The second week of staying in Glasgow has officially come to an end! After many days of tough rehearsals and classes, Friday the 13th rolled around and our company was granted a day-long field-trip to Edinburgh. More specifically, we had a tour of the Scottish Parliament. At first glance, the Parliament building is quite open, bright, and modern looking, but the more you focus on the details the more impressive and unique it actually is.
Here we are in the Garden Lobby- the view from it is beautifully filled with abstract windows on the outside of the building.
In 1998, Scottish Office announced a worldwide competition to find a designer for the new Parliament building in Edinburgh. After many proposals, they announced that the winner and new designer of the building was Spanish architect Enric Miralles. Scottish Parliament was then established in 1999, to debate important issues, and was made up of 129 elected representatives, known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). We learned that the Scottish Parliament has the power to make laws on devolved issues, which are things like housing, law and order, environment, education, etc. While other responsibilities belong to the UK Parliament. These issues are known as reserved issues, which include employment, defense, foreign policy, equal opportunities, etc.
Below is the ‘Debating Chamber’ where important decisions are made.
In my opinion, the most important thing we learned is that the Scottish Parliament prioritizes public opinion and power to the people. Therefore, the building is open Monday through Saturday, and tours are free to the public. This way, Parliament can be accessible for everyone who wants to witness laws being passed or important issues being debated.
Big thanks to Brenden, our tour guide, who made the tour interesting and easy to understand. Can’t wait to be back in this beautiful city in two weeks!
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