MP Eric Joyce has been arrested after reports of a disturbance in a bar at the Houses of Parliament.

The independent MP for Falkirk was detained after an incident at the Sports and Social Club bar.

The Metropolitan Police said officers had been called just before 22:30 GMT, and the arrested man “remains in custody and inquiries continue”.

Joyce, 52, was convicted of assault in a parliamentary bar last year, and later resigned from the Labour Party.

In a statement on Thursday night, a Met police spokesman said: “Police were called shortly before 10.30pm this evening to reports of a disturbance at a bar within the House of Commons.

“Officers attended and a man aged in his 50s was arrested in connection with this incident. He remains in custody and inquiries continue.”

‘Policeman’s hat’

The Sports and Social Club was said to be packed for its regular karaoke night at the time of the incident.

Tony Grew, from the PoliticsHome website, witnessed the alleged altercation, telling ITV News he saw the MP on the ground “wrestling with two police officers”.

“There were around at least 40 or 50 parliamentary staff, shocked, watching this melee as it occurred.

“Bar staff were trying to push people back, telling them to stand back and let the police do their work,” added Mr Grew.

“I can vividly remember a policeman’s hat rolling on the ground towards me as I was watching this scene unfold.”

Mr Grew suggested the altercation could have occurred because Mr Joyce became upset he was not allowed to take a glass outside into the smoking area.

MPs have expressed concern for Mr Joyce’s welfare on Twitter.

‘Drinking problems’

Conservative Penny Mordaunt said: “MPs done great stuff for mental health but must ensure that colleagues who need help get it, esp if they are now sans party.”

Former GP Sarah Wollaston, who has led Tory calls for a minimum alcohol unit price, said: “Eric Joyce is just one of hundreds of thousands who have lost control of their drinking. Westminster is blind to drinking problems.”

But Dennis Canavan, who was an MP and MSP for Falkirk, said that it was time for Mr Joyce to stand down.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “Well, this is sad news and this is sad for Eric Joyce, but it is even sadder for the people of Falkirk who for over a year now have no effective representation in Parliament and they definitely don’t deserve this.

“It is time to go for the sake of his constituents and for his own sake, he obviously has a problem and he needs help for that problem.”

Following the fracas in February last year, Mr Joyce, a former soldier, announced he would not seek re-election in 2015.

After admitting four counts of assault, Joyce was given a 12-month community order in March that included a Friday-to-Sunday curfew and a three-month pub ban. He was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 in compensation to his victims.

During the brawl in the Strangers’ Bar, Joyce headbutted Tory MP Stuart Andrew and attacked three other politicians.

While offering an apology in the Commons over the incident, Joyce said: “Clearly I have a number of personal issues to address, and you can be assured that this will take place.”

Source

Premiere in Parliament

We launched the campaign for the new law on 10/09/2012 in the Houses of Parliament in front of MPs; I chaired the meeting and the CEO of Compassion in World Farming (Philp Lymbury), and senior officers from the other three campaign partners joined me on the platform.

“Like a fair tria- What? Oh wait, no i don’t.”
“Well sure you do! Because living in a free country and systematically having your liberties challenged and taken away for the last 10 years are in no way conflicting ideas!”

You may have a few very simple questions to ask about this. But be careful what you wish for okay? It pays to ask a simple question when confronted with a piece of legislation such as the justice and security bill, which has become so complicated that there are probably only a handful of human beings in the country who are capable of understanding it. Because like most of politics, the justice and security bill which is currently making its way through our houses of parliament, is essentially impossible for the average person to understand. Good old Legal-ese.

The ability to distance the public from politics is one which every very successful politician seems to need. If we make people apathetic, they won’t care. If they don’t care, there is no opposition. You see, Britain has an un-codified constitution; meaning we have zero higher laws-none. A higher law(or a ‘fundamental law’) is one the government cannot affect and must obey. All laws they pass therefore are lesser laws and they, along with these laws, must be in line with the higher laws. Now, this is not an argument for a codified constitution. I am simply pointing out that our government has no official checks and balances because we have no higher laws. We the people, are the checks and balances. Without us, Parliament is nothing short of an elective dictatorship. Sadly, the people don’t care.

