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idiot85 posted 6/3/2013 16:29 PM

Emily Davison threw herself in front of the King's horse...

Brave brave suffragettes.

The Mrs did a painting for it- it's very good- very moving.

nowiknow23 posted 6/3/2013 17:18 PM

Thank you for posting this. My daughter has a deep interest in the suffragette movement here in the states. I'm very excited to expand her knowledge, starting with this story.

I'd love to see the painting.

idiot85 posted 6/3/2013 18:21 PM

It's so interesting- I have a few books on it.

I'll try and get a pic and post it soon.

There's this girl whose name I forget (disappointingly but I'll try and find out) and she got mugged in London (back then), the thief stole her handbag. The police caught the thief so it went to court. She was sat there giving evidence for the stealing of Mr *whatever the name*'s handbag- as if the handbag was her husband's property because she was married.

Something clicked in her brain- must have been a 'fuck this shit' moment and she started fighting for women's rights. Her husband joined her- he got sacked from his job and seen as outsider. Part of the reason for sacking was him being involved with women's duties- a neighbour said they'd once seen him hanging out washing. He stuck by her though.

I didn't realise until a few years ago that when they were protesting the women got assaulted and all sorts. I's totally mental.

There's a few different things on the telly with it being the anniversary tomorrow- a lot focussing on how work still needs to be done around the world.

There's definitely more than just burning bras to feminism- it seems to me to be a basic human right. I don't care about gender- my daughter and my son are entitled to equal opportunities in life.

*jumps off soapbox*

Edited to add- Emmeline Pankhurst is an interesting one in the suffrage movement- amazing. Millicent Fawcett and her sister Elizabeth Garrett Anderson are both worth a mention too... I should never have started a list... Barbara Bodichon... OK I can't think of any more!!

[This message edited by idiot85 at 6:29 PM, June 3rd (Monday)]

idiot85 posted 6/4/2013 09:31 AM

A hundred years ago today a 40-year-old woman breathed her last.

This 40-year-old was different though.

A nice middle-class upbringing hit a brick wall when she was 21. Her father died and she was forced to drop out of university for lack of cash, and she was forced to do the only thing well-brought up impoverished ladies could do, and become a governess - a servant who once used to have servants of their own.

She was determined though and saved up enough to get her degree. She won first class honours at Oxford, but because they refused to admit women wasn't allowed to graduate.

After a stint teaching she went back to university full-time, and in 1906 joined the Women's Social and Political Union - the Suffragettes.

The Pankhurst family which led it felt that 50 years of asking nicely had got women no nearer the vote, and vowed to step things up a gear.

They leafleted the 1908 FA Cup Final. They started chaining themselves to railings, disrupting men-only political meetings, firebombing post boxes, smashing shop windows, cutting newly-installed telephone wires. They burned down rich men's empty stately homes, dug up golf courses, and even tried to blow up the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey. In 1909 one woman tried to horsewhip Winston Churchill, who was Home Secretary at the time.

As they got more mischievous the authorities cracked down harder. In 1910 a new law which would have granted the vote was talked out of Parliament, and 300 women marched on Westminster to protest.

Churchill ordered the police to go in hard; there were accusations of mass sexual assault, groping, and breaking of limbs. Two hundred women were arrested and two died.

At the Epsom Derby Emily Davison was there selling Suffragette newspapers she took a 'votes for women' sash from her pocket and stepped out onto the track in front of the King's horse.

Despite all of this- Women got the vote because of the First World War and no other reason - because of women who went into the armament factories and worked until the men came home, and more often didn't come home at all.

I think that makes it all the more sad.

LonelyHusband posted 6/4/2013 11:27 AM

Despite all of this- Women got the vote because of the First World War and no other reason - because of women who went into the armament factories and worked until the men came home, and more often didn't come home at all.

sort of. certainly the rising influence of the labour party was connected to women in the workforce. However, the push for women's votes happened for no more dignified a reason than because there was a general election coming and people wanted to win it. The rules stated that you had to be have been resident in the UK for 12 months prior to the General election. Bizarrely this ruled out tens of thousands of men who had been busy fighting the Germans. In a bid to ensure they would have enough votes to win politicians on all sides were then persuaded to allow women to vote. However, it was another 10 years until all women over 21 could vote. Until then you had to be over 30 and meet pretty stringent criteria.

[This message edited by LonelyHusband at 11:29 AM, June 4th (Tuesday)]

idiot85 posted 6/4/2013 12:43 PM

I think it was just for a practicality- that's sort of my point... Labour wouldn't have won without the ww1 anyway- the soldiers need homes blah blah blah

Also most of the women's suffrage groups were really talking about posh women.

You don't have to agree with me mate. EmilyDavison seems to have been a bit of a nutter but, still brave and they were all still fighting a good cause- mostly- in my opinion. But what do I know eh? I'm just an idiot

LonelyHusband posted 6/4/2013 12:56 PM

just going on what I was taught in Sandhurst tbh. but then they teach you lots of silly things there :)

[This message edited by LonelyHusband at 1:03 PM, June 4th (Tuesday)]

idiot85 posted 6/4/2013 18:22 PM

Tbh mate I'm sort of chuffed they even taught women's suffrage! They've gone up in my estimation