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Authors: Freda Lightfoot
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in her argument.
‘Who runs the country? Men. Who makes all the decisions in your house, girl?’
‘Me mam,’ said Dolly, and a few women laughed.
Connie smiled. ‘You’re lucky, our Dolly. It’s usually the fella. And do they give a tinker’s cuss what we need, what we want? Do they heck as like. We should have a say in what’s being done in our name. It’s time women had the vote so we can look out fer ourselves.’
‘I agree,’ Livia cried, moved by this impassioned speech and voicing her support without pause for thought. ‘I’d like to come with you, Connie, if I may.’
There was a startled silence as everyone turned to look at her. It was as if they’d forgotten she was there, and certainly had no right to speak.
‘This doesn’t affect you,’ Connie stiffly responded.
‘Why doesn’t it?’
‘You’re one of them, one of the nobs. You don’t have a problem.’
‘Why don’t I? I don’t have the vote either.’
‘Aye, but the authorities look on you differently, so you’re bound to get it afore us lot. They don’t even force-feed the posh folk, they let them go. Lady Lytton proved that. They let her off till she dressed as a working girl herself, only then did she get the same treatment.’
‘Lady Lytton didn’t give up, though, did she? We’re all women, same as you, and unlike lucky Dolly here, we’re controlled by men. I certainly was, by my own father, God rest his soul.’
There was a small silence as the shop girls remembered the tyranny of their former employer.
‘We’re all equal here,’ Livia pointed out, and the laughter in response to this comment was harsh with disbelief.
‘Aye, about as equal as the Queen is with our old cat.’
Livia laughed along with them at this, hoping to soften their attitude towards her. She hadn’t the first idea how to get them to accept her, but it certainly wasn’t going to be easy. ‘Are you a suffragette?’ she asked Connie.
‘I am, and proud of it. Not that I have as much time to get involved as I would like, seeing the long hours I work. That’s why the middle classes get to have most say, because they have the time. Yet what do they know about our problems? Nowt!’
‘They don’t suffer the old dragon’s fines for a start,’ said one wag, quickly hushed by her neighbour.
Livia said, ‘They may not have personal experience of some of your problems, Connie, but they have some of their own, I do assure you. Bullying and the power of men has nothing to do with class.’
‘She’s right there,’ one girl called out. ‘Our minister would preach nice little sermons every Sunday, then punch the life out of his poor wife come Monday.’
‘Going to a meeting isn’t going to stop men behaving like brutes,’ said another.
‘It is if we can get the law changed to stop ’em.’
Connie interrupted before the argument got quite out of hand. ‘This isn’t just about stopping men from beating up women. This is about getting the vote so we women have a say in how our country is run, and on what our future will be.’
‘Here, here!’ Turning impulsively to the listening girls, Livia said, ‘You should listen to Connie and as many as possible of you should go to this meeting. Women have been ignored too long. We need to speak up for our rights, otherwise how will we ever achieve independence? We need to stand up for ourselvesand not be bullied.’ Her voice had risen and grown more vehement. ‘I shall certainly go. Who will join us?’
Connie gaped at her. ‘Are you serious?’
Livia could feel everyone’s hostile gaze upon her, refusing to believe she knew anything of what they suffered. ‘It’s true that I’ve suffered nothing like the hardships you girls have had to endure, but I’ve had problems of my own and I’m keen to help and understand. That’s one reason why I’m here with you now, and I hope you’ll come to accept and trust me.’
‘What if you’re asked to attack stores like this one,
‘Who runs the country? Men. Who makes all the decisions in your house, girl?’
‘Me mam,’ said Dolly, and a few women laughed.
Connie smiled. ‘You’re lucky, our Dolly. It’s usually the fella. And do they give a tinker’s cuss what we need, what we want? Do they heck as like. We should have a say in what’s being done in our name. It’s time women had the vote so we can look out fer ourselves.’
‘I agree,’ Livia cried, moved by this impassioned speech and voicing her support without pause for thought. ‘I’d like to come with you, Connie, if I may.’
There was a startled silence as everyone turned to look at her. It was as if they’d forgotten she was there, and certainly had no right to speak.
‘This doesn’t affect you,’ Connie stiffly responded.
‘Why doesn’t it?’
‘You’re one of them, one of the nobs. You don’t have a problem.’
‘Why don’t I? I don’t have the vote either.’
‘Aye, but the authorities look on you differently, so you’re bound to get it afore us lot. They don’t even force-feed the posh folk, they let them go. Lady Lytton proved that. They let her off till she dressed as a working girl herself, only then did she get the same treatment.’
‘Lady Lytton didn’t give up, though, did she? We’re all women, same as you, and unlike lucky Dolly here, we’re controlled by men. I certainly was, by my own father, God rest his soul.’
There was a small silence as the shop girls remembered the tyranny of their former employer.
‘We’re all equal here,’ Livia pointed out, and the laughter in response to this comment was harsh with disbelief.
‘Aye, about as equal as the Queen is with our old cat.’
Livia laughed along with them at this, hoping to soften their attitude towards her. She hadn’t the first idea how to get them to accept her, but it certainly wasn’t going to be easy. ‘Are you a suffragette?’ she asked Connie.
‘I am, and proud of it. Not that I have as much time to get involved as I would like, seeing the long hours I work. That’s why the middle classes get to have most say, because they have the time. Yet what do they know about our problems? Nowt!’
‘They don’t suffer the old dragon’s fines for a start,’ said one wag, quickly hushed by her neighbour.
Livia said, ‘They may not have personal experience of some of your problems, Connie, but they have some of their own, I do assure you. Bullying and the power of men has nothing to do with class.’
‘She’s right there,’ one girl called out. ‘Our minister would preach nice little sermons every Sunday, then punch the life out of his poor wife come Monday.’
‘Going to a meeting isn’t going to stop men behaving like brutes,’ said another.
‘It is if we can get the law changed to stop ’em.’
Connie interrupted before the argument got quite out of hand. ‘This isn’t just about stopping men from beating up women. This is about getting the vote so we women have a say in how our country is run, and on what our future will be.’
‘Here, here!’ Turning impulsively to the listening girls, Livia said, ‘You should listen to Connie and as many as possible of you should go to this meeting. Women have been ignored too long. We need to speak up for our rights, otherwise how will we ever achieve independence? We need to stand up for ourselvesand not be bullied.’ Her voice had risen and grown more vehement. ‘I shall certainly go. Who will join us?’
Connie gaped at her. ‘Are you serious?’
Livia could feel everyone’s hostile gaze upon her, refusing to believe she knew anything of what they suffered. ‘It’s true that I’ve suffered nothing like the hardships you girls have had to endure, but I’ve had problems of my own and I’m keen to help and understand. That’s one reason why I’m here with you now, and I hope you’ll come to accept and trust me.’
‘What if you’re asked to attack stores like this one,
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