Politics
Number of items in collection: 164
Short description:
Recordings in this collection can be played by anyone.
Recordings in this collection are from the History of Parliament's Oral History project, a project run by the History of Parliament Trust (in partnership with the British Library) from 2011 onwards. The collection includes a selection of fifty of the 140 interviews conducted so far.
Initially focussing on parliamentarians, it is intended to interview as many former Members of the House of Commons as possible and some senior Members of the House of Lords. The interviews set out to provide insights into the development of political careers in the second half of the twentieth century, and to illuminate the changing patterns of parliamentary politics, in particular: the professionalization of politics; the history of the constituency surgery and the development of constituency pressures; the changes in parliamentary lobbying; the relationship with constituency parties, and with councillors and other local activists; the increase in parliamentary activity, particularly select committees, all-party groups and other activities at Westminster; the history of election campaigns.
Oral history recordings provide valuable first-hand testimony of the past. The views and opinions expressed in oral history interviews are those of the interviewees, who describe events from their own perspective. The interviews are historical documents and their language, tone and content might in some cases reflect attitudes that could cause offence in today’s society.
Long description:
Recordings in this collection can be played by anyone.
Recordings in this collection are from the History of Parliament's Oral History project, a project run by the History of Parliament Trust (in partnership with the British Library) from 2011 onwards. The collection includes a selection of fifty of the 140 interviews conducted so far.
Initially focussing on parliamentarians, it is intended to interview as many former Members of the House of Commons as possible and some senior Members of the House of Lords. The interviews set out to provide insights into the development of political careers in the second half of the twentieth century, and to illuminate the changing patterns of parliamentary politics, in particular: the professionalization of politics; the history of the constituency surgery and the development of constituency pressures; the changes in parliamentary lobbying; the relationship with constituency parties, and with councillors and other local activists; the increase in parliamentary activity, particularly select committees, all-party groups and other activities at Westminster; the history of election campaigns.
Oral history recordings provide valuable first-hand testimony of the past. The views and opinions expressed in oral history interviews are those of the interviewees, who describe events from their own perspective. The interviews are historical documents and their language, tone and content might in some cases reflect attitudes that could cause offence in today’s society.
To explore the collection in detail please search the Sound and Moving Image catalogue. The catalogue reference used for all the recordings in the project is C1503. Biographies, extracts and photographs of interviewees are available at the History of Parliament website. The Harman-Shepherd collection of interviews with women Members of Parliament includes interviews with 83 female and 3 male Members of Parliament, most of whom entered the House of Commons at the 1997 general election. For more oral history collections relating to politics and government see our collection guide Oral histories of Politics and government.
What the interviews tell us
One-to-one oral history interviews explore memories and recount narratives rarely found elsewhere. Personal testimony fills knowledge gaps, provides new insights, challenges stereotypical views, and overturns orthodoxies. These recordings reveal collective memory, individual agency, gender, skill, influence and intentionality.
Ethical use of oral history
The interviewees have been generous in sharing their memories - often traumatic, confidential and intimate - and listeners are asked to treat this material with respect and sensitivity. Recordings should be analysed and presented in context, so that the interviewee’s meaning is not misconstrued. Quotations and audio clips should be referenced as, for example: “Interview with Sir Clive Bossom by Emmeline Ledgerwood, 2 July 20123, The History of Parliament Oral History Project, reference C1503/23 part 1, © The British Library Board”. Each interviewee whose recording appears on this site has assigned copyright jointly to the History of Parliament Trust and The British Library Board and given their consent for the recording to be used.Oral history at the British Library
The interviews on this site are a small selection from the many thousands held in the Oral History section of the British Library. These recordings go back over 100 years and cover many facets of life in Britain. Many interviews were gathered through National Life Stories, an externally-funded unit within the Library established in 1987 to “record first-hand experiences of as wide a cross-section of present-day society as possible”.All recordings on this site are governed by licence agreements.