WE LIVE in an age where there is a great deal of disillusionment with politics and the political system.

I was pleased to see that a new film will highlight that ordinary women had to fight to secure the vote.

It seems incredible today that 50 per cent of the population could ever be denied a political voice.

Though if anyone looks at the make up of parliament or any council chamber they will see far more men than women, so there is still a long way to go.

The film Suffragette tells how women from different backgrounds came together to campaign for universal suffrage – the right of everyone to have an equal voice in the political process.

Between 1903 and 1917 every corner of the country had its own local branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union. The North West in particular was a hotbed of suffragette activity.

As with any political movement there were big debates and disagreements at times. Some looked to direct action against individuals who were seen as opposing women’s right to vote.

Others argued that the suffragette movement needed to work more closely with the trade unions.

Sylvia Pankhurst for example broke away and became a socialist arguing that “votes for women” was not enough to tackle the problem of poverty and ill health for working women and their families.

It will be interesting to see how the film contrasts the attitudes and ideas of women in the mills and factories with those of women from aristocratic backgrounds.

Nevertheless it is good that this part of our history will be shown on the big screen where hopefully it will show that we should never take our democratic rights for granted.

Joan Pritchard-Jones by email