Fight Like Poplar's Women Councillors To Change The Lives Of Family Carers

Looking at the history of the Poplar councillors, imprisoned in 1921 for fighting the Tory government’s appalling conditions, it struck me that I have only come across two real-life “Minnies”.

- Sue Powell

One was the socialist suffragette Minnie Lansbury, one of the Poplar councillors. The other was my great aunt.

Both were born around the same time to families with migrant backgrounds in London, both lived hard lives and struggled to the end. The comparison ends there. While the councillor fought for political change, my great aunt spent most of her entire adult life as a carer.

When Minnie Lansbury died probably due to ill-health brought on by appalling prison conditions - her father-in-law George said: “Minnie, in her 32 years, crammed double that number of years’ work compared with what many of us are able to accomplish.