Essay Sample on Westminster Palace

Introduction

Change is something inevitable in our society. If there is anything that needs to be changed for whatever reason, so long as it is logically right, attracts support from those of the same mind. The rotting state of Westminster Palace in Britain is one of the things which has attracted the attention of many people calling for its renovation or any other action towards saving it from rot. This paper aims at discussing the reformation of Westminster focusing on the story, "A tale of decay".

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The Palace of Westminster is located in Britain, serving as the current parliament for Britain. The house was built long ago and is in need to be renovated due to the lethal conditions it is under currently. The building Is under the threat of fire breakout, steam pipe leakage, the collapse of the roofs and the decay of in-house vessels. A policy set out various options that can be done concerning the palace. One of the options was moving the parliament to another location temporarily as Westminster is being renovated and the other one Included constructing aa new parliament somewhere else. This followed the claims that the cost for renovation was too high, accumulating to around 7.1 billion euros, and constructing a new one was a bit cheaper1. However, this faced criticism because the members of parliament complained that moving the building may lead to loss of many parliamentary cultures, rituals, and customs. This may also cause a political wave of change in the country. Because the monarchy still takes so much from the past, it was to them, impossible to move the building from Westminster Palace.

The members of parliament decided to vacate the building for six years while it is being renovated and plans to begin this in the year 2022. The House of Commons also decided to vacate their house for six years like the parliamentarians; however, for them, they decided that renovations will start in the years 2025. The expectations are that the House of Commons will move to Richmond House in Whitehall and the House of Lords will move to Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre located in the parliament square.

The story narrates the history of the palace of Winchester from how it was started, the reconstructions it as gone through and the current state of the palace. Initially, it was a magnificent nature and comparing it to the current rotten stage. It is described as a remnant of its prodemocratic age. It was until when fire from pipes which burst consumed the entire building and thus was rebuilt but in its original state. During the world war, the building was again attacked and bombed, causing a lot of destruction. Most of the household items were destroyed, but the palace was not utterly destroyed. The palace was renovated in the year 1970. Until date, there is no renovations or replacement of equipment which has been done. Most of the equipment is obsolete and worn out. Worries were expressed that it may cause another fatal accident in the case of failure to renovate it. The ones who also work there are at the danger of being victims of the consequences of the building.

Due to these dangers, the members of parliament, which is the decision-making body of the country decided on the renovation of the palace. This was seconded by the House of Commoners and the House of Lords. However, the decision not yet arrived raises concern and alarm since if the decision-making body cannot decide on their house, how can they make decisions for the country. The other concern is that though the decision has been planned and was to embark in 2016, to date it has not been implemented. They keep on postponing with no precise date. The House of Lords decides that renovation would begin in 2022 while the House of Commoners decided that the implementation would begin in the year 2025. Part of the public, on the other hand, would prefer that a new building is constructed. This debate would likely continue for a long time.

The members of both houses feel that if their respective houses are moved to a new environment, they would probably lose some of their traditions and the feel the old building brought about. Some of the rituals they say would look odd in a new environment. For example, the daily speaker's precession through the palace for parliamentary opening proceedings. The lords also fear that they may lose some of the elders of the house because some may resign from their work if they are moved from the palace.

The good thing about the story is that it highlights the rottenness that Westminster palace and therefore magnifying the need to renovate it. The story explains how the parliament is at risk of fire. It explains that most of the cables and pipes that carry heat, electricity, steam, and water are at a Danger of cracking or leaking. This is because their installation dates back to 1970s when it as last renovated in the after the second world war.

The story also highlights how the consequences can be fatal even to other people and therefore gives the warning to agitate the renovation of the palace. For example, when the high temperatures mixed with the high-pressure steam is released to the atmosphere due to leakage, it would rapidly expand and cause an explosion which can be catastrophic for anyone close. It could also alter with the asbestos which when sent to the atmosphere would interfere with the health of the workers when they inhale the contaminated air.

The negative thing about the story is that it puts too much emphasis on the members of The House of Lords and the House of Commons. It blames the condition of the palace on the two groups instead of including the public who so reluctantly don't take a step to raise the issue - the few who have attempted to find little or no support from other citizens. The citizens instead actively influence the constitution of the country to make reforms for its decision-making arm.

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the state of the Westminster palace which is internally rotten, it is important to consider the impending danger the house poses to the people in it. It may further cause fatal damages even to the country at large in case its renovation or any other action is delayed. Considerations should be made therefore to ensure the implementation of the policies as soon as possible and put more confidence in the people therein and the country at large.

Bibliography

Craske, Matthew. "Westminster Abbey 1720-70: a public pantheon built upon private interest." In Pantheons, pp. 77-100. Routledge, 2017.

Jennings, Anthony. The Old Rectory: The Story of the English Parsonage. Sacristy Press, 2018.

Mark, R., and Lynn T. Courtenay. "The Westminster Hall roof: a historiographic and structural study." In the Development of Timber as a Structural Material, pp. 169-192. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/01/a-tale-of-decay-the-houses-of-parliament-are-falling-downRoutledge, 2017.