FRIDAY FLASH FICTION, Famous women

I will not be silenced,
I’m going to fight for my rights.
Even burn my bra.

We have died under the Kings racehorse, for our cause.
Give me the freedom to vote, Parliament listen to my quotes.

We are women, we are wonderful.
Together we are mighty and powerful.
Be compassionate menfolk, hear our plea….

EMILY PANKHURST.
Emmeline (Emily) Pankhurst’s name is practically synonymous with the women’s suffragist movement. She dedicated her life to women’s struggle, and was not afraid of vocalising opinions and using bold methods to achieve her goal.
Emily’s father was a successful businessman, who took part in campaigns against slavery and Corn Laws, while her mother Sophia Crane was a passionate feminist who started taking Emily to women’s suffrage meetings in the 1870s.
Emily’s own husband Richard Pankhurst, a successful lawyer who was twenty years her senior, was very supportive of women’s rights. He was the author of the first women's suffrage bill in Britain, as well as the Married Women's Property Acts of 1870 and 1882, which allowed women to keep earnings or property acquired before and after marriage.

Both she and her husband Richard were active members of the Independent Labour Party. Additionally, both founded the Women’s Franchise League that fought to allow married women the right to vote in local elections. When her husband died in 1898, Emily was joined by her daughters to continue the struggle.
Disappointed by the major political parties’ disinterest in women’s suffrage, the militant Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was formed in 1903.


Emily was known as a natural speaker, possessing a melodious voice that drew to it many followers. Daughter supporters Christabel became the strategist and activist, while Sylvia, who was a talented artist, created the logo for the organisation.
Pankhurst was arrested on numerous occasions for her lead role and radical tactics. She also participated in hunger strikes. At the onset of World War I, Emily was able to negotiate her full release and the release of fellow suffragettes. Stepping back from leadership with WSPU, she encouraged women to do all they could for the war effort.
Her pro-war stance and her controversial effort to encourage women to take the traditional jobs of men, and allow the government to draft all able-bodied men, caused her to lose some of her followers.
She tried to resurrect the militancy of the suffrage movement in her war effort, which was demonstrated in hard-line articles Pankhurst wrote in the WSPU’s newspaper the Britannia (formerly The Suffragette), and in the renaming of the Union in 1917 to the Women’s Party.

In addition to supporting war efforts, the Women’s Party supported equality of pay, rights, work, divorce and marriage laws; and a system of maternity benefits.In March 1918, Pankhurst saw the first victory in women’s enfranchisement, which was the Representation of the People Act- giving voting rights to women over 30 and men over 21.
In November 1918, women over the age of 21 were granted the right to become Members of Parliament. One year later, Emily emigrated to Canada, and left the Independent Labour Party. In 1926 she returned to England and was chosen as the Conservative Candidate for a seat in East London but her bad health hindered her from entering elections.

Emmeline Pankhurst died in 1928, a few weeks before women finally achieved equal voting rights to men in the UK.
Her autobiography, My Own Story, was published in 1914.

How awful that she never lived to see her part in the success of women achieving equal voting rights.
Well I'm just about recovered from the weekend (just). I have some other friends coming for a meal on Saturday, this is my friend who I have posted about, she sadly has MS. Math and her husband both work together, but we make them promise not to discuss anything about their jobs.
It's a simple meal; carrot and coriander soup, bangers and mash (with my secret recipe for gravy), and to finish, apple and blackberry tart with egg-nog custard.
Hope you all had a good Valentines Day, have a chilled weekend. X

WONDERFUL WEEKEND.

It’s been hectic here in Nottingham, fun but hectic.
On Thursday night, Math and I went to see Madam Butterfly. This is the third time we have been to see the show and the third time I’ve balled my eyes out, mind you compared to the old chap sat the other side of me, I was reasonably controlled in my sobbing. Bless him he was really beside himself, tissues all over the place. The first time I went to a performance of Madam Butterfly it was an opera, the second time a ballet production, and this time a more up dated opera performed by the Opera North.

That Mr Pinkerton is an utter ba----rd, and I really hope he had a miserable existence after his dirty deed to Madame Butterfly.
Rant over, we are off to see The Nutcracker Suite on the 23rd Feb, our second time of seeing this particular production, but we enjoyed it so much, we thought we would ask our friends and their twin daughters (both practise ballet) to join us. They need cheering up and hopefully this will do the trick. Its an excellent production, and is for all age groups, young and old - and those who lie about their age.
I will post about this after we have been, just to let you know how it all went.

On Friday my very good friend and her husband, both of whom I have now known for over 18 years, came to stay for a long weekend. Some of you may know her, ‘Akelamalu’ at Everything and Nothing. She has written a post about it, and I hope you pay her a visit to hear her side of the story. The time passes by far too quickly when she visits, we have so much to do and say, and so little time in which to do it. Although we speak over the phone in the week, it’s just not the same as having her here to stay with me. We always do the same thing the night we meet, and make idle threats that we will make reforms the next time we meet. (We never do). After the hugs and kisses, suitcases unpacked, a cup of tea and pleasantries passed between us, the boys head off to the local pub.
That is when Akelamalu and my time starts. I know that we can talk for England or until the cows come home, because we have done so on many an occasion. The boys came back and we ate dinner, drank wine, and chatted about everything, not hitting our sacks till the early hours of the morning (our reforms broken).

On Saturday the boys went to Rufford Park and Southwell Minster, whilst us girls prepared ourselves (recovered) for our trip to the ‘Red Hot World Buffet’ at Northampton (the restaurant my son designed), for yet more food. It was a long drive there and after so much food and the long drive back, none of us protested when I said I needed my bed (they all followed my lead in nano seconds).

On Sunday we drove over to my sons place, to see the views across the River Trent from his penthouse, which are truly wonderful. They had bought the good weather with them, and it was like a spring afternoon as we stood there taking in the sights.


After having a glass of wine in the hotel across the road from my sons place, we returned to a place closer to my home for a late Sunday lunch.

Akelamalu and her husband Mwm are a mine of information, so I was keen to take them with us to the local pub for the quiz night which is held every Sunday night. The usual groups were there, huddled in their corners, making sure you cannot see their answer sheets. I could feel their eyes on us, weighing up the opposition. Well, I won’t beat about the bush, hate to brag, blah, blah, blah, but we only went and WON. I wish you could have seen how the usual winners glared at us, priceless.

(we are the champions)
It was only an ever so tiny, weenie trophy, still it was a trophy and we all had a free drink included in the prize.

(cheers)
Once back home, to continue the celebration we had more wine, along with cheese and bickies.

(the carrot vampire strikes again)
We talked until the early hours of the morning, again, (told you that we never stop), until the boys had to give in, and persuade us it was time for our beds. All too soon it was Monday, and after brunch my friends had to return home, sniff, sniff.

(so sad, know my friends have to leave in the morning)

Never mind, not only did my friends bring the good weather with them, on Friday, the morning of their arrival, the post man also brought some good news to me. I received a letter from my consultant (yes the man himself). To be brief, I will tell you the jist of his letter. He still needs to do two more tests, but up to now all the other tests have been good news, specifically with regards to my bone density (his words were “encouraging around the hip area”). So after these tests it looks like I’ll be on for the surgery, yippee!!!!
So it looks like me and Akelamalu can once again be the “Dancing Divas”……….