Bits and Bobs

At this point in my stay here in Great Britain I have had two weeks at my internship in the British Parliament. I would like to discuss many of the tasks I have at the Parliament and the myriad of differences there are between the US system. I work for Nadine Dorries, a Conservative member of Parliament for the district of Mid Bedfordshire. The office is myself, a research assistant (Peter Hand), a personal assistant (Pippa Rowen), and Nadine. Some of the main tasks I have been assigned are as follows:

- Drafting Press Releases whenever my MP participates in a crucial vote or is in the press
- Drafting, Editing, and Submitting questions to Ministers and Cabinet Members of Parliament
- Updating the website
- Researching issues that interest my MP such as Education, projects in the constituency, and law and order
- Keeping track of a constituency database that contains information on those that voice concerns
- Writing letters to constituents in response to their concerns and informing them of the Conservative Party Position
- Attending select committee meetings to take detailed notes to report back to my MP so she can be up to date on hot
button issues.

Overall, I am very happy with the real work I have received and the tasks I am required to complete. Parliament is such an exciting atmosphere to work in. Everyday I see famous politicians such as Sir Mingus Campbell- the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Tony Benn- Cabinet member of 4 administrations and the first member to switch from Lord to MP, Simon Hughes- candidate for Liberal Democrat leadership recently involved in scandal, and many other influential ministers, secretaries, and lobbyists.

The British Parliamentary system of government is extremely different than the US Presidential system. First of all, dissent is not tolerated. Members of Parliament (MP's) are elected as a representative of the party. They are supposed to tow the party line when voting and when speaking to the press/constituents. If a member speaks out against the party... they are either replaced or placed on the back bench. This has been shocking to me. In the US, members of the Senate and House of Representatives are often portrayed as heroes if they are brave enough to speak their own opinions and go against the Bush White House or political party. I personally believe this is the way it should be but I fully respect the British system.

One area where I believe the British system is far superior is debating. I have sat in on two sessions of the House of Commons where various MP's and Cabinet members have been forced to answer detailed questions in front of a large body of vocal politicians. Every Wednesday Tony Blair has Prime Ministers Question Time. This is where members of parliament ask him questions on hot button issues and he is required to answer them. This is very difficult and requires various skills; theatrical, linguistic, and political. If George W. Bush were ever forced to address open questions from the Senate, he would certainly make a fool of himself. I really respect this system of accountability that has been set up by the British system of Government.

I look forward to seeing who else I meet and what other aspects of British governance I get to experience.

Now, moving to the subject of school and the differences between the education system in Britain vs. that of the United States. I am studying at the world famous London School of Economics and Political Science. It is truly an honour to study amongst some of the most intelligent minds in the world. As I have embarked on this new journey, I have noticed a plethora of differences when juxtaposing the US to Britain. The US professors definitely spoon feed students more. For example: we have a paper due next week that the professor has never mentioned. It is just assumed that everyone will know by reading the syllabus. Office hours are a must in the UK. In addition, in class, professors often ask students to apply information that was just learned in various models and questions. I enjoy this because it forces me to grasp the material more. However, I do like the US style of making sure all is clear before students complete an assignment and realize they did it wrong. Everyone in my program is worried about the lack of information given on the criteria for the paper and what the professor prefers in terms of writing style, paper and citation format, etc...

Overall, I believe the combination of political and educational experience provided by this program is unprecedented. I don't believe that any individual could ever possibly understand the British system unless they came and lived here for an extended amount of time. Singing off.