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'Battling Bessie' |
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Bessie Braddock, undated
© Liverpool Record Office |
Though unconventional, Bessie Braddock never used radical tactics simply for their own sake, but always in order to achieve publicity for an often low profile issue. Frequently she fought for causes which were not vote-winners and, therefore, did not easily attract support amongst MPs. Through her campaigns to improve conditions in mental health institutes and prisons, she was associating herself with marginal members of the community, and unlikely to engender support from the majority of the electorate. However, she did not flinch from dealing with, and campaigning for, these unpopular issues, but instead battled away in her own indomitable way.
Bessie’s fearless stance in the face of tradition, etiquette and chauvinism made her a dangerous and unpredictable political opponent. Her critics and opposition were forced to use her physical appearance and unconventional tactics to undermine her.
However, her radical methods did not destroy all respect amongst fellow politicians, many of whom admired and valued her passion and abilities. In 1954, Bessie was asked to sit on the Royal Commission on Mental Heath, by none other than Winston Churchill. This Commission led to the 1959 Mental Health Act. So, despite her antagonistic to the Tories, her abilities were recognised and used. Seven months before her death in 1970, Bessie was made a freeman of the city of Liverpool, a lasting recognition of the work she had done for her home city.
Acknowledgements:
Janet McLarney
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