The Rest is Politics

The main lobby features incredible architecture and texture. There were four murals placed on each side of the building. The mosaics were of Saint George to represent England, Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint Patrick for Ireland, and Saint David for Wales. Each of these murals represents the four sovereign states that formed together to become the United Kingdom. Our tour included both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, similar in design other than the throne placed for the King in the House of Lords and their perspective colours of either green or red.

When we entered the House of Commons, MPs were discussing the issue of aid to Ukraine. It was incredibly interesting – and slightly surreal – to witness the process that we have been learning about. We were also let in on a rumour going around Parliament, that many MPs have already started planning their campaigns around schools under the suspicion that a general election may be called earlier than expected and to target the new generation of voters.

After visiting both Houses, we were given a tour of all the history that has been left untouched within the building. For example, there is a plaque placed in the basement of Parliament after suffragettes were found to be hiding there. Their reasoning was that they believed if they could list Parliament as their place of residence then perhaps they could be eligible to vote. For me personally, I found this information most interesting because it made me realise how far our democratic system has come and how as a woman, I owe much of my own freedom in this country to those women. I found it beautiful how their actions from almost 100 years ago still affect me to this day and how in less than a year’s time, I can thank those women for risking everything to help me become eligible to participate.

We were then taken to Westminster Hall, which was where the recently deceased Queen lay in state, and also Henry VII’s residence for a couple of years. We were told of ancient tennis balls found in the wood ceiling which suggested that Henry VII also played tennis matches within the Hall. We were then introduced to the Bishop of Sheffield, one of the 26 bishops that represent the Church of England in the House of Lords. The Bishop kindly answered our questions on both the upcoming Migration Bill and potential reforms to the House of Lords. He believed that with the monarchy still standing in the United Kingdom, the Lords Spiritual would absolutely stay in the House, as the Church and the Monarchy are so closely aligned. However, he also supported reforms to reduce the number of bishops and introduce more religious or spiritual leaders from other faiths.

To end the tour, as a group, we had a debate on whether cannabis should be legalised in the United Kingdom which our local MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton, sat in on. After listening to our very balanced arguments, Mr Loughton explained that he had recently travelled to Uruguay to investigate how their system of legal cannabis was progressing. The conclusion was that although it seemed that with more legalisation there could be more control, it had spiralled and there were now more dangerous combinations of cannabis being circulated. I found this intriguing as I had always believed that with more legalisation there could be more chance for the government to control and protect citizens, but this was not the case.

Our trip to Parliament was definitely worthwhile; not only was it exciting but it really helped to conclude the UK Politics course by putting everything into perspective. Listening to the debates happening in both Houses was surreal and impressive. Visiting Parliament made me realise how important it is for the new generation of young people to participate in our democratic system and has hopefully inspired many of the Lower Sixth to consider a career in Politics.

Lana Morrison, Lower Sixth