Tales from the Green Benches: An Oral History of Parliament

During much of the twentieth century, the stereotypical image of an MP was of a white, straight, male. But, as our archive of oral history interviews suggests, the makeup of the House of Commons would go through a significant change as we approached the millennium. However this doesn’t mean that Westminster, as both a location and an environment, adapted to meet this.In this episode we look at those Members who didn’t fit into this traditional image of an MP: women, Members from minority ethnic backgrounds, Members who identified as LGBTQ+, or those from working class families, for example; people that we have, for the sake of this episode, termed ‘historically underrepresented’. Using reflections from the members themselves, Emma and Alex explore the difficulties that many faced during their time in the Chamber.Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.Artwork by [email protected] more from the History of Parliament Trust at www.historyofparliament.com and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs’.Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!More information:British Library Reference Codes:Diana Maddock interviewed by Isobel White, C1503/0157Bryan Magee interviewed by Sandy Ruxton, C1503/0049 Parmjit Dhanda interviewed by Peter Reilly, C1503/0208 Hilary Armstrong interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0103Helene Hayman interviewed by Emmeline Ledgerwood, C1503/0115 BJanet Fookes interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0066 Jenny Tonge interviewed by Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, C1503/0148House of Commons Library briefings used in the episode:SN06652 ‘Female Members of Parliament’,CBP7483 ‘Social background of Members of Parliament 1979-2019’N01250 ‘Women in Politics and Public Life’ Find out more about the gender balance within Westminster in this article from the Institute for Government.And find articles about underrepresented MPs on the History of Parliament website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Westminster is a place built on relationships, both within the Parties and across the House. But what happens when these relationships become strained?In this episode we look behind the curtain at the role of the Whips- the figures in charge of Party discipline. Using reflections from those who were appointed to the Whips’ office during their time in Parliament, as well as those who were the subject of their disciplinary methods, Emma and Alex present a personal view of this sometimes shadowy role and discuss some of the major disputes the Whips dealt with during our period.Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.Artwork by [email protected] more from the History of Parliament Trust at www.historyofparliament.com and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs’.Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!More information:British Library Reference Codes:Maria Fyfe interviewed by Dean White, C1503/0032 Timothy Kirkhope interviewed by Henry Irving, C1503/0084Hilary Armstrong interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0103Martin Bell interviewed by Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, C1503/0103Jim Sillars interviewed by Malcolm Petrie, C1503/0110 John Bowis interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0154Roger Knapman interviewed by Kevin Jeffreys, C1503/0067 Chris Smith interviewed by Paul Seaward, C1503/0158 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many MPs the hardest part of a political campaign is not a General Election, but actually being chosen by your party to contest a seat.In this episode Emma and Alex take a closer look at the selection process- exploring what parties wanted from their candidates, how a certain type of seat could affect your parliamentary career, and how some MPs from our period (1950s to the early 2000s) were able to bypass a standardised selection process altogether…Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.Artwork by [email protected] more from the History of Parliament Trust at www.historyofparliament.com and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs’.Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!More information:British Library Reference Codes:Michael Heseltine interviewed by Michael Greenwood, C1503/0054Timothy Kirkhope interviewed by Henry Irving, C1503/0084Dick Taverne interviewed by Jason Lower, C1503/0006 Kenneth Baker interviewed by Michael Greenwood, C1503/0013Teddy Taylor interviewed by James Freeman, C1503/0003Michael Barnes interviewed by Philip Aylett, C1503/0076 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many of us have an interest in politics or want to help a cause, but most won’t turn this passion into a career in Parliament! Within the History of Parliament’s Oral History project we don’t just ask former MPs about their time in the Chamber, but ask questions about individuals’ upbringing or family life, all in an effort to work out why these people found themselves affiliated to a certain political party and fighting for a seat in the Commons. In our second episode we look into the motivations behind pursuing a political life and the impact that home life and childhood can have. Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.Artwork by [email protected] more from the History of Parliament Trust at www.historyofparliament.com and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs’.Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!More information:All interviews used in the episode are deposited at the British Library.Their reference codes are as follows:Olga Maitland interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0139Jim Sillars interviewed by Malcolm Petrie, C1503/0110Toby Jessel interviewed by Anne Gulland, C1503/0077 Ted Rowlands interviewed by Paul Seaward, C1503/0025 Mildred Gordon interviewed by Richard Stowell, C1503/0087Graham Tope interviewed by Andres Hertz, C1503/0166 Frank Judd interviewed by Rosa Gilbert, C1503/0004 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.