News Lower Sixth Politics students visit Parliament 29.09.2023

Lower Sixth Politics and Global Politics students had the opportunity to get a sense of the internal workings of UK government and politics when they visited the Houses of Parliament on Monday afternoon.

Students first had a tour of the Palace of Westminster, including Westminster Hall, the House of Commons and Lords and peppered their tour guides with a huge range of questions from where Rishi Sunak’s pigeon hole was, to the significance of art work around the Palace as well as questions about the day-to-day functioning of Parliament. Students learnt about the legislative cooperation between the House of Lords and House of Commons, which much to their surprise is much more amicable and collaborative than how it is presented in the media! As Parliament is still in recess they were able to spend a good deal of time in each chamber which was particularly interesting. Students enjoyed considering the differences in interior design between the House of Commons and House of Lords, debating the significance of the differing levels of gilding.

This was followed by a fascinating workshop on pressure groups and protest, where the Lower Sixth considered and debated the role of groups such as Extinction Rebellion and the Institute of Economic Affairs on UK government and politics.