No, I’m not singing Peter Andre (cringe I know that). I am merely referring
to my time in Portcullis House. The general public can take tours of the House
of Lords and the House of Commons when visiting Parliament but only special
people can access the building where MP’s are based. So, I was privileged and
honoured that St. Albans MP Anne Main invited me for two days work experience
to get a feel of how British politics works and see if I still wanted to report
the subject in the future.
Firstly, it wasn’t what I expected and I think quite a lot
of people would be shocked. That begs
the question what exactly did I expect and I’m actually not sure but I just
didn’t think it would be so busy. Most people are of the view that MP’s sit
around and do nothing. While this may be true for some, the majority are very
busy, rushing about from meeting to meeting. The most hectic part is when the
bell goes off and the MP’s have eight minutes to get over to the House of
Commons in order to vote.
Then, there’s Portcullis House itself. Inside, it’s actually
quite modern and the glass roof and doors sort of give a James Bond MI6 feel.
The offices are hidden behind wooden panels, which make the corridors look
identical. It’s a bit like a maze. And to be fair, I was amazed how accessible
the place was. Even the listed buildings had lifts in, albeit the old-fashioned
ones but at least they had them.
On Monday, my day started by attending a conference between
Bangladeshi leaders ahead of next years election. Anne was chairing the seminar
with Lord Avebury so wanted me to watch and then write a report for the All
Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh as well as the Conservative Friends of
Bangladesh. Although I was sleepy (hate getting up at 7 when you’re a student)
and confused at times, it was very interesting as I learnt a lot about a
country I knew nothing about.
After lunch, Anne was scheduled to meet members of the St.
Albans Youth Council to discuss the issue of mental health. After reading the
report they had compiled, I listened to the discussion and even found myself
getting involved (it’s a subject that is close to my heart). Maybe it was a bit
unprofessional to start giving my opinion on the matter but it helped me to get
a rounded picture rather than an outsider just looking in.
I didn’t see much of Anne on Tuesday because she was busy
meeting with constituents and there were a couple of votes in the Commons.
Plus, I was quite busy having a tour of Westminster (I recommend it), writing
up my articles and meeting Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson. It was great to meet
one of my heroes and I am grateful she took the time to see me.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time and like to give a massive
thank you to Anne Main for inviting me. Also, thanks to her team (that might
not be the right term) who made me feel so welcome and put in a tremendous
amount of work behind the scene.
Bye for now!
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