On Wed 17th November all Year 12 students visited both Houses of Parliament, a tour sponsored by our local MP, Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
After extensive security checks at the Visitor's entrance we met our guide who proceeded to take us around the more important spaces in Charles Barry's impressive palace. We saw where the Queen prepares herself in readiness for the State Opening of Parliament, the indentations on the door linking the Lords to the Commons left my numerous bangings of Black Rod. We stood at the dispatch box in the House of Commons pretending the be the PM and learnt the process by which Bills can 'ping-pong' between both Houses before they gain Royal Approval and become law. The contrast between the relative austerity of the Commons and the opulence of Pugin's elaborate decorative designs within the Lords was very striking: plain wood carvings in the one and plentiful gold-leaf, rich paintings and tapestries in the other.
We were very fortunate to have been allocated tickets to attend Prime Minister's Questions and at noon we joined a packed Public Gallery to witness David Cameron and Harriet Harman exchange blows over proposed cuts to the Police Force of Greater Manchester.
The House also collectively congratulated Prince William and his new fiancee, Kate Middleton on the announcement of their engagement and as luck would have it we had arranged a tour in the afternoon to see Westminster Abbey. After a whistle-stop tour we were unanimous in our opinion that the Abbey is indeed a fine venue for a wedding and would highly recommend it to the happy couple!