On Friday 6th October Esher’s first year Government and Politics students visited Parliament and Europe House in London. The visit included a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament and the House of Commons Chamber, where students learnt about the different roles and responsibilities of the MPs, the Speaker and the Chief Whip. Whilst taking part in the trip they discovered that members of the public can sit in the public galleries and observe the debates. They went on to learn about the many public disturbances that have taken place in the viewing gallery, including public nudity and tins of paint thrown over MPs! In the House of Lords students had the opportunity to sit on the benches before taking place in a quiz and workshop about the voting system. After adjourning for lunch, they walked to the lesser known Europe House which is the representation of the European Union in London. In Europe House, they learnt more about the EU and its impact on the UK with many students getting indignant about the withdrawal from it. As part of the seminar, students also had a go at forming their own parties and took it in turns to present the group and its political priorities before voting on which party was the best.
