Newsletters, magazines and periodicals

Title

Newsletters, magazines and periodicals

Shelfmark

PUB 585/1-5

Summary

Comprises:

1. PUB 585/1 - Woman of To-Day and To-Morrow (The paper every woman should read), Vol. 1, No. 1, n.d. [c. 1929].

No details are known about this publication, and the single surviving issue was donated to the Conservative Party Archive from a private source rather than Conservative Central Office. It is likely that it was produced for the duration of the 1929 General Election campaign only.

For more information about this magazine, see: shelfmark: CCO 170/9/10: Publications - Women of Today and Tomorrow, 1928-1931

2. PUB 585/2 - Home Truths, May 1949-Mar 1951. [Missing issues: June 1949; Feb-May 1950; Aug 1950].

Home Truths was published by Conservative Central Office from at least 1947, either monthly or bi-monthly. Initially it was published as a simple, single-page foolscap typescript newsletter, with the subtitle 'Notes for Housewives' Committees'. Its format changed in about 1949 to a smaller, singlefolded sheet-design comprising regular items 'Pam Peggotty's Diary' featuring an imaginary house-wife's daily chores interspersed with political anecdote, and 'Notes for Housewives' raising points of concern for housewives at Labour policies. The format changed from c.June 1950 when a slightly larger sized publication was produced. 'Pam Peggotty's Diary' was replaced by a regular cartoon strip on the cover. A 'new series' began in January 1951 which contained 8 pages per issue.

For Home Truths admin and correspondence, see shelfmarks: CCO 4/3/154 and CCO 4/4/156. For the two earlier issues below, see shelfmark: CRD 2/44/27:-

No. 3: 08/08/1947

No. 5: 06/07/1948

3. PUB 585/3 - Madam Chairman, Oct 1957-Apr 1985. Includes the following issues:-

Oct 1957-Jun 1958

Sep 1958-Oct 1959

Mar 1960

Summer 1960

Jan-Feb 1961

Jul 1961

Nov 1961

Christmas 1961

Apr 1962

Jun 1962

Sep 1962

Feb 1963

Apr 1963

May 1963

Nov 1963

Dec 1963

Feb 1964

Apr 1964

May 1964

Jul 1964

Sep 1964

Nov 1964

Feb 1965

Jun 1965

Oct 1965

May 1966

Jan 1968

Jul 1968

Nov 1969

Nov 1970

Jun 1971

Jul 1971

Oct 1971

Jan-Jul 1973

Sep 1973-Jan 1974

Mar 1974

May 1974

Jul 1974

Oct 1974-Feb 1975

Jul 1975

Oct-Dec 1975

Feb 1976

May 1976

Dec 1976

May 1979

Summer 1980

New Year 1981

Apr 1981

Dec 1981

Summer 1982

Apr 1983

Apr 1985

Madam Chairman took the form of a letter written to 'Dear Madam Chairman', written by the Vice-Chairman of the Women's Organisation at Conservative Central Office. It was first published in October 1957: 'During the Winter months I am going to send you a copy of this leaflet. I hope it will always arrive on the first Tuesday. The idea is to give you the kind of information that will help you to exercise your full powers of leadership in keeping our women's organisations informed, efficient and happy. The leaflet will contain a few facts on some current political problem; a guide as to where you can get furtherinformation on this or any other political subject; and, occasionally, suggestions for branch programmes'. From 24th November 1969 Madam Chairman takes the form of an actual handwritten letter which has been reproduced. From December 1975 this became typescript again.

For another set of Madam Chairman, 1957-1982, see: shelfmark: CCO 170/5/49

4. PUB 585/4 - Right Approach, Autumn 1961-Autumn 1962.

Right Approach, a 32-page magazine, was first published in Autumn 1961. The foreword to the first edition by RA Butler, Party Chairman states: 'I am glad to send my best wishes for this new venture, which I am sure will take a high place among our Party publications. We owe a great debt to Conservative women all over the country who do so much of the hard work involved in running a Party organisation. It is only fitting that you should have your own means of expression in this magazine.'

The editorial introducing the first edition states that, 'Over the past four years Dame Barbara Brooke's short letter Madam Chairman has proved an effective channel of communication with Chairmen of Constituency Women's Advisory Committees. There have been many requests for a wider distribution. Now to mark the tenth birthday of our Conservative Government we have produced this magazine as a bumper Madam Chairman letter with wider content and circulation.... Right Approach is avowedly political – but not we hope too solemnly or too narrowly so. Our subject matter ranges from the United Nations in New York to the historic House of Lords in Westminster, from telephones to television, from the Prime Minister at home to the backroom boy at work. While even non-political platform-sitters may acquire a tip or two from Haro's wickedly accurate cartoons of the pitfalls of public life...'

Only two issues appear to have been published.

5. PUB 585/5 - European Union of Women, British Section: Annual Newsletter, 1987 and 1991.

The Conservative Party was involved with the European Union of Women from its inception. In 1972,the British Section became an integral part of the Party organisation. The Executive Committee of the British Section was recognised as a specialist committee of the Women's National Advisory Committee and was formally known as the 'European (British Section EUW) Committee of the WNAC', and the Chairman of the British Section acted as Vice Chairman (Europe) of the WNAC.

Date

1929-1991

Language

English

Physical extent

1 box (5 folders)