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Doreen Gorsky

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Doreen Stephens

Doreen Marjorie Gorsky née Doreen Stephens (12 October 1912 – 20 March 2001), was a British Liberal Party politician, feminist and television producer and executive who during her career specialised in women's and children's programmes.

Background

She was educated at a private boarding school in Folkestone, before attending finishing schools in Brussels and Wimbledon. In 1933, at the age of 19, she married a stockbroker, Richard Holden, with whom she had two children, though after five years she and Holden divorced.[1] In 1942 she married Jacob A. Gorsky, a London doctor and barrister and also a Liberal politician. During the war she was a commandant in the British Red Cross. In 1944 at London University, she received the Gilchrist gold medal and diploma for social studies.[2]

Political career

She joined the Liberal party in 1944. In 1945 she was Liberal candidate for the Hackney North Division at the 1945 General Election. It was an unpromising seat that the Liberals had not won since 1923 and had not stood a candidate since 1929. Although she came third she did manage to retain her deposit;

Hackney North in London 1945
General Election 1945: Hackney North[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry Edwin Goodrich 17,337 65.0 +16.9
Conservative Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson 5,771 21.7 −30.2
Liberal Doreen Marjorie Gorsky 3,546 13.3 N/A
Majority 11,566 43.4
Labour gain from Conservative

In 1945 she joined the Married Women's Association, which argued for women's opportunities outside the domestic sphere, and the Equal-Pay-For-Equal Work Organisation, run by Thelma Cazalet. Along with Megan Lloyd George they lobbied the Labour Government to introduce equal pay legislation but the government refused.[4] She co-authored the Liberal report " The Great Partnership."[5] This was presented to the 1949 Liberal Party Assembly. The report called for equal pay for women, equal training opportunities, better pay and more freedom for nurses, a much greater provision of day nurseries for working mothers, and a reform of the divorce law to give a woman an equal share of the marital home after a break-up. Gorsky told the Assembly that "It's easier to get a wife out than to get a tenant out". The Assembly adopted the report as party policy, making Liberal policy on women comfortably more radical and forward looking than that of the Labour party.[6] She was elected to the Liberal Party Council. In 1950 she was elected President of Women's Liberal Federation. She was a member of the Liberal Party National Executive. She was Chairman of the Women's Committee of Liberal International.[7] In 1950 she was Liberal candidate for the Swindon Division of Wiltshire at the 1950 General Election.[8] This was another unpromising seat that the Liberal party had never won. She again finished third with 15% of the vote. In 1950 she was Liberal candidate for the Bristol South East Division of Gloucestershire at a by-election. This was a very unpromising prospect for the Liberal party, whose candidate at the last general election had polled under 10%. Her vote in the by-election was just as poor;

Bristol South East by-election, 1950[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hon. Anthony Neil Wedgwood-Benn 19,367 56.7 −5.9
Conservative J. L. Lindsay 12,018 35.2 +8.4
Liberal Doreen Marjorie Gorsky 2,752 8.1 −1.4
Majority 7,349 21.5 −14.3
Turnout 34,137 61.1 −23.9
Labour hold Swing −7.2

In 1951 she was Liberal candidate for the Carlisle Division of Cumberland at the 1951 General Election. Again this was not a promising seat. The Liberals had not won here since 1918 though at the last election, the Liberal candidate polled nearly 20%. She could not match this and again finished third.

General Election 1951: Carlisle[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alfred Hargreaves (aka Alex) 19,648 46.8
Conservative N.T. O'Reilly 16,456 39.2
Liberal Doreen Marjorie Gorsky 5,886 14.0
Majority 3,192 7.6
Turnout 87.4
Labour hold Swing

She did not stand for parliament again.

Media career

In 1953 she was appointed to the newly created post of Editor of Women's Television Programmes. In 1963 she became head of BBC Television's family programmes, and one of the first women to hold an executive position in the corporation. She spearheaded programmes which introduced cookery guru Fanny Cradock and keep-fit expert Eileen Fowler to viewers, as well as bringing in Playschool and Dougall in The Magic Roundabout for children.[11] She was persuaded to join London Weekend Television, along with her BBC junior Joy Whitby, at the future ITV contractor's beginnings in 1967,[12] and the two women were appointed to run the children's programmes department,[13] although Stephens resigned after only two years when the company ran into difficulties.[14] Before departing Stephens (with Whitby) commissioned, Catweazle (1970–71).[15]

Liberal party again

In 1969, she returned to active involvement when Jeremy Thorpe got her to take over from Pratap Chitnis as head of the Liberal Party Organisation. However, due to the lack of funds in the Liberal party, she agreed to work unpaid. Her work involved preparing the party for a general election which came in 1970. When the election came she took over responsibility for the party's three election broadcasts for television.[16]

References

  1. ^ The Guardian, Tuesday 24 April 2001
  2. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1950
  3. ^ "UK general election results 1945". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  4. ^ A Radical Life by Mervyn Jones
  5. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1950
  6. ^ A Radical Life by Mervyn Jones
  7. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1951
  8. ^ British parliamentary election results 1950–1974, Craig, F.W.S.
  9. ^ British parliamentary election results 1950–1974, Craig, F.W.S.
  10. ^ British parliamentary election results 1950–1974, Craig, F.W.S.
  11. ^ John Butler Obituary: Doreen Stephens, The Guardian, 24 April 2001
  12. ^ Asa Briggs The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: Volume V: Competition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, p.347
  13. ^ Alistair McGown "Children's TV in the 1960s", BFI screenonline
  14. ^ John Butler Obituary: Doreen Stephens, The Guardian, 24 April 2001
  15. ^ Alistair McGown "Catweazle (1970–71)", BFI screenonline
  16. ^ The British General Election of 1970 by David Butler
Party political offices
Preceded by President of the Women's Liberal Federation
1950–1952 		Succeeded by
Malys Thompson
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