In the words of Maurice Glasman (audio file):
I think it is time to say that, even more than Tawney, that the most important person in the history of the labour movement was Jesus.
And why was that? Because Jesus was the son of a carpenter; Jesus had friends, he had the disciples; because Jesus has given hope to working-class people throughout the history of our country, that the dignity of labour will be respected, that a better world is possible, and that things are not merely summarised by the present constellation of power, whether the money power or the state power, but that through association, we can build a better world together.
And I do think, as Tawney argued, that the greatest figure in that has been the English image of Jesus, which is one of the most neglected figures. If you look at Keir Hardie, if you look at Lansbury, Tawney, if you look at GDH Cole, if you look at all those figures who carried a transformative, radical agenda into the political arena, it is that the Christian heritage has been very important.
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Dubya was widely ridiculed for saying that his favourite political philosopher was Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteNot by me. Not for that. He was saying what the pioneers of the Labour Movement would have said, and did say.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. The more I read about the Italian Social Catholics, the more I learn how much they and other Continental Christian Democrats were influenced by the British Labour Movement, and especially by its Christian background. It is all very inspiring. Thank you for this post!
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