23 May 2019
On Thursday 16 May, Lower Sixth students of Government and Politics visited the Supreme Court and the Houses of Parliament.
Each of us had the chance to sit in the same chairs as the Supreme Court judges and even speak into their microphones, which was quite an enjoyable moment. We also took a look at the second court, where international cases take place. After this, we analysed five different judgements that were either accepted or denied by the Supreme Court in the past month.
Our next stop, Parliament, was only two minutes away. We were greeted at the education centre by another tour guide who took us to watch the House of Lords debate the issue of mental health in young people. However, it was clear that we were less than impressed by the low turnout and lack of passion for this topic, so we went to the House of Commons to witness a higher number of MPs debate the definition of islamophobia. This was deemed more interesting than the House of Lords as not only did we recognise some of the MPs (such as Dominic Grieve), but they were also more engaged in the topic and were interacting with each other more.
Towards the end of the day we participated in a workshop in which we created our own political parties and manifestos for the non-existent country of Grandos, before competing against each other to gain points by answering political questions that related to our course. We were also able to revise how different electoral systems generate different outcomes.
It truly was a great trip where everyone learnt something new and was inspired by the UK political system.
Keisha, Lower Sixth