Now, a bill which allows courts to; operate without scrutiny, in complete secret, with-hold evidence from the defence, use evidence taken from torturous methods(Bye bye right to freedom from torture) and  still convict. That reeks of fascism.

The only reason you could possibly not want evidence made known must be that it will make it easier for ministers and the intelligence agencies to cover up wrongdoing, such as rendition and torture.

It’s almost painful to hear. Torture.
Everyone in their right mind knows that anybody will say absolutely anything if it stops horrendous pain. It makes me despondent then, to hear that my own government is essentially supporting these practices.
But what really gets to me, is this bill. Once the whistle was blown and the world saw where plenty of the evidence had been coming from, the government, instead of stopping, simply legislated further to make it okay. In what world is morality decided by legality? Certainly not one where basic human rights are protected, that’s for sure. In fairness to them, a fair few MP’s even rebelled. But evidently, not enough.

This bill is not compatible with human rights and i fail to see a way in which anything like it ever could be. Of course, the coalition are not the first government to tamper with our liberties, but it still remains incredible to me that the people of this country, the only thing which can limit government, keep letting it happen. We have let our MP’s take us into dangerous territory  yet again.

But there remains one question. Where did the bill come from? It wasn’t in the coalition agreement. Nor present in either of the parties manifestos. And from what i gather, those who do know about the bill see it as one of the most shocking appalling rights-restricting legislation there has ever been.  The right to a fair trial is a basic human right. We keep track of their neutrality by keeping it in public and having all relevant parties made fully aware of all evidence in favour or against them.  This is Stalinism, not Britain.

So where did it come from? The answer is obvious. The bill will benefit one group of people, and one group of people alone. The intelligence services and the government ministers who’s heads will roll if the things they’ve okay’d, or had a hand in become public.

This… this is how to cover up evil 101. This is what happens when we let our politicians do what they like, they stop representing us. And represent their friends, or the lobbyists, or their own financial/personal interest. This is why Society needs to care. Not because understanding big words or difficult complicated procedures in anyway makes you more or less superior than your peers, but because of your own liberties and those of the people you care about.

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”-Benjamin Franklin

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/03/secret-courts-bill-the-rebels/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=secret-courts-bill-the-rebels

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/17/justice-security-bill-secret-courts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article-2287684/No-secret-courts-A-letter-116-Liberal-Democrats.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/D5CC24A7-DC13-4318-B457-5C9014916D7A/0/Convention_ENG.pdf - The ECHR(European Convention of Human Rights)

Arc of the London Eye, as seen from a platform on Waterloo Station…

[ISO 125, 1/320, f4.5, AWB]

The London Eye and a setting sun…

[ISO 100, 1/1000, f3.5, AWB]

Two young men fire juggling on the South Bank…

[ISO 80, 1/500, f3.4, AWB]

The two said fire jugglers, as viewed from Hungerford Bridge…

[ISO 400, 1/30, f5.6, AWB]

A caricaturist, plying his trade on Hungerford Bridge…

[ISO 400, 1/50, f4.5, AWB]

The north bank of the Thames, between Hungerford Bridge and Westminster Bridge…

[ISO 200, 1/40, f4.0, AWB]

A roosting dove/pigeon in a tree in Titchfield, Hampshire..

