Now published

1906-2006: 100 years of Labour in Fife

The volunteer history group (pictured right) has now published its first pamphlet - and the articles are being added to the Fife Labour website to maximise access to information about our history, our many prominent local and national figures, and their contributions to building a better life for all. There are always more stories to be told, and we welcome any contributions, cuttings, pictures, complete articles or snippets of information about the people and events in the history of the labour movement in Fife - contact history@fifelabour.org.uk

100 YEARS REMEMBERED

Editorial Comment by Bob Eadie, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Constituency Labour Party

I'm very pleased to be part of this celebration of Labour in Fife. We should honour the men and women who achieved extraordinary things in the face of immense challenges and difficulties. Their achievements are what defines us not just as a political party but as people in Fife.

It should also be remembered that without an understanding of our history and how we got where we are we will never manage a sound evaluation let alone devise a strategy for the future. It is an often quoted phrase that those who cannot learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them. Gordon Brown has called for a renewal of our Labour Party. We do have to change because the world does not stand still but the analysis of change and renewal should draw heavily on our values and history.

Labour in Fife has contributed very positively to the growth of ideas and the development of a modern Labour Party. I’m sure that we will do so in the future but we shall not forget where we are from and the debt we owe to those pioneers of our movement who fought and endured incredible hardships to provide us with the legacy of health, education and opportunity that we have today.

Team Work - Thanks for all the help

In any project such as this, the end result is the product of many people’s help and co-operation. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the outcome of this document. I know that it is invidious to pick out individuals but a special mention must be made firstly to Gordon Brown who supported us with his written contributions and also his enthusiasm and inspiration for this project. We must also offer special thanks to Remploy for contributing the printing of this publication. Thank you to the Labour Party Branches and Trade Union Organisations for their financial support.

Thanks also to Judy Hamilton who acted as our Treasurer, Diane and Zhivko Gulaboff who catalogued much of the material, Fiona Eadie who provided technical desk-top publishing assistance and Ronnie Watt, Susan Morton and Mark Hood for their contributions and help on the working group. Thank you to Willie Russell who provided the information that ensures North East Fife had their deserved place in our hundred years of Labour history.

This story is not complete: there are many areas where we have not been able to do justice to the communities and individual contributions to Fife’s Labour history. This is a challenge to others to continue this work and we should remember that history is a continuing process which is never complete.