Parliament

Another sunny morning - hurray! For Senior Sem we visited Parliament and the Palace of Westminster. We entered the building and were immediately taken through an intense security screening process. Right away we had our pictures taken and an ID badge was printed for us to wear around our necks. Most people's IDs looked like mug shots because we weren't sure when the picture was being taken. Most people had others in the background - I'm short, so mine was just me and I knew to smile - hahaha mine didn't turned out so badly! We removed all loose clothing and bags and walked under a metal detector. Some people were even pulled aside and patted down. For the first time this trip, I saw a police officer with a gun. It looked really out of place and intimidating. It's funny how in such short time I am becoming accustomed to life in London. Our tour guide was Ian who was full of amazing British humor. I don't know why, but their jokes just get me...I love them! I find from time to time I'm the only one laughing - haha! Today Ian gave me a hard time about having little feet...? We have been learning quite a bit about British Parliament so it was neat to be in the places we'd been discussing. We walked the path the Queen takes during the opening of Parliament ceremony each year. Parliament consists of three parts: Monarchy, House of Lords and House of Commons. The House of Lords is a group of MPs (members of parliament) who are hereditary and chosen by the monarch. Tony Blair, during his term, started the reformation of the House of Lords. He believed that they are old-fashioned and do not represent the changing, diverse needs of the country. I completely agree - it has become a group of old, white men and a few women who are only present because of their bloodline. Secondly, we visited the House of Commons which is made up of 646 MPs from 646 different constituencies across the UK. I got to stand where the Prime Minister stands for the weekly debates and touch the podium used by many past Prime Ministers including Churchill. I really like the way in which Parliament is structured and a group of us want to get tickets to watch a session. There is going to be an election in early May - I can't wait to read the outcome and understand how it all happened. They do not allow pictures to be taken except in the main entrance. The building was spectacular and significantly contrasts the parliament building in Edinburgh - it was neat to compare the two.

In my afternoon class we discussed Parliament and the significance of the monarchy. Justin, our professor, divided us up into two groups and we had a debate similar to the one that takes place weekly in the House of Commons. We were debating the abolition of the monarchy vs keeping the monarchy. I was assigned to debate the importance of abolishing the monarchy and had a fun time during the debate. It was fascinating to hear both sides. Some argue that the queen is the ultimate symbol of the country and upholds all history. I tend to think that the monarchy is useless, expensive and wrong in the sense that they are allowed to make certain political decisions without being elected. The monarchy costs taxpayers over 37,000,000 Pounds a year! There are more arguments for both sides, but I tend to think the monarchy needs reformation. I love that class, as I've said before, because it is just so relevant.

Many of us in the flat are trying to finalize travel plans for weekends this semester. I booked tickets to Dublin and France! I have to say, I wasn't very productive tonight although I did do some homework :D