(19/02/13, 14:13, ISO 80, f5.6, 1/320, AWB)

A seat for Portsmouth at the United Nations next year…maybe …

(21/02/13, 07:33, ISO 80, f3.4, 1/60, AWB)

View of Westminster, upstream from Hungerford Bridge…

(23/02/13, 17:19, ISO 200, f3.5, 1/30, AWB)

An hour or so later, I returned to Hungerford Bridge, but now looking downstream, with, to the right, a red-lit National Theatre and Purcell Room on the South Bank, and further right, the Shard some distance beyond, near London Bridge…

(23/02/13, 18:09, ISO 800, f4.5, 1/8, AWB)

Hungerford Bridge leads directly back into Charing Cross Station, on the north bank of the Thames, but before you enter the station itself, there’s a small market with a handful of stalls. The following two photos were taken in the said market, but I couldn’t decide whether I preferred the image in colour or in monochrome, hence both are included here…c’est à vous

So, monochrome first…

(23/02/13, 18:12, ISO 500, f3.4, 1/20, AWB)

…and then in colour…

We decided to spend a few days in London straight after as I’ve never been and have wanted to go sightseeing for ages! So I thought I’d share a few photos and tell you a bit about what we got up to..

When we got to London we got straight on the tube to go check in at the bed and breakfast which was only a 5 minute walk from Marble Arch.

We dropped our stuff off and went straight to Camden. I’d heard so many great things about the market so I was very excited to go look around. It was quite  late when we got there so we only got a couple of hours to see the stalls before things started to pack away but we did buy a few things while we were there. We got lots of fridge magnets and I even bought 4 nail polishes! :)

That night we went for a lovely meal at the pub closest to our bed and breakfast. We had such a great time and went for a walk around the Marble Arch afterwards. It’s incredible how busy London is even late at night. I never been anywhere like it. This is me and Teddi stood right in front of Marble Arch. :)

Our second day in London was very busy! We went to see Big Ben and the Houses Of Parliament. It was quite surreal to be stood on Westminster Bridge taking photos of something I’d only seen in films. We spent a long time just taking photos of everything we could see. I was very proud of Ted as she has a fear of bridges but still walked across with me and even stopped so I could take a photo of her with Big Ben in the backgound. :)

We then went for a ride on the London Eye! I was very surprised how quickly we managed to get on. There were hundreds of people but we were only queing for around 30 minutes before we got on. I was expecting to be there for at least an hour so I was very happy about this! The view from the top is just spectacular!

We then travelled to the Natural History Museum. We waited in line for 40 minutes in the freezing cold to get in but it was definitely worth it. The building is absolutely breathtaking! We were there for a little over 3 hours but didn’t even manage to see half of it. Next time I’d love to spend a whole day there so we could see everything. We of course went to the gift shop before leaving (how could we not!) and got some lovely souvenirs. :)

Our last day we tried to fit a lot in. We got up early so we could go see the Changing Of The Guards at Buckingham Palace. We couldn’t get anywhere near the gates to see the change over but we were right at the front as they came back out. :)

Next stop was Leicester Square where we had a look around M&M World!

We then walked down to Trafalgar Square where I took lots of photos! Two of my favourites have to be the one of the scruffy pigeon and the view of Big Ben. :)

We then headed to Primark on Oxford Street for a little shopping before we had to get the train. I bought 2 pearl bead nail sets which I hadn’t seen in my local Primark, one of which is for my next giveaway! :) I will post about these very soon! We also got a pretty cushion with a bus  as it says Marble Arch on the front. :)

We had the most amazing time in London. It was a bit of a shock how fast-paced everything is but I loved every minute. I can’t wait to go back and see all the things we didn’t get a chance to.

I spent hours yesterday going through all the photos I’d taken of our trip (997 in total!) and managed to scale it down to make a Pinterest board of all my favourites. You can see the rest Here. :)

I know this is a rather long post but I wanted to share as much as I could with you so if you’ve made it to the end thank you so much for reading!

Ra ♥

Found In:

London at Night (Part IV)

Not quite the quality of photo I would have liked, but when you’re travelling with four others & are relying on Starbucks cafe’s for your wifi, you’re quite restricted for time!

