On the 14th January 1893, the founding conference of the Independent Labour Party took place in the City of Bradford to provide an independent voice of the working class
130 Years later on 14th January 2023, a group of individuals came together once again at Manningham Mills in Bradford, the site of the 1890's strike that was instrumental in the ILP's formation, to find hope and bring about change, just as those did over a century ago.
The people who kindly sat for the following photographs (and also those who did not) on the day should be immensely proud of their continued drive, determination and belief in their vision of a better world. Solidarity with every one of them.
Marisa Aiken, Anis Akhtar, Fazila Aswat, Sue Balcomb, John Baruch, Nicki-jo Baxter, Lee Boakes, Nick Booth, Allan Brack, John Brazendale, Paul Coates, Isabel Cooke, David Craig, Tim Curtis, Tina Downes, Mary Dowson, Kerry Evans, Saffron Farr-Hoey, Mandy Farrar, Angela Fell, Lizzie Fletcher, Neil Gibb, Steve Gower, Helen Halloum, Neal Heard, Ian Hodson, Maxine Hoey, Reinhard Huss, Ruth Ibegbuna, Charles Jepson, James Lock, Bridget Maguire, Jimmy Manning, Alex Mays, Paul McHugh, Ben McKenna, Nagbea NagbeaRod Nicholls, Frances Northrop, Martyn Oliver, George Pope, Dusty Rhodes, Neil Rhodes, Sara Robinson, Paul Russell, Miriam Schulten, Christine Selsby, Catherine Simes, Peter Spillane, Ursula Sutcliffe, Kirsty Taylor, Doug Thorpe, Richard Town, Thelma Walker, Anna Watson, Bobby Weaver, Jude White, Rodney Victor Williams.
Representing (in no order);
Mek Summat Creative, Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), Bradford Community Broadcasting, Bradford Immigration & Asylum Support Network, Breakthrough Party, Equality Together, Green Party, Independent Labour Publications, Independent Media Association, Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB), Insulate Britain, Labour Party, Left Unity, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), National Clarion Cycling Club 1895, Neighbourhood Democracy Movement, New Economics Foundation, Opus Independents, People's Alliance of the Left, Rekindle School, Solidaritech, UBI Lab Network, Unite Community Bradford, Unite the Union, United Peoples Movement, University and College Union (UCU)
Special thanks to the organising team for trusting and believeing in my idea, and also to my friend and assistant Nicki-joe Baxter on the day.
Link to Independant Labour Publications Report by Mary Stratford.