Suffragettes

The 11th September 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of local woman Anna Munro, who founded one of the first branches of the Suffragettes, here in Dunfermline in 1906. The daughter of a schoolmaster, Anna spent many years campaigning for equal suffrage, as well as helping the poor.

I recently raised a motion in Parliament commemorating her resilience in the struggle for women’s suffrage. It is easy to forget that less than 100 years ago women in Britain could not vote. The over-30s gained suffrage in 1918, but equality with men was not achieved till as late as 1928.

In these times of political apathy, it is worth reminding ourselves of suffragettes like Anna Munro, as well as the millions of people around the world who have striven, and continue to strive, for the basic democratic right to vote.

The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.