I thought, okay, that it would be a really good idea (after staying up till midnight 3 days in a row) to stay up till 2 reading and tweeting and generally being a whiney shit. My mum then woke me at 8 am (Why she even /awake/ at 8 am?!) asking if I’d like to go to London with her, so that my brother could show us where he works, and do the whole shazam. My brother works in Parliament, you see, as a placement year for his University course (Law and Legislative studies) and yeah, he’s working for a parliamentary charity who aim to bring awareness and make links between Parliament and Businesses, as a sort of “I organise shit, am the young one who goes to everything and writes blog posts about what’s happening in the world”. My brother beats you all, and he’s so enthusiastic about his work, but a snarky, mean bitch all the rest of the time, and is like totally one of the only people who remotely gets me in my family (yesss *ironic thumbs up*) so yeah, we went to meet him outside Embankment and he was like “rite le’z go.” and he lead us up to the road where he works, and showed us the building. He had a doorman. A fricking doorman.

We saw the Horse Guards Parade and there were swords and although they were blunt, they’d hurt if they hit you with one, and my brother took our picture. He then walked us along Whitehall, showed us the Cabinet office, Foreign office, and all this really cool stuff. There was also downing street. It was like this little political hub, like the entirety of british politics in less than a square mile. Probably. It was fascinating.

My brother, since he’d landed this job (*pilot smith aboard the career express. Co-pilot Aimee is not yet on board.*) has promised to show us around The Houses of Parliament, and today he did. We had to be searched, and got given these little passes with pictures of our faces on, I mean,  dang girl. So, we went in, and my brother showed us the first room, and he knew so much. He was like “And this is just the main room, where if you can imagine everyone just coming to mingle and chat before a session in court.” and there was some latin that he thought said “You are my right.” in that if you are not right, you are wrong, and weak, blah blah blah. So I got pretty over-excited, and he goes “This isn’t the most exciting thing, you know.”

Inside, he lead us along this bit called St Stephens’ Hall, which had the gift shop, and we all love a good gift shop. He showed us the Parliamentary branded whiskey he got my mum for Christmas, but refused to show either of us the price.  There were statues of all the prime-ministers of ages past. The only ones I recognised by their faces where Margret Thatcher and Winston Churchil, but I knew lots of their names. Oh, and outside, there was a statue of Oliver Cromwell who I knew a bit about. God bless KS3 History. I miss history. Wish I’d taken it.

So he showed us the lobby and told us how you’re not allowed to stand in the center of the star in the middle, because during sessions, there’s a man (I think he said he was called a runner) and he would take a scroll, all rapped up nicely, saying what they proposed in the House of Commons, and run from the house, over and across to the House of Lords and show it to the Queen and/or all the Lords and Baronesses who then mull it over, and he runs back. He showed us on the door to the House of Commons a dent which had been there for over 600 years where the man would see this runner coming, and bash on the door with a stick, really hard, to request for entry, and they would pull open the doors just in time, and then slam them shut again. The Central Lobby is also the phrase ‘lobbying’ comes from, because if ther is a bill about to be passed, or a decision made, often lots of people will come and sit in the lobby to try and sway their mp’s opinion, or just protest. Nice, huh?

Inside the House of Commons, he showed us how the main seats, the front row, were all worn down , and especially the bit in front of the mic because people are always standing up and sitting down to voice their opinion. He told us how there are two red lines on the carpet, and the phrase ‘toe the line’ comes from the fact you have to stay behind the line (metaphorically keep the views of your side -right wing or left wing type-thing- in order to remain in the party. Ie, if you step over the line, you’re getting onto the oppositions territory and you become one of them. It’s all very territorial and ‘thou shalt not be an ass’ in parliament, I learned. Traditions and customs are the one.) and that the distance between the lines of either side’s line is two sword-lengths for obvious reasons (no party-based murders plz.). It was awesome. And you know how they say “Ayes to the right [Number], No’s to the left [Number]. Well, that’s because outside of the main room, the famous one where all this happens, with the green everything, is two rooms, the right hand side one, you stand in if you agree with whatever they are voting on, the left if you do not. All very cool. And there was me thinking they had a text in to vote system and Dermot O’Leary read out the results. (Of course I didn’t think that you twat, omg go home and think about what you just believed. Seriously.)

