Category: Trips
After an early start, Politics pupils set off to London for our trip to Parliament. Quickly passing through the Portcullis house, one of the more contemporary government buildings, we were introduced to our guides, who led us through the Central lobby right up to the members lobby of the House of Commons, here pointing out statues of significant past prime ministers.
Following on, we moved through to the Noes lobby, a corridor that runs parallel to the chamber, where representatives who are against a motion vote during the passage of a bill. Next we entered the chamber itself, discussing its practicality and appreciating its importance. We moved on to a workshop about legislation and the passage of a bill. To involve students the room was split into three, and three political parties, along with appointed leaders, were constructed. Here a mock passage of the bill was held, involving a piece of legislation on direct democracy via the medium of Facebook. This was followed by a snappy parliamentary test, where Hugo Smart pipped several others to first place.
Claire Perry, our local conservative constituency representative then came to address us on the work of an MP, and how her day to day life as a politician has influence on the nation. After a brief lunch, we began our excursion of the Supreme Court accompanied by a very knowledgeable old Marlburian, Peter Jarrold, who explained that the transition from the Law Lords, originally found within Parliament, to the creation of the Supreme Court was very much a symbolic act. We were then very fortunate to meet Lord Kerr, a notable Justice, who was very informative and responded skillfully to some challenging questions. A short exhibition was on display in the basement, after which we were able to sit in on Court proceedings, to acknowledge the work of the Justices and the structure of the system. Overall it was a very enjoyable and educational visit.
To see a slide show from this trip follow this link.
Charlie Heyes (CO L6)