The Lord Speaker
The upper floor in the south-east corner of the Palace comprises what used to be the residence of the Lord Chancellor. It includes a magnificent room, overlooking the Thames, called – not surprisingly – the River Room.
Its use is now within the responsibility of the Lord Speaker. She has made it available primarily for charitable and parliamentary functions. Last year alone, forty charities held receptions there, each sponsored by a member of the House. This strikes me as a very good use of part of the Palace, helping link parliamentarians with outside bodies and especially with bodies that do good work, have a message they want to convey and benefit from the opportunity to talk to members of the House. It is also a good way of enabling such bodies to get an appreciation of what the House does.
Linking to your post on possible temporary locations for HoL I’m a little bit jealous of London. It is expensive and time-consuming, as you know, to get to our capital, and I don’t mean Northern Rock.
The English national football team scored well with fans when they travelled to alternative English stadia, due to the demolition of the previous Wembley Stadium.
Gordon Brown’s Cabinet Tour of the Badlands doesn’t do it for me. Has there been any genuine interest in setting up a regular North of Watford Parliament?
Thanks, Tiz
This is indeed a good use, but getting to the Palace is very unfriendly and intimidating. With SOCPA 132, you run the risk of being arrested on your way for wearing the wrong t-shirt or badge, or reading the wrong article, then you have the queuing and searching before getting in the Palace and lastly you must be careful not to go astray bearing in mind SOCPA 128. All these measures have a chilling effect.
br -d
David Mery: There are aspects of the Palace, not least security measures, that may not appear that welcoming. SOCPA is not much of a problem for the nearly one-million visitors a year. (As you will know from my earlier posts on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, the intention is to repeal that part of SOPA anyway.) What is more problematic is the physical dimension of security. Various measures have been implemented to make visitors feel more welcome. These have encompassed not only changes to the route of entry but also employing people to welcome visitors and provide guidance as well as literature.
Is there a room with a bed in for the lords speaker does she use it or does she have her own house in london. Is the bed ever slept in by deputy speakers?