For many years we have been fed the “myth” about the suffragettes and suffragists and how they “won” the vote for women. We heard some MPs referring to them in Westminster yesterday. I believe we also have statues ,of certain ones, in various places across the UK. This narrative is false and stains rhe memory of those men, and young men, who went off to war to fight for our freedoms.
The narrative being narrated is that “votes for were women gained in 1918” ( via rhe Representation Of Peoples Act), and how they “had to fight for the vote as men opposed it”. Both these statements are false. They also push a narrative of controlling men and victim females.
The suffragettes were terrorists plain and simple. They used violent means and terror tactics. They also placed a white feather on the chest of young men, who didn’t go to war, as a symbol of cowardice.
In 1910 and 1911 Bills were passed giving women the right to vote. However these bills did not become law. The first issue which prevented the 1910 bill becoming law was a general election. The second issue which prevented the 1911 bill becoming law was due to the Liberal Prime Minister afraid they would vote conservative. So with 400 out of 650 MPs supporting these bills it shows that majority male parliamentarians were in favour of women having the vote. This point negates the long pushed false narrative of having to fight men for the vote.
More than half of men did not have the right to vote prior to the 1918 RPA. Women already had the vote prior to this ( via 1910 and 1911 Bills ) and we’re in within the RPA.
The main point for the Representation of the Peoples Act 1918 was because millions of men returning from war DID NOT HAVE THE VOTE. These men, and young men, went to war for our freedoms, yet had no right to vote. Millions lost their lives and the RPA 1918 allowed those who did return, to have the vote.
This can be clarified within Hansard at the time. One MP stated “if we can trust them to go to war we can trust them to vote”.
So let’s stop this false narrative, let’s stop this false narrative being taught in our schools. The facts are clear however radicals have stained the memory of those who fought for our freedoms, and stained the memory of those who gave their all for our freedoms.
