In a previous post I talked about how women couldn’t sit in the House of Lords until 1958. By contrast, women could be elected to the House of Commons from 1918, right after (some) women were given the vote. The Act that enabled women to stand as MPs is not perhaps well-known. It’s the Parliament … More How women came to be MPs: Herbert Samuel
I previously posted about F E Smith’s attitude to women and mentioned his opposition to women sitting in the House of Lords. In the early 1920s, as Lord Birkenhead, he was Lord Chancellor when a woman called Lady Rhondda tried to take a seat in the House of Lords. A remarkable woman for many reasons, … More F E Smith and women in the Lords: Lady Rhondda
I went to a lecture this week on the politician F E Smith, also known as Lord Birkenhead. Beforehand, about the only thing I knew about ‘F E’ was that he consistently opposed women’s rights, including the vote, except when government policy forced him to support them. I now have a much more rounded picture … More F E Smith and women
Parliament and Women in the early 20th century 