(London, England, U.K.)

As I walked south on Whitehall, it came into view.  The British Parliament Buildings (and the “Big Ben” clock face) share some architectural features with Canada’s Parliament Buildings but seem so much bigger because there is much less space around them.   They were so imposing that I didn’t even notice Westminster Abbey less than a block away.

It was about 3:30 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon and I remembered reading that visitors could observe the proceedings in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords (the U.K. equivalent of Canada’s Senate) until about 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays…but not again until the following Monday.  As I was leaving the following Monday, this would be my only chance.

I was skeptical, given the amount of tourists that were in the area.  I had also read that waits of 1-2 hours to observe the proceedings were common.  After some false starts, I finally found what appeared to be the visitors’ entrance.  Much to my surprise, the staff thought that I would probably be able to watch either the House of Commons or the House of Lords right away.

I had to pass through “airport-style security” but within 5 minutes I was climbing the stairs to the visitors’ gallery.   As I entered, I could have sworn that I was in Canada’s House of Commons:  the layout and even the colouring (green) was essentially identical.  The speaker, the mace, the protocol…it was all the same as in Canada.

I watched the debate for about 45 minutes.   The House was not full, as it was only receiving an update from an inquiry that still had a year or two to go.  It appeared that the U.K. was struggling with some issues (institutional child abuse) that Canada has also had to confront recently.

I went back to the Parliament Buildings on Saturday morning for a guided tour.  This time, instead of just seeing the visitors’ gallery in the House of Commons, we were taken to all parts of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and much of Westminster Palace (which is actually the name of the entire complex…the royal family lived on this site many centuries ago).

I’d like to share pictures of the interior of Westminster Palace, but photos are only permitted in two of the halls leading to the respective Houses.  In fact, we were not even permitted to sit down in most of the rooms, as the furniture was considered irreplaceable.  However, as with many things in England, I think it is also a question of tradition.

The main lesson from the tour?  I’d say it is the uneasy relationship between the monarchy and parliament.  The queen is not even supposed to visit the House of Commons:  they literally bar the door when she is at Westminster Palace.   This goes back hundreds of years when the role of the monarchy was the source of much conflict.

Another less weighty but still interesting observation:  a large number of the “official” portraits are completely bogus.  Such portraits were often painted centuries later and/or by someone who had never seen the subject.  Five of Henry the Eighth’s wives have portraits near the House of Lords but it is questionable that any of the portraits bear the slightest resemblance to what the subjects actually looked like.  In some cases, such portraits were art projects for students!

While the tour was interesting, it was still rather expensive for what you get.  I suppose that the massive security presence needs to be paid for somehow.  If you are familiar with the workings of a parliamentary democracy, you may be better served by simply going to one of the visitors’ galleries at an off-peak time.  It’s free and you still get to see a decent amount of Westminster Palace…not to mention the fact that you get to see parliament actually at work.

Coming up: more on London and a very special concert!