Margaret Travers Symons was the first woman to make herself heard in the British House of Commons - albeit without permission - on 13th October, 1908.

During a tour of Westminster, the suffragette campaigner escaped her escort and interrupted a debate on children’s issues, making a bold demand for votes for women. Meanwhile, outside Parliament, some 60,000 people were protesting for the cause.

Symons’ act of defiance occurred during a pivotal time for the women’s suffrage movement. The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst, were turning to ever-more extreme and direct forms of action, in pursuit of their motto of ‘Deeds, not Words’.

Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the movement then escalated into acts of vandalism, arson, and even bombings; consider just how ‘equal’ equal voting rights were when they finally arrived; and discover the day suffragettes dispatched the grille on Parliament’s ‘women’s gallery’ in spectacular style…

Further Reading:

• ‘First woman to speak in UK parliament’ (Bangladesh Post, 2019): https://bangladeshpost.net/posts/first-woman-to-speak-in-uk-parliament-14420

• ’Suffragettes History Facts: A Guide To The Votes for Women Campaigners’ (HistoryExtra, 2024):

https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-suffragettes/

• ’Suffragettes vs Suffragists: Did violent protest get women the vote?’ (Channel 4 News, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw0IAFIhVfA

This episode first aired in 2024

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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