Parliament!
Hey All,Well every day here seems full of suprises, every day brings new opportunities. Well, I guess I should start on Tuesday.
I was sitting in my Music Aesthetics class and Kevin sent me a text message that said, "would you like to go to a session of parliament?" I said yes of course, and I met him after my class at the Westminster tube station, right across the street from Westminster palace, aka the Houses of Parliament. Apparently, Paul Holmes, the MP Kev works for, had written two tickets for his constituents to sit in on a session of the House of Commons. But because no constituents came forward to claim the seats, he gave them to Kevin. So I went to meet him at Westminster, dressed in a shirt and tie, and we walked towards Parliament. Because we had MP-signed passes, we were able to bypass the long line to get in and go straight through security. And then, there we were, standing in the main lobby of Parliament. Being inside reminded me of being inside some parts of Westminster Abbey. Ornate statues and wall paintings decorated the room, and the architecture made it seem like I was waiting for an audience with some ancient King. Combined with CCTV cameras and futuristic message boards displaying that day's scheduled committee meetings and what not, the scene was oddly juxtapositional. As we waited, I noticed that a lot of the other people who had come to sit in on the same session were not nearly as well-dressed as we were. Some teens were wearing ripped jeans and t-shirts, and most were wearing sneakers. In effect, this made Kevin and I seem more like we belonged.
As the session's beginning drew nearer, I got to bear witness to an old British political custom. Before any session of Parliament begins, the Speaker of the House and his court enter the chamber. Everyone waiting was forced to stand to one side, and all of the security forces took off their hats. Then, someone shouted "Speaker!" from one of the side hallways, and a few seconds later several men in official dress came walking out. Following them was the Speaker himself, equipped with his wig and flowing robes. Behind him, a man carried the end of the Speaker's cape and two more brought up the rear. It's astounding that a country so involved in the modern world can have so many antique customs still in use.
Following this procession, we were allowed to line up to enter the public spectator's booths. Several minutes later, we were seated and watching the British political process unfold before our eyes. It was like watching a meeting of the U.S. Senate, but with more discussion! On this day, the Minister of Transportation was present and was to take questions from various MP's concerning transportation situations in their various constituencies (e.g., "why hasn't [this road] in my town been fixed?", "why has [this train service] been cut back?", etc.) In each case, the MP has to address the Speaker with the question, and the Minister of Transportation has to do the same. For example:
MP: Thank you Mr. Speaker! The town of Aldwych in my constituency has a population of 25,000 residents, yet only 7 trains run to Aldwych station each day. Neighbouring Dulwich has less than half the population, but 20 trains run there. Would the right honourable gentleman agree with me that something should be done to rectify this situation?"
Minister: Mr. Speaker allow me to assure my honourable friend that train service levels in her constituency are being looked into and I would be happy to arrange a meeting with her to discuss the matter further.
Crazy no? After the session Kevin and I got some lunch in the Portcullis building, a building just for MP's and staff (very cheap and very good), then he had to go back to work. While I waited for him, I decided to explore an area near Kensington called Sloane Square. It was a nice little shopping area with a bunch of little shops and major stores all mixed together. It was a bit like Newbury Street I guess, but a bit more wide open. After Kev got out of work, we met up and had some food then called it a night.
Wednesday was a bit more boring I suppose. I just did some errands and went to class.
Tonight, Kevin and I are going to meet up with our friend John and check out some establishments in the Holborn area of London, near LSE where Kevin takes his classes. Who knows what the weekend will hold.
posted by Zachary Nicholson @ 5:25 PM
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