Drink & Sobriety formed 30% of all signatures on petitions to Parliament 1833-1918
Demonstration in favour of the 1908 Bill
The journal Past and Present has published on-line an article covering new research into Parliamentary petitions in the Nineteenth Century (free to read at the moment)*.
The researchers have analysed and where appropriate re-categorised all petitions to Parliament after the 1832 Reform Act through to changes in 1918 which allowed some women the vote for the first time.
They found that 30% of all petitions and all signatures on them in this period were from temperance or pro-drink campaigners.
The temperance campaigners were mainly religious, while pro-drink petitioners came from the licensed trade.
In 1908 when the pro-temperance Liberal Government brought forward a Bill to allow local vetoes on licensing laws 1.2 million signed petitions in favour. However 1.6 million people signed petitions calling on the State to remain neutral on such matters.
The Bill was passed in the Commons but defeated in (the unreformed) House of Lords.
In current circumstances one hopes there is still interest in defending the interests of drinkers and pubs by signing petitions. An important one is here:
Rishi Sunak – Chancellor of the Exchequer: Urgent Government Support For The Hospitality Industry – Sign the Petition! chng.it/Bnm5DHxZ via @UKChange
*Petitions, Parliament, and Political Culture. Petitioning the House of Commons 1780-1918. Richard Huzzey & Henry Miller
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