20 hours agoShareSaveKate WhannelPolitical reporterShareSaveBBCIt is a beautiful winter’s day in central London, with plenty of festive attractions open to tempt visitors and tourists.Yet on this Thursday morning, around a dozen people have chosen to spend their free time watching MPs in the House of Commons public gallery instead. For Taiwanese student Yinwen Yeh and her mother Karen Fan, it is the result of a diary mix-up.They had booked the full tour of Parliament but turned up on the wrong day so as a consolation prize are going to watch MPs in action.Unlike the full parliamentary tours, the Visitors’ Gallery requires no booking and is free to enter after security checks.Before the public are allowed to head to the viewing seats above the Commons chamber, they must wait for the Speaker’s Procession.This ceremony, which marks the opening of the House of Commons, sees the Commons’ doorkeeper, the Serjeant at Arms (with mace in hand), the Speaker, the trainbearer, chaplain and secretary marching slowly through to the Commons chamber.Police line their route and the inspector on duty shouts out “hats off, strangers” as they pass. Yinwen says she was “shocked” by the spectacle. “I know it’s tradition but it suggests MPs are on some kind of aristocratic level,” she says.Once the procession is over, members of the public are allowed up the narrow staircase to the gallery, passing stern signs warning them not to clap.The Visitors’ Gallery mirrors the chamber, with its wood panelling and green benches, although a glass security screen separates spectators from participants.The first item of the day is questions to business and trade ministers. The subjects include Brexit, the hospitality industry and employment rights law, but the tone is fairly amicable.Yinwen and Karen stay for about an hour before leaving. On their way out, they chat about the difference between politics in the UK and Taiwan. Karen says it seems to be more peaceful in Westminster. She says in Taiwan, politicians sharply divide along pro and anti-China lines.”There are two forces that keep struggling against each other – maybe in Britain you have more unanimity.”That is a sentiment that might surprise some voters in the UK, but the Taiwanese Parliament has had a reputation for brawling, with punches – and on one occasion pig guts – being thrown. House of CommonsLater, another mother and daughter turn up. Alize Zobairi, and her mother, Zarmeen Noor, are Pakistani ex-pats living in Dubai. Alize has been learning about UK politics at school and her teacher said she should visit Parliament while on holiday in London. What fascinates them both is the connection they say MPs appear to have with their constituents. They have been watching Business Questions, a session where MPs can raise any topic they wish, from vet fees to nuclear power to litter.Alize and Zarmeen quote some of the cases raised – a 76-year-old man struggling to get a flu vaccine and a woman who had a stroke and was facing obstacles to renewing her visa. Alize enthuses about MPs’ surgeries, where constituents can go to their local representatives for help with their problems. “It feels very personal,” she says. So what happens in Dubai? Where do people go to when they have a problem?There is a pause before Zarmeen says: “There aren’t too many problems.”There is a customer helpline – things usually get fixed pretty quickly.”Dairy farm worker Renton Fewster and NHS apprentice Libby Robinson, from near Leeds, are in London for a few days but had no plans to visit Parliament. “We were just walking and saw a sign. We followed the sign …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn20 hours agoShareSaveKate WhannelPolitical reporterShareSaveBBCIt is a beautiful winter’s day in central London, with plenty of festive attractions open to tempt visitors and tourists.Yet on this Thursday morning, around a dozen people have chosen to spend their free time watching MPs in the House of Commons public gallery instead. For Taiwanese student Yinwen Yeh and her mother Karen Fan, it is the result of a diary mix-up.They had booked the full tour of Parliament but turned up on the wrong day so as a consolation prize are going to watch MPs in action.Unlike the full parliamentary tours, the Visitors’ Gallery requires no booking and is free to enter after security checks.Before the public are allowed to head to the viewing seats above the Commons chamber, they must wait for the Speaker’s Procession.This ceremony, which marks the opening of the House of Commons, sees the Commons’ doorkeeper, the Serjeant at Arms (with mace in hand), the Speaker, the trainbearer, chaplain and secretary marching slowly through to the Commons chamber.Police line their route and the inspector on duty shouts out “hats off, strangers” as they pass. Yinwen says she was “shocked” by the spectacle. “I know it’s tradition but it suggests MPs are on some kind of aristocratic level,” she says.Once the procession is over, members of the public are allowed up the narrow staircase to the gallery, passing stern signs warning them not to clap.The Visitors’ Gallery mirrors the chamber, with its wood panelling and green benches, although a glass security screen separates spectators from participants.The first item of the day is questions to business and trade ministers. The subjects include Brexit, the hospitality industry and employment rights law, but the tone is fairly amicable.Yinwen and Karen stay for about an hour before leaving. On their way out, they chat about the difference between politics in the UK and Taiwan. Karen says it seems to be more peaceful in Westminster. She says in Taiwan, politicians sharply divide along pro and anti-China lines.”There are two forces that keep struggling against each other – maybe in Britain you have more unanimity.”That is a sentiment that might surprise some voters in the UK, but the Taiwanese Parliament has had a reputation for brawling, with punches – and on one occasion pig guts – being thrown. House of CommonsLater, another mother and daughter turn up. Alize Zobairi, and her mother, Zarmeen Noor, are Pakistani ex-pats living in Dubai. Alize has been learning about UK politics at school and her teacher said she should visit Parliament while on holiday in London. What fascinates them both is the connection they say MPs appear to have with their constituents. They have been watching Business Questions, a session where MPs can raise any topic they wish, from vet fees to nuclear power to litter.Alize and Zarmeen quote some of the cases raised – a 76-year-old man struggling to get a flu vaccine and a woman who had a stroke and was facing obstacles to renewing her visa. Alize enthuses about MPs’ surgeries, where constituents can go to their local representatives for help with their problems. “It feels very personal,” she says. So what happens in Dubai? Where do people go to when they have a problem?There is a pause before Zarmeen says: “There aren’t too many problems.”There is a customer helpline – things usually get fixed pretty quickly.”Dairy farm worker Renton Fewster and NHS apprentice Libby Robinson, from near Leeds, are in London for a few days but had no plans to visit Parliament. “We were just walking and saw a sign. We followed the sign …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
