We've been hearing about letters all week and not just any letters, but letters of no confidence.
These letters are sent confidentially to Chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, and they need 54 letters to make a leadership challenge possible.
So we're talking about political letters today and what do they show us about the past.
From telegrams to Twitter – archives of letters sent to party leaders will uncover impact of political correspondence
Whether being treated like celebrities with thousands of adoring fans or being demonised by online ‘trolls’ today’s politicians receive a never-ending barrage of public communication. Whether via Twitter, Facebook, or email an army of keyboard warriors are ready to praise or abuse their every word or action.
As part of a major new study experts will examine the changing patterns of what was written to MPs and by who, using the papers of twenty-seven prominent politicians, from William Gladstone to Neil Kinnock.
Their analysis of some of the hundreds of thousands of letters, cards, and faxes British politicians received from the late nineteenth century onwards will show who has been more likely to write to their MP, and when politicians have been more likely to reply.
The project will be led by Dr Kit Kowol, from Kings College, London, supported by Professor Richard Toye, from the University of Exeter. Their hope is to help politicians better understand why people write as well as to contribute to ongoing debates about the effects of social media on democracy.
The project’s official partner is the House of Commons Library, the parliamentary office responsible for answering queries about policy that originate in letters written to Members of Parliament.
Dr Kowol said: “As a private and intimate form of political participations correspondents didn’t just use letters to request help or give their opinion but often to share their deepest hopes and fears. Their analysis gives researchers a new way to understand how everyday people thought about politics as well as how politicians used these letters.”
The ease and accessibility of writing to politicians made it one of the most popular forms of political participation in the twentieth century. Long before today’s clogged Twitter feeds and overwhelmed email inboxes, individual MPs in the interwar period received between 1,500 to 2,000 letters a week. Much of this correspondence, like today’s hate mail and Twitter ‘trolling’, was decidedly hostile.
Correspondence from the public exists for almost all periods between 1890 and the present. They are a remarkable source to explore many of the most important and pressing questions in British politics and history.
Experts will analyse correspondence sent to 24 British political leaders and interview contemporary politicians and their staff about their experience and understanding of receiving messages from the public.
Professor Toye said: “The project will reveal much about the changing nature of political culture in Britain and the relationship between members of the public and their representatives during a period of profound political transformation. It will also improve access to understanding of a unique source base with the capacity to shed light on key areas of British social, cultural, and political history.
Researchers will examine correspondence sent to Andrew Bonar Law, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, Keir Hardie, Ramsay MacDonald, George Lansbury, Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson, Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, Herbert Samuel, Archibald Sinclair, Clement Davies, Jo Grimond, Jeremy Thorpe, David Owen and Paddy Ashdown.
Researchers will collect oral history from those working for recent political party leaders and their staff in order to explore the impact of receiving messages from the public via email and social media. Those who have already agreed to participate include past and current members of Number Ten staff.
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