Scottish Workers' Representation Committee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scottish Workers' Representation Committee
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|---|---|
| General Secretary | Robert Allan (1900–1902) George Carson (1902–1909) |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Dissolved | 1909 |
| Merged into | Labour Party |
| Trade Union Wing | Scottish Trades Union Congress |
| Ideology | Big Tent Socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
The Scottish Workers' Representation Committee (SWRC) was a political group in Scotland. It was active from 1899 to 1909. Its main goal was to help working-class people get elected to the British Parliament. The SWRC was closely linked to the Scottish Trades Union Congress, which is a large group representing workers' unions in Scotland.
The group was first known as the Scottish Workers Parliamentary Elections Committee until 1903. Unlike a similar group in England, the SWRC managed to keep different types of socialist thinkers working together. These included people with Marxist ideas, Catholic socialists, and those from the Fabian Society.
Contents
History of the SWRC
The Scottish Workers Parliamentary Elections Committee (SWPEC) first tried to elect someone in the 1900 UK general election. They supported a journalist named A. E. Fletcher in Glasgow Camlachie. He received 3,107 votes but did not win the election.
Early Elections and Challenges
After the 1900 election, the group continued to try and get their candidates into Parliament. In 1901, they supported Robert Smillie, a well-known leader of the miners' trade union. He ran in a special election in North East Lanarkshire but was also defeated.
Another special election happened in North East Lanarkshire in 1904. This time, another miners' leader, John Robertson, was chosen to run. However, he also did not win the seat.
The 1906 General Election
In the 1906 UK general election, the SWRC put forward five candidates. They were:
- John Robertson in North East Lanarkshire
- Joseph Sullivan in North West Lanarkshire
- David Gilmour in Falkirk Burghs
- James Brown in North Ayrshire
- Robert Smillie in Paisley
Even though their candidates received a total of 14,877 votes, none of them managed to win a seat in Parliament.
Joining the Labour Party
After not winning any seats in 1906, the SWRC decided to work more closely with the Labour Party. The Labour Party was a growing political party in the UK that also aimed to represent working people. The SWRC then changed its name to the Labour Party (Scottish Section).
Finally, in 1909, the Scottish group fully joined the Labour Party. Later, in 1915, a special Scottish Council was created within the Labour Party to represent Scottish interests.