He then showed us the House Of Lords, which I learnt is different from the House of Commons because only MP’s and the Prime minister, and basically all the young’uns are allowed in the HoC and all the lords and experts and the queen is in the HoL. You should have seen it. The HoL was a lot more opulent and luxurious than the HoC, partly because of the huge-ass motherfucking throne the queen gets to sit in. Seriously. Where can I get one?! But yeah. It was awesome. My brother has a bit of a bromance going on with Lord Norton (Norton: “Alex, will you do this for me?” My brother:”OHMYGODHECALLEDMEALEXOMGOMGOMGNOTSIRBUTALEXHALP”) and he was like “This is where Lord Norton will sit.”. He also got a bit fangirly, and if I might say slightly Loki, god of Mischeif’ like, and was like “One day, i’d like to be in here. Because even though the majority of people in here are a lot older, they’re a lot wiser, and quite often make some extremely eloquent and moving speeches.” and I was just like ‘bruh u ok can we go see something else please.”

And it was awesome. Like, seriously cool. I wish I could go again. I hope one day he can take us again, because yeah it was amazing to see all this stuff and I love know everything and anything and I haven’t learnt everything about it yet, it was so awesome to see my brother so passionate about something, and that was his Job and I just love him immensely. If I could grow up to be anywhere as clever, self-assured, happy, and successful as him, I would be happy. SO there. Surprisingly sentimental summary to a slightly too informative post.

But, Oh, I’m not done. I went to Herman Ze German, at Embankment. Bloody hell, it was amazing. My brother has been going on about Herman Ze German for months and was like “You guys will love it.” and always promised to take us, so he did. ANd holy moly, it was like eating heaven. I had a chillibeef Currywurst, and my god it was amazing. I thought I was going to cry. Might upload pics later so you can fully experience it. But oh, my word. Sonia, We are so going. It was so, so good. I was like.. crying.

So yes. That was my day. It was a good day, not going to lie. And that thus concludes my 1387 words post. Enjoy.

This year’s Summer Opening dates have been confirmed as 31st July to 31st August and 17th September to 5th October, Tuesday to Saturday.

We’ve taken the tour ourselves and it is something everyone should do. Whether politics turns you on or off, this is something we think anyone will enjoy. It’s light but with great stories, and it’s brilliant to wander the corridors of power having admired it from afar. Afterwards, why not take a stroll down the river and take a boat cruise?

The 75 minute ‘Blue Badge’ guided tours enable you to discover the fascinating blend of history, politics, art and architecture within one of the most instantly recognisable buildings in the world. The tours take visitors into the Lords and Commons Chambers. Other highlights include the Queen’s Robing Room, the Royal Gallery, Central Lobby, Members’ Lobby, the ‘No’ Lobby, St Stephen’s Hall and 900 year old Westminster Hall.

Tickets cost £16.50 for adults with concessions for seniors, students and the armed forces at £14. One child is now admitted free with each paying adult, otherwise tickets are £7 per additional child aged 5 to 15. Special rates for groups of ten or more range between £9 and £13 per person depending on the tour start time.

Tours run throughout the day from 9.15am to 4.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday during the Summer Opening period and most Saturdays year round. Additional language options are available in French, German, Italian, Spanish and (new for 2013) Russian.

Information and reservations are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 847 1672 or 0844 847 2498 for groups, or by visiting http://www.parliament.uk/visiting.

Seriously, I didn’t even edit in big ben’s outline to this – it was just reflected on the window to give a wonderful effect – I didn’t even notice till I was reviewing the images after!

If you tire of admiring the view, why not be an absolute poser like me & admire a beautiful bouquet from a loved one!

