Law students given an amazing tour of Parliament
Law students given in-depth tour of Parliament
It was a great trip and the group learnt a lot about the history and role of Parliament. It was a truly memorable day for all those who attended.
- Ze'ev Portner
Last week, first year undergraduate law students, LLM students, together with Ze'ev Portner, Rachael Adeleye, and Nasifa Ahmadi from the School of Business and Law, as well as Imam Haseeb Jahangir, Head of the Multi-faith Chaplaincy at BNU, were given a most interesting tour of Parliament.
First stop: Westminster and Lambeth Bridges
As soon as we arrived at Westminster, I took everyone on to Westminster bridge and pointed out to them that the reason why Westminster bridge is painted green, is because it is colour co-ordinated with the House of Commons, and the bridge opposite, Lambeth Bridge is painted red, as it is colour co-ordinated with the House of Lords.
Interesting facts
In the Commons, Government and Opposition MPs are not meant to cross the red line when facing each other (see picture below) and are separated by two swords in length. This goes back to the time when MPs would turn up in the Commons carrying swords, and if they drew their sword at their opponents, on the opposite benches, it would only touch the tip of the other sword, as they were standing two swords apart and this prevented MPs from being harmed by their political opponents. Even today, in the MPs cloakroom, there are pegs for MPs to hang their swords.
Another interesting fact is that petitions on behalf of an MP's constituents to government ministers, are drafted and emailed in electronic form, but the previous practice, was that MPs would read out a petition, on behalf of their constituents at the end of the day's sitting in the House of Commons and then the hard copy of the petition would be placed 'in the bag' behind the Speaker's Chair in the Commons.
The metaphor 'in the bag' comes from the placing of petitions in the bag behind the Speaker's Chair.
And finally, no Monarch has entered the House of Commons since 1642, when King Charles 1 attempted to arrest five MPs. It is for that reason, that at the state opening of Parliament, the King sends his messenger Black Rod to summon the House of Commons, to hear the King's speech in the House of Lords. The door of the House of Commons is automatically slammed in Black Rod's face, because the King's messenger cannot enter the Commons without the permission of the Commons. They have to bang three times on the door of House of Commons before being allowed in.
Famous portrait in Parliament of Charles 1 in the House of Commons in 1642 demanding to know from Speaker Lenthall, where the 5 MPs he had come to arrest were. They had already escaped in a barge down the River Thames before he had arrived!
Sarah Clarke, the current Black Rod and the first female to hold the role in its 650 year old history.
What students and staff said
Commenting on the trip, first year law student Bradley Whitaker said: "The highlight of the trip was seeing the House of Commons in person. It is a lot smaller than when you see it on television and it was very interesting to learn how Parliament and its traditions have evolved over the centuries."
LLM Law student Precilia Eukola Buya described the building as "Beautiful."
And Imam Haseeb Jahangir said: "The day was truly enjoyable and I learned so much."
It was a great trip and the group learnt a lot about the history and role of Parliament. It was a truly memorable day for all those who attended.
