Category: Contemporary History

Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Women and Parliament

‘Neither fish, fowl nor good red herring’: Baroness Nicholson’s experiences of hearing loss

Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, born 1941, was the MP for Torridge and West Devon 1987‒97. Elected as a Conservative MP, she crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats in 1995. After losing her seat in 1997 she was created a life peer, and served as a Member of the European Parliament for South East England for ten years (1999‒2009). Interviewed in 2013 … Continue reading ‘Neither fish, fowl nor good red herring’: Baroness Nicholson’s experiences of hearing loss

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Disability history, Modern, Social history

Visibility of Disability in the House of Commons: Food for Thought

As the UK marks Disability History Month, today’s guest blogger, Dr Ekaterina (Katya) Kolpinskaya explores the representation of disabilities in the House of Commons, and why Members of Parliament may be unwilling or unable to be more open about their disabilities. The recent increase in the number of disabled people in Britain – who have a physical or mental health impairment which has a substantial and … Continue reading Visibility of Disability in the House of Commons: Food for Thought

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Modern, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Contemporary History, Health and Medicine

75 Years of the National Health Service: A Political History of Health and Healthcare in Britain

In September, the History of Parliament celebrated our latest publication with St James’s House to commemorate 75 years of the NHS at Westminster Abbey. Paul Seaward, Director of the History of Parliament, discusses the contents of the book and how to access it for free. We’re delighted to say that our latest publication with St James’s House is now freely available online. Hardback and paperback versions … Continue reading 75 Years of the National Health Service: A Political History of Health and Healthcare in Britain

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20th century history, Clement Attlee, Contemporary History, Elections, Modern, Oral history, Scottish History, Women and Parliament

Identifying the Attlee Family Cars: Prime Ministers’ Props

To coincide with the third BBC Radio 4 series of Prime Ministers’ Props, our senior research fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, discusses the intriguing (and still partially inconclusive) research journey behind identifying the cars used on the campaign trail by Clement and Violet Attlee… Over the past few years I’ve worked as a researcher on the BBC Radio 4 series Prime Ministers’ Props, presented by Sir … Continue reading Identifying the Attlee Family Cars: Prime Ministers’ Props

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Factions, History of Parliament Trust, Modern, Oral history

Cooperation and the Co-operative Party

The Co-operative Party was founded in 1917, volunteer interviewer Peter Reilly reflects on his recent oral history interview with David Lepper, a former ‘Labour Coop’ MP and what it meant to be a member of the Co-operative Party. Recent interviews I have conducted for the History of Parliament Trust Oral History Project remind us that UK parties are ‘broad churches’ encompassing a range of views. … Continue reading Cooperation and the Co-operative Party

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Factions, Harold Macmillan, Modern, Oral history

The Monday Club

Continuing our series on factions, Alfie Steer, historian of modern and contemporary Britain, discusses one of the more controversial party factions, the Monday Club, and reflects on the limitations our oral history archive has encountered with such topics. On Monday, 3 February 1961, the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan addressed the South African parliament. Now remembered as the ‘Winds of Change’ speech, Macmillan’s address both acknowledged the growing calls … Continue reading The Monday Club

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Modern, Oral history, Women and Parliament

All-Women Shortlists: 30 Years On

During the 1993 Labour Party Conference, all-women shortlists were endorsed by the party. In the following general election in 1997, the number of women MPs doubled. In this blog, Alfie Steer explores our oral history archive and discusses the controversy of AWS and its impact on Parliament. This year marks thirty years since the Labour Party first introduced all-women’s shortlists (AWS) for parliamentary selections. Its … Continue reading All-Women Shortlists: 30 Years On

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Social history

75 Years of the NHS – reform, reorganisation and restructure

Fittingly, the NHS celebrated its 75th anniversary in the wake of a major reform. Such ‘once in a lifetime’ reorganisations have been a feature since its creation. In this guest blog, Dr Michael Lambert, an NHS historian and Research Fellow at Lancaster Medical School, discusses how successive politicians have used restructuring to try and overcome recurrent crises in the health service. The NHS which Labour’s … Continue reading 75 Years of the NHS – reform, reorganisation and restructure

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Contemporary History, Elections, Electoral Reform, Local History, Modern, Oral history

How MPs navigated changing constituency boundaries

The Boundary Commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted their 2023 Boundary Reviews in June, presenting their recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Commons on the reorganisation of UK parliamentary constituencies. Out of 650 existing constituencies in the UK, only 65 will remain unchanged. Dr Emmeline Ledgerwood, our Oral History Project Manager, reflects on the impact boundary changes have had on MPs … Continue reading How MPs navigated changing constituency boundaries

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Social history

The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

To mark the National Health Service’s (NHS) seventy-fifth anniversary, guest blogger Dr Andrew Seaton discusses his new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023) and its links to parliamentary history through the lens of its anniversaries. In my new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution, I try and answer two questions. First, why did the National … Continue reading The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

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