Parliament visit for Ben
Last year, Ben T of year 10 entered a
History of Parliament Competition in which he had to take on
the role of a radical MP in 1830 promoting the 1832 Reform Act. A
few months ago, he discovered that he had won! As a prize
Ben was awarded with £100 as well as a trip to London
organised by Dr. Paul Seward, Director of the History of Parliament
society. Ben describes in his own words his eventful day below:
"On Tuesday 8th February,
accompanied by my parents and brother, I arrived at Westminster;
after lengthy security checks we were met by Dr. Paul Seward. Then
I was given a very interesting tour by Amy Wedderburn from the
Houses of Parliament Education Service. Firstly, we were shown
Westminster Hall: an impressively grand structure constructed on an
awe-inspiring scale given its age of almost a millennium. Then we
were taken throughout the Palace of Westminster. I saw one of Queen
Victoria’s thrones, various statues of famous and successful
politicians, the death warrant of Charles I, and two vast murals -
the first depicting Nelson’s death at Trafalgar and the second the
generals Wellington and Blucher meeting after their victory at
Waterloo. These two last sights were my personal favourites: I’m
really interested in the Napoleonic Wars and the English Civil War
- the lives of Napoleon and Cromwell fascinate me. Finally, we were
led to the House of Lords and the House of Commons in turn. In both
chambers, the masses of microphones and raised video-screens amidst
the ancient-looking, refined architecture set a surreal contrast. I
also noticed the extravagance of the House of Lords in comparison
to the Commons.
After our tour and a brief break, it was time
for the prize-giving in the House of Lords. We arrived in a room
called the River Room, which looked out onto the sunlit Thames.
Here I was given my certificate by Lord Morgan, Welsh historian and
fellow of the British Academy, and the Speaker of the House of
Lords, Baroness Helene Hayman.
Then we were given a trip to the Parliamentary
Archives in the Victoria Tower by Mari Takayanagi who works in
Parliamentary Archives. Here I saw a room lined with scrolls of
parchment documenting all the bills passed in Parliament and
carefully kept at the precise temperature and humidity level
necessary. The earliest of these acts dated back to the later
1400s. Following this, we went higher up in the tower were I was
shown an original Suffragette banner, a Royal Assent form from the
reign of Elizabeth I and even the real Great Reform Act.
Finally, we were given tickets to see the
debate in the Chamber of the House of Commons in the “Distinguished
Strangers Gallery” – an honour usually kept for politician’s
relatives! Here we saw Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne
answer questions from both Coalition MPs and the Labour opposition,
ranging from topics of finance to the exclusion of a journalist in
Russia. It was a thoroughly interesting experience, especially as I
perhaps one day want to be a politician.
My trip to London was an amazing experience:
enlighteningly educational and tremendously enjoyable. It was a
once-in-a-lifetime experience which I am sure I will never forget.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this day
so brilliant."
Congratulations Ben!
Ends