Monstrosity
Over the weekend of 21st to 24th April 2023, I spent quite a lot of time at The Big One, Extinction Rebellion’s mass protest in London.
The event was powerful and inspiring. There was a lot of love and anger and sorrow. Speakers demanded change. Workshops set out the dangers of delay. Climate cafes encouraged us to express our deeply held feelings about the state of the world. All this took place in response to the threat of the Climate Emergency, the existential threat to human futures.
It also took place in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, the enormous building that includes both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The juxtaposition was deliberate. The Big One was always intended to have Westminster as its backdrop and focus. This was a mass protest as close to the government as possible. The relationship between protestors and government was captured most emphatically by Earth Systems scientist Dr Aaron Thierry. The government know what the problem is, he said, and they know how to fix it. “So why the fuck don’t they do anything about it?”
The applause was loud and long. The rage was obvious on Thierry’s face. Yet Westminster was unmoved, neither its inscrutable stone facade or anyone within reacted.
Construction of the current Palace of Westminster began in 1840. The building took 30 years to complete and the original architect and interior designer did not live to see its completion. That 30 year construction period was a very different time. Queen Victoria was the monarch and the British Empire was at its height. Language, attitudes, and manners were all very different 150 years ago. Bizarrely, Victorian customs that have long since been discarded by the rest of society continue in parliament. Arcane parliamentary language, whips, conventions for maiden speeches, and an insanely inefficient voting system are all features of Westminster life. Green MP Caroline Lucas describes many of these customs in her account of becoming an MP, “Honourable Friends?”. The chapter is called The Shock of the Old.
Heritage and tradition have their place. I love exploring ancient London or a castle. If people want to reenact battles or go Morris dancing, that’s fine by me. But when the past reaches out through tradition to distort the present, there is a problem. Especially when it is the government that is being twisted out of shape.
The government that sits in Westminster is dysfunctional and I’m not just referring to the party currently in power. The chamber of the House of Commons has the government of the day sitting facing the opposition. It is an arrangement that encourages conflict. A lot of parliamentary behaviour plays into this battlefield mindset. The whip system encourages MPs to vote on a debate without participating in it. Scoring points over the other side takes precedence over representing constituents. In a recent example, the Labour opposition tabled a motion to address the issue of sewage pollution of waterways. Rather than admit a problem, the Conservative whips employed an ancient parliamentary ruse to make it look like Labour were voting against action on pollution when in fact they were demanding an urgent response.
This is madness. The problem is real, there was a massive release of sewage into the sea off Whitstable the day after the vote. It’s an issue that unites people, no one wants this. Yet the government of the day is more interested in protecting the legacy of its predecessors and the rules of parliament readily allow them to do this. A parliament that is obsessed with game-playing is not focused on the needs of the country. British people are deeply sceptical of their representatives. Turnout rates at elections are invariably poor. The cynicism of the public is immediately obvious if one engages in any political outreach, as I have done.
The cynicism runs so deep that many, many people refuse to engage with politics. The sort of discussions that need to happen in a democracy just don’t happen. Politics is left to politicians and that’s dangerous.
One time when the gap between people and politics closed almost completely was the Second World War. The myths of this time spoke of the country uniting around Winston Churchill’s leadership and everyone working night and day to defeat the Nazi threat. The reality was almost certainly different, but there are some lessons to be learned.
Firstly, when the threat was obvious, people responded. A large proportion of the adult population was involved in the war effort, many thousands in potentially lethal combat roles. People will step up when they understand the threat.
Secondly, having seen the worst of humanity, that generation voted for a more caring world after the war had finished. They voted for a Labour government standing on a manifesto of the welfare state, homes for heroes and the NHS. When people understand what is important, they prefer community, support and caring. Whenever we intone “we shall remember them” we should also remember the hard fought wisdom of that greatest generation.
Just as the facade of Westminster offers little hint of what is going on in the corridors and meeting rooms behind it, contemporary politics offers little insight into its true nature. Scandal follows scandal. Supposedly honourable members recite the party line rather than tell the truth. Florid speeches contain little of substance. MPs take highly paid second jobs and brazenly advance the cause of their employer in parliament.
The Palace of Westminster is not solely responsible for the failings of the British political system. But it does give these failings a place to hide. Within Westminster, traditions and practices that work against the interests of the British people continue to thrive and multiply. An outdated building sustains outdated practices.
I have come to the conclusion that the Palace of Westminster is a monstrosity. Its antiquity sets the tone for a way of doing politics that is largely irrelevant to most British people. Its unfriendly exterior echoes the exclusion of Victorian times when most people were not allowed to vote. The statues of dead white men, the traditions, the deliberate ineffectiveness all repel the British public, the very people this place is supposed to serve.
So let’s get rid of it. Build a bright, modern parliament in the heart of the country, Manchester or Birmingham. Stop the arcane rituals and make parliament actually business-like. Embrace a new openness that allows the people to see their representatives at work. Most importantly, move to a proportional electoral system that means the representatives are actually representative.
Sure, it might be possible to reform parliament within its existing home, but why take the long and difficult route? Considering the multiple crises bearing down on the country, government needs to be in its best possible shape. A place of work that constantly refers back 150 years does not encourage change. It’s time to be bold and move. Goodbye Westminster.
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