The Free and Independent

The Free and Independent (1949) looks at Parliament from the point of view of the Elector rather than the Elected. After dealing with the early history of elections when the franchise was sometimes considered to be a nuisance rather than a privilege, it traces the recognition of the value of the franchise primarily because it secured certain advantages for towns and districts, but also because it was discovered that a vote could be sold often at a high price. It then considers the long struggle for reform and looks at the Crown and the elector, bribery and corruption, and female electors.