​DOCUMENTARY
My training course in the Houses of Parliament
Sandy, my English partner and I completed internships at the Houses of Parliament from 18 to 20 November, 2014. Our tutor was Mister Philip Ball.
He works with Rt Hon Andy Burnham, the Shadow Health Secretary who is member of the Labour Party (the opposition). It's a feature of the Westminster System of government. It comprises a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (at present, the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband) form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the Cabinet. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to criticise the policies and actions of the government, as well as offering an alternative programme. Mr Ball and his team are in charge of coordinating and organising the work about health (they answer letters and emails of people who tell them of their problems…).
Following the presentations of the Party and people's roles, we visited the Houses of Parliament. First of all, Big Ben; as known the Elizabeth Tower or Clock Tower. One of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom.
Without forgetting the Hall of the Palace of Westminster. It's the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. In and around the Hall, grew up the major institutions of the British state: Parliament, law and courts and various government offices. Furthermore, this is an important place where the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated Spencer Perceval was murdered in the lobby of the House of Commons.
After that, the main of the Houses of Parliament: the House of Lords where you can see the throne used by Queen Elizabeth II and the benches where the members of the chamber sit. Still, we finished in the House of Commons where we watched proceedings..
For the afternoon, Sandy and I had the opportunity to witness the Foreign Affairs Committee's Inquiry. They are in charge of examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office which includes the diplomatic services. During this, they talked about the UK Foreign Policy implications in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the development of its relations with the rest of Iraq and with neighbouring countries.
The second day, a task was entrusted to us. We read letters sent to Rt Hon Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, and had to classify and categorise them (concerning the Labour Party, the healthcare or problems which the senders wanted to make known….). At the same moment, we were able to get acquainted with Andy Burnham. Following this, we rode with him to the BBC News Radio office so that he could give an interview about the NHS (National Health Service) plan.
He takes a leading part in the Labour Party as they prepare for the general election in May, 2015, he leads a campaign in cooperation with Ed Miliband to win.
Finally, we went to the Congress House to hear a speech from a Labour MP (Member of Parliament)
During this training course, I learnt about the British political system. I couldn't explain it completely but thanks to the politic courses that I followed on the third day, I understood the structure of the English political system. I met important political personalities. I saved my memories. Maybe I will specialise in British Political Science and work there in the future?
Imah Ciré