Mr. Doughty and me!
Hey folks! This’ll be a bit of a different post than usual since I want to talk about one specific thing I did since it was so cool! On Monday I had the absolute honor of visiting the UK Parliament and getting a tour from Mr. Stephen Doughty, a Welsh MP and alumnus of an organization I am part of back in Canada. About a month ago I reached out to Mr. Doughty on the off chance that he would be interested in meeting me and was a little surprised but mostly delighted when he said he would love to have lunch and show me around the Palace of Westminster. There aren’t any pictures because I wasn’t allowed to take any, but it’s a good story.
The first thing we did was a standard tour of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, the two Chambers that legislating takes place within. Mr. Doughty was incredibly knowledgeable about the buildings, talking about architecture, artwork, and the actual purposes of the rooms. We happened across a display of celebrating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, a document discussed in basically every social studies course ever. The display included on the the four original copies of the Magna Carta (not quite as cool as the original itself, but still a once in a lifetime opportunity).
The fun really started after we finished with the main public areas as Mr. Doughty offered to show me some of the backrooms that aren’t usually open to the public. We walked past the Library which was one of the few rooms he couldn’t bring me into. We also passed the Stranger’s Bar and poked our heads in, although it was too early for a drink. We enjoyed lunch in what seemed to be the main dining hall while he listed the many odd features of the buildings, including a shooting range, hairdresser, and florist. After lunch we took a trip the Member’s Porch, a beautiful deck overlooking the Thames on which I managed to get my picture taken as well as a quick selfie with Mr. Doughty.
After lunch we continued our tour of the backrooms of Westminster, including a visit to the committee rooms (the real heart of government, in my opinion) and one of Mr. Doughty’s three offices. Yes, he has three offices. In fact, he has two offices in Westminster which is two more than most people would ever dream of having. In it I met a fellow Labour MP who worked closely with Mr. Doughty on a daily basis. At this time, we enjoyed tea in the Pugin room – easily the fanciest tea room I had ever had the pleasure to enjoy. With a view of the Thames and the knowledge that Prime Ministers sat in the same room making world changing decisions, how could it not be amazing?
Finally he offered to get me a seat watching the debate in the House of Commons that day in front of the glass screen that usually separates visitors and the politicians working. This was truly one of the highlights as I am both a complete Parliament geek and Mr. Doughty had to certify he knew me and I was trust worthy for me to sit there. I got to my seat (which was over top of the Opposition with a pristine view of the Government) and stayed for about an hour and half, just enjoying the experience. At one point I asked the usher who was watching us if I could move to the front row, in hopes of garnering a view of the front row of the Opposition but was informed that that row was reserved for the House of Lords. That was when I knew I was somewhere truly special. Even better, not even 10 minutes later a member of the House of Lords arrived to watch the debate. If that’s not cool than I don’t know what is.
That’s my story! Mr. Stephen Doughty was an incredible guide – he had amazing stories, we shared genuine and unusual connections, and he was interested with what had brought me to the UK and how the organization is doing. I think the moral of this story is to reach out to connections you might have while travelling. Friends, friends of friends, people who you have things in common with, you never know where your next adventure will be or who it will be with so you might as well try. Until next time, keep doing you!