No. 1059: The winners
Charles Seaton reports: Competitors, asked for the reactions of any prominent woman of the past to the idea of a woman Prime Minister, came up with a smallish but quality entry to which, alas, space does not allow me to do justice.
Jane Austen, though often attempted, seldom brought it off, but Paul Pitchcroft wins five pounds for a splendid Beatrice Webb, all the better for being rather less than fair to both women: . . of course, in theory one is all in favour —only a little regretful that it should have been the 'stupid
(Florence Nightingale) A woman Prime Minister? Nothing could be more desirable, provided she has what the Queen said I had —a head on her shoulders. This , if I am any judge, the present candidate has. She will find plenty of slackness and stupidity; in that respect British officialdom is no doubt much the same as it was in my day. But let her not be impatient. She will find, as I did, that men are bullyable. To those among them who know what ought to be done, but say it cannot, let her give the answer I gave to one of the doctors at Scutari: 'But it must be done.' If it were possible to send down a postal vote from here, she should have mine. I have seen enough of male incompetence, even among archangels, to know that she would infallibly justify my choice.
(Peter Peterson)
'If there's a woman at Buckingham Palace, wh° says Number Ten's only for men? Us ladies hav,e, a few things you chaps never had — and I don '
mean what you mean .. . fo
'Elizabeth, Henry the Eighth's girl, Queen one of the best Englands there ever was. Victoria; first and greatest head of the British Empire, An ° me, top of the bill of the 'Ackney Empire . • • 'Take me for Prime Ministress, for instanced' (Whoa! Whoa! Stop trampling all over the bail ; smen!) Do trade unionists, or anyone else, eve, walk out on me? If I have a few suggestions °,'t propositions, d'you know anyone who does% want to know? Who wouldn't partner me in all' joint course I invited him to?'
(John DighY)
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