Politics comes to life

TRADITION PARLIAMENT
The queen
and Prince
Philip: a
historic
moment for
the nation
A CLOSER LOOK
Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is an officer of the House of
Lords. He looks after the royal apartments in the Palace of Westminster and domestic services in the Lords. At the opening of parliament, Black Rod walks to the doors of the chamber of the House
of Commons. The doors are closed in his face as a symbol of the
independence of the Commons from the monarch. Black Rod knocks
three times, the doors are opened and the ceremony begins.
Rex Features/action press
Politics comes to life
Jede neue Sitzungsperiode im britischen Parlament beginnt mit der feierlichen Eröffnung, bei
der Königin Elizabeth vorträgt, welche Maßnahmen ihre Regierung plant. JULIAN EARWAKER
erklärt die Tradition und spricht mit dem Abgeordneten John Gummer.
nyone who thinks politics is boring should watch
the state opening of the British parliament, which
this year takes place on 18 November. Marking the
beginning of a new parliamentary year, this colourful occasion brings together the three parts of the British
government: the monarchy, the House of Lords and the
House of Commons. Dating back more than 500 years, the
event is rich in tradition and historic symbolism.
On the day of the state opening, the queen travels from
Buckingham Palace in an escorted carriage procession to
Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. After she is
seated on the throne in the Lords, a parliamentary official
called Black Rod walks to the House of Commons to call
its members to the chamber to hear the queen’s speech.
This explains the legislation planned by the government
for the coming session. After the queen departs, parliament immediately returns to work — each house meeting
separately that afternoon to begin debating the content of
the speech. A parliament lasts for a maximum of five years,
from one general election to the next, and is divided into
sessions that normally last 12 months.
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John Gummer, a conservative member of parliament
(MP), has participated in the state opening many times
during his four decades in the House of Commons. He explains how the pageantry holds echoes of parliaments past
and acts as a reminder of the responsibilities and duties of
parliament present.
Julian Earwaker: It’s been 39 years since you were first
elected to parliament. Do you remember your first state
opening?
The Right Honourable John Gummer, MP: Oh, yes, I do, because it’s a fascinating occasion, and you are reminded of
a number of key pieces of the constitution. The first is that
the queen never enters the House of Commons. It’s the
only place in her kingdom that she cannot enter. That reminds us of the very important independence of the House
of Commons.
Earwaker: And all the colour and the pageantry — the mace,
Black Rod, the robes, the throne — are important pieces
of our democratic history?
11/09
Earwaker: What does the queen’s speech represent?
Gummer: The queen’s speech, which Her Majesty delivers,
is of course written by the prime minister. It’s his speech:
it’s what he and his government are going to do. But the
prime minister is the queen’s prime minister, and in that
alter sth. [(O:ltE]
as to [(Äz tE]
carriage [(kÄrIdZ]
constituency [kEn(stItjuEnsi]
constitution [)kQnstI(tju:S&n]
dress up for sth. [)dres (Vp fE]
enhancement [In(hA:nsmEnt]
face: close the door in sb’s ~
[feIs]
finery [(faInEri]
fisheries [(fISEriz]
foreshadow sth. [fO:(SÄdEU]
general election [)dZen&rEl i(lekS&n]
gentleman [(dZent&lmEn]
hold sth. [hEUld]
House of Commons [)haUs Ev (kQmEnz]
House of Lords [)haUs Ev (lO:dz]
incense [(Insens]
legislation [)ledZI(sleIS&n]
mace [meIs]
mark sth. [mA:k]
mass [mÄs]
mend sth. [mend]
muck sth. up [)mVk (Vp] ifml.
orchestrated: be ~ [(O:kIstreItId]
pageantry [(pÄdZEntri]
panoply [(pÄnEpli]
re-enactment [)ri:In(ÄktmEnt]
Right Honourable: the ~
[)raIt (QnErEb&l]
robe [rEUb]
rod [rQd]
secretary of state
[)sekrEtEri Ev (steIt] UK
session [(seS&n]
share in sth. [(SeE In]
static [(stÄtIk]
usher [(VSE]
vestment [(vestmEnt]
11/09
etw. verändern
betreffend
Kutsche
Wahlkreis
Verfassung
sich für etw. fein machen
Betonung, Steigerung
jmdm. die Tür vor der Nase
zuschlagen
feines Gewand, Staat
Fischerei
etw. andeuten/ankündigen
Parlamentswahlen
Herr von höherem Stand
etw. beinhalten
britisches Unterhaus
britisches Oberhaus
Weihrauch
Gesetzgebung
verzierter Amtsstab
etw. (feierlich) begehen
Messe; hier: feierlicher Akt
etw. reparieren
etw. vermasseln
fein austariert sein
Prunk, Festlichkeit
Spektrum, Palette
Nachstellung, Wiederholung
Namenszusatz u.a. für die
Mitglieder des Unterhauses
Gewand
Stab
Minister(in)
einjährige Sitzungsperiode
an etw. teilhaben
starr, unveränderlich
Zeremonienmeister(in)
Gewand, Ornat
of the pageantry give the public a chance to share in the
opening of parliament?
Gummer: Well, I think it stops
it being boring. We all need
colour and light in our lives.
And we have a better parliamentary system than any
other country I know, so
let’s celebrate it. In a sense,
that’s what the state opening of parliament says:
this is part of Britain; it’s
been part of Britain over
a very long period of
time; and if you understand the symbols of the
occasion, then that makes
it richer; and if you don’t
understand them, it’s still pretty good.
ters
very poor mass if there were not wonderful moments in
which the music, the incense, the vestments — the whole
panoply of sight, smell and sound — come together to
make a statement of the importance of the occasion. That’s
exactly what happens with the state opening, with all of its
symbols of the particular relationship between the House
of Commons and a constitutional monarch.
All that needs to be retold every year to remind people of
the basic facts of our constitution, which makes the state
opening something very special and important. It is not
the re-enactment of something that is absolutely static, but
something which has grown over the generations.
Earwaker: Does the richness
Re u
Gummer: People misunderstand pageantry. It would be a
sense it is her speech. We are a constitutional monarchy, and it is the
elected government that makes
the decisions as to what they
are going to do. The queen’s
speech foreshadows that.
Black Rod:
a symbol of
tradition
Earwaker: What do you wear on the day?
Gummer: I wear what I always wear in parliament, which
is a reasonably respectable suit and a clean shirt. For me,
this is the enhancement of a working day, and so I don’t
dress up for it too much. In the House of Lords, however,
they put on their fineries, one of the few times that they
do, and it looks extraordinarily good.
Earwaker: Will the state opening change in the future?
Gummer: Ours is a very carefully orchestrated system, and
you alter it with very great respect. It’s rather like mending a clock — you have to be careful that you don’t muck
the whole mechanism up. The state opening is a very important symbol of that continuity, that careful balance, and
those differences which make this a country where most
of us feel free and most of us feel there is a way of making
our voice heard. It’s not good enough yet — there are going to have to be big changes in the future — but where
the changes can still take place is in parliament, and par●
liament is perhaps at its best at the state opening.
JOHN GUMMER was born in London in 1939 and
was elected Conservative MP for Lewisham West
in 1970. Re-elected to parliament in 1979, he is
best known for his work as Minister of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food, and later as Secretary of State
for the Environment. He is constituency MP for
Suffolk Coastal in East Anglia and writes regularly
for The Catholic Herald on environmental subjects.
Listen to John Gummer on Spotlight Audio
Spotlight 29