The ‘Harry Potter’ bridge, as most people call it! But with no Voldemort in sight it is still wonderfully intact.

There are many tourist boats that you can board from near Big Ben, The London Eye, Embankment Pier, Tower Bridge,  but the clipper continues down to Canary Wharf, Greenwich and Woolwich, as it is a primarily a commuter boat. Grab a ticket, head down the dock, put down your iPhone and just enjoy the view! xoxo

]]> http://cafodlancaster.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/roisin-and-rumaisa-at-the-houses-of-parliament/ Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:25:06 +0000 cafodlancaster http://cafodlancaster.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/roisin-and-rumaisa-at-the-houses-of-parliament/ Roisin and Rumaisa from Cardinal Newman College in Preston had the experience of a lifetime, entering into the world of politics and enjoying every minute of it, as they visited the Houses of Parliament with CAFOD.

Here, Roisin tells all….

What was the highlight of your stay in London?

Having the chance to meet the MP for Preston and being able to tell him everything we learnt and give him a piece of our mind!

What inspired you?

The passion of all the people at the event, the young people who were also meeting their MPs and all the people who worked at CAFOD, to keep making change.

Did you find any of it challenging?

I thought I’d find it difficult to talk to the MP but it was actually very easy as he was very nice and passionate about international development himself.  I also found it difficult to handle the 6am start on the Wednesday!

Did you learn anything new?

I learnt a lot of new things about Parliament…….like I didn’t realize how big it was or how stuck in traditions and rituals it is! I also learnt a lot about the IF campaign, for instance I didn’t realize how many organizations are involved in the campaign.

Did anything surprise you?

It actually surprised me how interested the MP was in what we were discussing and how much he listened to us. I was also surprised that certain companies control most of the food market.

Why do you think young people should speak up against injustice?

Because we cannot stand and watch a large proportion of the earth go hungry or thirsty because morally that would be so wrong. Young people particularly should speak up because we can get our voices out to so many people, such as our college community and we have so much power to make a difference. I really think that within our time we really could see the world totally change.

What’s it opened your eyes to?

The scale of the food problem and how complicated the food system actually is. It has opened my eyes to how important long term international development is and not just short term aid.

Roisin and Rumaisa are going to continue their conversation with their MPs and be involved in a campaign event at college, working with the CAFOD group there.  Watch this space…..

Thanks to Roisin and Rumaisa for being such brilliant ambassadors for Newman College and for inspiring us all.

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, viewed from the London Eye

Of course I didn’t actually go up Big Ben. For as we Londoners are so fond of telling everyone who mentions the BB words, “Big Ben” is not actually the name of the bell tower at all – rather the tower is now officially titled “Elizabeth Tower”, a title bestowed upon it only last year in celebration of HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. “Big Ben”, meanwhile, is the name of the massive bell which sits atop the tower and rings out across Westminster at every quarter past, to, on and half past the hour. And having stood right next to it today as it bonged out the hour at midday, I can confirm that it is both very big and very, VERY loud!

The Tower itself was an innovative new feature of the Palace of Westminster when it was redesigned by architect Charles Barry (who also designed Highclere Castle, none other than the real Downton Abbey for those Downton fans amongst you) following a great fire which destroyed the original Parliament building in 1834. For the tower itself, Barry looked to Augustus Pugin for assistance, an expert on the Gothic revival style of architecture, the likes of which has become characteristic of the Palace of Westminster and makes the finished complex look far older than it actually is. The tower went up slowly – it took some 16 years to build to its full 315 feet before finally being completed in 1859.

