Friday the thirteenth we had a tour of Parliament. Very proper of course lots of protocol. We entered through the "sovereigns entrance". The queen only comes to Parliament once a year to give a speech and actually it's not her speech but the Prime minister's speech. The Parliament is made up of two houses-The House of Lords and The House Commons.
Members of the House of Lords are mostly appointed by the Queen with a fixed number elected internally. The House of Lords also is the highest court in the land with full time judges known as the Law Lords who carry out the judicial work. The throne is in the House of Lords and this is where the Queen gives her annual speech.
Members of the House of Commons are publicly elected every five years and referred to as MPs. The party with largest members forms the government. The main function of the House of Commons is to debate political issues and propose new bills. Sovereigns are not allowed in the House of Commons and MPs are not allowed to speak in the House of Lords.
Lasting Impressions
Our guide was entertaining. A gray haired older gentleman with plenty of dry British wit. The thing that impressed me the most or maybe didn't impress me was the size of both the Houses . Both are really small, nothing like what they appear on TV. There is barely enough room for members. Also learned that The House of Commons main color is green and the House of Lords main color is red. Not sure the reason for this, I don't have that in my notes. Maybe a coincidence.
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