd, South Wales, an explosion killed 290 miners, men and boys.
In the House of Commons, only five days later, a Liberal MP proposed a congratulatory address be sent to Queen Victoria on the birth of her grandson. Keir Hardie, later Labour leader, opposed the motion, and the following was his speech as recorded in Hansard:
Mr KEIR HARDIE – Mr Speaker, on my behalf, and those whom I represent, I am unable to join in this public address. I owe no allegiance to to any hereditary ruler (interruptions). The resolution, Sir, proposes to congratulate Her Majesty on the birth of a son to the Duke and Duchess of York.
It seeks to elevate to an importance which it does not deserve, an event of daily occurrence. I have been delighted to learn that the child is a fairly healthy one, and had I had the opportunity of meeting its parents, I should have been pleased indeed to join in the ordinary congratulations of the occasion. But when we are asked as a House of Commons representing the nation to join in the congratulations, then in the interests of the House, I take leave to protest.
There is one aspect of this question which concerns the House of Commons. A Minister of the Crown is required to be present on this interesting occasion. It is a matter of small concern to me whether the future ruler of the nation be the genuine article or a spurious imitation.
We have the right to ask what particular blessing the Royal Family has conferred upon the nation that we should be asked to take part in the proceedings today. We have just heard it said that Her Majesty had ruled for over half a century. I would correct that, Sir, by saying that Her Majesty has reigned, but not ruled.
Then, there is the Prince of Wales. What high dignity has his Royal Highness conferred upon the nation?
Colonel Sanderson (Armagh) – I rise, Sir, for the purpose of moving that the hon. Member be no longer heard.
Mr KEIR HARDIE – I was about to observe that I know nothing in the career of the Prince of Wales which commends him especially to me. Sometimes, we get glimpses of the Prince at the gaming tables, sometimes on the racecourse. His Royal Highness is Duke of Cornwall, and as such he draws £60,000 a year from the Duchy property in London, which is made up of some of the vilest slums. (Cries of “Question”).
Mr SPEAKER – The hon member must keep to the terms of the resolution.
Mr KEIR HARDIE – I will bow to your ruling, Sir, and proceed to the subject of the resolution. We are asked to rejoice because this child has been born, and that one day he will be called upon to rule over this great Empire. From his childhood onwards this boy will be surrounded by sycophants and flatterers by the score (cries of “Oh! Oh!”) and will be taught to believe himself as of a superior creation. (“Oh! Oh!”).
A line will be drawn between him and the people whom he is to be called upon some day to reign over. In due course, following the precedent which has already been set, he will be sent on a tour around the world, and probably rumours of a morganatic alliance will follow (Loud cries of “Oh!”, “Order!” and “Question!”) and the end of it all will be that the country will be called upon to pay the bill. (Cries of “Divide!”).
As a matter of principle, I protest against this motion being passed, and if there is another member of the House who shares the principles I hold, I will carry my protest to the length of a division. The government will not find an opportunity for a vote of condolence with the relatives of those who are lying stiff and stark in a Welsh valley, and, if that cannot be done, the motion before the House ought never to have been propsed either.
If it be for rank and title only that time and occasion can be found in this House, then the sooner the truth is known outside, the better for the House itself. I will challenge a division on the motion, and if the forms of the House will permit, I will go to a division in the hope that some members at least will enter their protest against the mummery implied in a resolution of this kind.
No other MP supported Hardie, so there was no division on his opposition and the message was sent to the Queen.
It is worth making the point that were a left wing Labour MP to make a speech remotely like this one today, the ‘other’ Keir – Starmer – would probably suspend him from the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Subsequent to the Albion colliery explosion, the government appointed a barrister to look at evidence around the working practices at the colliery. He recommended prosecution of the mineowners, the Albion Coal Company, but in the end there were fines levied only on the manager and chargeman, of £10 and £2, respectively. The company as such was not prosecuted.