As for Big Ben and the clock itself, when this was designed it was fashioned to be the best of its kind and surpass all clocks like it around the world. And for a time, it did so (it’s still the 3rd tallest free-standing clock tower in the world, and probably the most famous). Designed by a barrister, no less, Edmund Beckett Denison, together with George Airy, Astronomer Royal, and constructed by Edward John Dent, the clock was a feat of engineering for the time, not least because it was designed to be within a second’s accuracy at all times, despite the fact that up in the tower, the clock faces are exposed to such a battering from the elements. Without getting too techy (largely because I don’t understand the technology all that well) the clock consists of various counterweights which move up and down the full height of the tower, which in turn power the clock faces and the various hammers which create the clock’s characteristic bong every 15 minutes. The clock needs to be wound up 3 times a week, and various clock winders are always on hand for the job, although electricity today does much of what it once took an army of men to achieve through brute strength alone.

The stairs looking up (a little daunting) (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

Stairs looking down (not good for those with vertigo) (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

The machinery of the clock (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

The clock is an incredible marvel to bestow, and all the more so from up close. Getting there wasn’t exactly easy. Entering Portcullis House, the new modern entrance to Parliament, we had to go through airport style security before being taken down stylish escalators, descending into the earth which in turn led us to a passage taking us directly beneath Parliament Square and into the grounds of Parliament itself. From there, the starkly modern architecture of Portcullis house metamorphosed rapidly back in time to the iconic gothic decoration of the Palace of Westminster. Soon reaching the small door of the tower, our descent began up all 334 stone spiral steps to the top of the tower.

View from the Tower

This wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Luckily we were allowed to stop roughly one third of the way up for a very informative talk about the tower’s history from tour guide Catherine Moss, before making the final trek, first up to watch the machinery of the clock itself before continuing to see the infamous bells. Well timed as ever, our visit to see the huge cogs and wires of the clock coincided with a quarter to midday, enabling us to see all of the still-original machinery in action, but missing none of the action on the hour itself. This great joy was reserved for the upper platform, above the clock-face, where we emerged just before 12 to stand by the incredibly large Big Ben bell as the clock struck 12.

A quarter bell (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

Big Ben from above (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

Big Ben on the right (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

The chime of the tower, with its melodic 20-chime sequence played by the four Quarter bells, followed by the deep bong of Big Ben itself, is a sound which is well known to us Londoners, and has particular significance every 31 December as it heralds in the new year to the accompaniment of a spectacular firework display. But being up close to the bells as they played out this celebrated tune was nothing short of incredible. The vibration which went through our bodies made for a totally immersive experience (we were given ear plugs I should note), and I must admit to being ever so slightly emotional as I saw, and felt, the familiar chime of Big Ben in action but centimetres away (luckily the wind was so strong that if I had been caused to shed a tear or two – and I’m not saying I did! – the wind disguised it). The chime, by the way, is apparently a variation on a phrase from Handel’s Messiah – the part shortly after the Alleluia chorus.

Our tour guide, Catherine Moss (AP Photo)

The famous clock face (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

The clock face (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

After embracing the great bong of Big Ben and the various Quarter bells in all their mighty fortitude, the final stop of the tour was to head down a level to the most prominent feature of the tower – the four sided clock face. We were able to stand just behind the world-famous clock faces, and see the now fantastically environmentally friendly long-life bulbs, especially designed to light up the huge clock faces with maximum efficiency by Philips, which are placed evenly behind the huge stained glass clock faces. Yet again, this was quite a marvel to behold, not least being able to appreciate just how huge these clock faces really are.

So heading back down the tower, perhaps a little more deaf than when we came up, I descended feeling extraordinarily lucky – access to Big Ben isn’t easy – you need to organise a tour through your local MP, although once organised, the trip is free. But that aside, I would have paid good money to enjoy this exposure to one of the country’s most loved national icons at close quarters, not least to learn the fascinating history of the tower, and gain an understanding of just how that all important national timekeeper keeps ticking onwards day after day.

Details on how to visit Big Ben can be found on the Parliament website.

I love exploring my beautiful city of London after dark, armed with my tripod and EOS 500D. This is one of my first attempts at trying to capture the lights trails against one of the most iconic landmarks, Houses of Parliament, and of course, Mr Big Ben!