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Westminster and the War Museum

Six members of the Upper Sixth have recently enjoyed a Politics/History-themed day in London.

 
After a very early start from Chester station we had time to stroll around Parliament Square and Downing Street before entering Westminster Palace via Portcullis House.  Having been screened, photographed and frisked we met up our guide who whisked us up to the Viewers Gallery in the Lords.  The chamber, unusually, was packed.  The topics discussed ranged from petrol prices to apprenticeships to stalking, and we were able to identify several well –known peers: Lord Sugar, David Steel and Norman Tebbit to name a few.

The Commons was much less well-attended, and here the Leader of the House, Sir George Young was fielding backbenchers’ questions on a number of issues including proposed changes to employment law, phone hacking, Britain’s future role in Europe and immigration statistics.
After learning a little about the history of Westminster Hall we rushed to meet Local MP Stephen O’Brien in a small room upstairs in Portcullis House.  He dealt admirably with some quite searching questions from certain members of our contingent, in spite of suffering from an infection he caught on a recent visit to Bangladesh.  ( He is Minister for Overseas Development ).

Having enjoyed a plateful of fish and chips each at a nearby cafe, it was time for our scheduled visit to the Supreme Court.  We were told about the working of the court-the UK’s final court of Appeal, then attended two actual cases.  The first concerned the BBC and their coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the second, the rights of a Czech public official who was fighting extradition from the Bahamas.  Although the topics were in themselves quite interesting, the students found the references by the defence barristers to countless sections and clauses of existing laws quite confusing and complex.

With the light fading we made our way over Westminster Bridge to the Imperial War Museum.  The students enjoyed a couple of hours here looking at the displays on the world wars and the Holocaust.  The submarines in the main exhibition hall were of particular interest to several members of the group, as were the paintings by Paul and John Nash.
The underground back to Euston was very busy and crowded, though the group were soon recuperating in the nearby Nando’s restaurant enjoying their finest spicy chicken.  At 8.10pm our train left the station punctually, and we began our long journey back to Chester, tired though a little more knowledgeable than when we had left some fifteen hours earlier.
Mr P Lincoln
Head of History/Government and Politics