LETTER : Myths of suffrage

From Ms Gail Braybon

Sir: In his desire to put Andrew Marr right, John Campbell repeats a different myth about women and suffrage. Historians these days seem to agree that the First World War had little to do with women getting the vote. The government was moving towards acceptance of the justice of women's claims before the war; the conflict, in fact, delayed parliamentary reform.

There is little doubt that decades of campaigning by both suffragettes and suffragists eventually influenced the majority of MPs, whether or not they agreed with the more violent activities of some individual women. Our suffrage movement was the envy of women in France, Germany and many other European nations, and deserves our admiration and thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Gail Braybon

Computer Centre

Art, Design and Humanities

University of Brighton

Brighton

12 February