` Stories - UK Parliament

Parliament Week 2012

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Stories

Read inspiring articles and learn more about the people who have contributed to our democracy in the past and those who continue to do so today. There is something of interest for everyone, from the struggles of the Suffragettes to the modern day campaigns of the UK Youth Parliament.



Fighting for the Right to Vote - The Skelmanthorpe Flag

21 October 2011
The Tolson Memorial Museum looks at three banners used in peaceful demonstrations that led to social change, beginning with the Skelmanthorpe Flag

Oliver Cromwell and Parliament

5 October 2011
John Goldsmith, Curator of the Cromwell Museum, looks at the role Oliver Cromwell played in shaping democracy in the United Kingdom.

Publicising Parliament in the seventeenth century

3 October 2011
Jason Peacey, from University College London, talks about how widely information about what was said and done in the House of Commons was distributed throughout the country during the time of the Civil War, in the middle of the seventeenth century.

Women and the vote: Parliament and Birmingham case study

23 September 2011
Until 1918 women had no recognised role in national politics – they could neither vote nor stand for Parliament. In this film, groups from Birmingham look at the history of how women gained the right to vote.

From other sites: About Parliament

What does Parliament do?

Parliament examines what the Government is doing, makes new laws, holds the power to set taxes and debates the issues of the day.

The House of Commons and House of Lords each play an important role in the work of Parliament.

Find out more on the Parliament website

UK Parliament: About Parliament