The slow pace of change

Change is slow and often incremental. The start and end often end up in history books, the journey is often seen in a modern view. Sometimes the journey is never discussed only the start and end points. Social attitudes move with the times, for example, society accepts gay people compared to 50 years ago. Result of persistent campaigning, the law is often slow to catch up. All of the above the result of gradual change, reforms happened followed by further reforms. The colourful history behind it is a bunch of important events along the way.

Of course, I have not covered anything and missing loads out from the picture. Could argue that I’m being ahistorical here and persistent radical action or radical legislation has done more. Thing is that really ignores the journey, without compromises none of this would be possible. A picture is far bigger than just radical action or legislation. An advocate of gradual change in positions of power helped play a big role here.

Here are three examples national health service, voting rights and weekend/working hours.

National health service story about access to healthcare.  NHS is the legacy of past healthcare infrastructure joining together due to war.

Voting rights and weekend/working hours legacy of civil liberties expanding. Voting rights result from various movements coming together, protests and riots. The weekend is unique here due coming from working habits and campaigns shaping it. 

Britain’s first hospital St Bartholomew’s Hospital was founded in 1123, providing healthcare for the poor. Free care was limited to hospitals or workhouses.  Workhouses often did medical care but left much to be desired for. Poor care resulted in many campaigns leading to reforms, against untrained staff in unsuitable wards. Short summary healthcare was unregulated for a very long time and disorganised, access was limited. Poor medical care was commonly resulting in death. 

English poor laws can be traced back to 1587–1598, medical care was offered. Access to healthcare was patchy, Poor patients suffered from substandard care. Medical science improved more hospitals opened up, and experiences got shared about what worked and did not. National insurance act of 1911 Insurance gave workmen entitlement to medical care, and women and children were not covered. The idea that health insurance needed to be extended to dependents become a consensus but war stalled it.

Bertrand Dawson was commissioned in 1919 by Christopher Addison, to report on medical care. An Interim Report on the Future Provision of Medical and Allied Services, laying down plans for primary and secondary health care centres. Private schemes existed that provided health care.   Local authorities ran hospitals for local ratepayers, charitable voluntary hospitals did offer free treatment. Local govt act 1929 allowed local authorities to run services, not just ones authorised by the poor laws. English poor laws helped create the system still used today. Poor laws that funded that system were replaced in 1948.

Socialist Health Association campaigned for the creation of NHS, founded in the 1930s. British Medical Association pamphlet 1938 followed in the same footsteps. War in 1938 delayed reforms but centralised state-run Emergency Hospital Service meant reform was needed. Voluntary hospitals now depended on government support. Rather obvious that bringing voluntary hospitals under a centralised system needed to happen.  Labour started to plan and think about the universal health care system. During the 1945 Labour govt, Beveridge’s report shaped a series of key reforms. Healthcare became an important plank in that program. 

NHS was the result of incremental change.

Voting rights

Members of parliament were picked by the King until 1265. After those members would be elected by various counties. The Knights of the Shire Act in 1432, established the right to vote for members. Only to owners of real property who paid taxes to the Crown of at least X in value. The Reform Act of 1832 expanded voting rights to freeholder men above the age of 21. Chartism working class movement happened between 1838 and 1857 demanding the right to vote. Women’s suffrage started in 1830s, and took until 1918 and 1928. Women had the right to vote before it was removed in 1835.

Further reform act 1867 enfranchised householders or renters, including many working-class voters for the first time. Further reforms saw everything start to get standardised. Representation of the People Act in 1918, removed property ownership requirements for men but women could vote if they owned property. Representation of the People Act 1928 removed the property requirement for women. The age to vote has been reduced with time, representation of the People Act 1969 and reforms after have reduced it to 18. That is just a brief overview, violent and non-violent protests happened.

Voting rights were the result of incremental change

Weekend/working hours are far more modern in terms of history. Legalisation reduced working hours; weekends came from campaigns. Uneven at first having to overcome various traditions. An unofficial version of the weekend did exist in the 1870s. Some workers already did it. Religious bodies argued for it, trade unions played a part. The weekend as we know it was established in the 1930s.

Working hours can trace that back to 1901, 1908, and 1919, modern working hours 48-hour week in 1921 were loads of updates and reforms after that.

Once again incremental change

Of course, I have not covered anything. Persistent action slowly builds up before causing change to happen. Social attitudes add to the pressure. All of the above the result of gradual change, reforms happened followed by further reforms. Continual pressure for radical change, caused compromises to happen. Without moderates in positions of power, nothing would get done. We often forget how far we come. At pride, I was reminded of how fast society can move. None of this is the result being passive, active campaigning slowly moving people’s minds. 

My big worry right now is we don’t have the time to wait for action on climate change. Signs are positive but loads of work to do, slowly running out of the road.