down the law with King John...

In 1258 Simon de Montfort's Great Council and the Provisions of Oxford gave a small

group of 'Commoners' a wider hand in governing the realm

Like father like son, Henry tried to back out of the agreement, prompting a civil war

De Montfort won, and at his 1265 Parliament called representatives from towns and cities

together -- another first

Then the 'Model' Parliament of 1295 gave boroughs and shires two representatives each.

1430 and the vote was given to freeholders of land worth 40 shillings or more

And the Putney Debates of 1647 saw the 'Levellers' argue for voting rights for all

It was nearly 200 years before the Great Reform Act of 1832 swept away 'rotten boroughs' extending

the vote to the new industrial cities

Reforms followed reforms... followed reforms - and the electorate grew...

And in 1918 universal suffrage was finally achieved for men over 21 and women over 30

-- a decade later matched at 21

Today every eligible UK citizen over 18 has the right to vote for their representative

in Parliament