Mother of Parliaments still dominated by men

John Bright the nineteenth century Radical MP declared in a speech made in 1865 that "England is the mother of Parliaments." Female MPs do not yet occupy twenty per cent of the seats in the New Palace of Westminster's Lower House, the House of Commons. An article in The Sunday Times from April 20th revealed how 31.6% of the seats in Germany's Lower House and 36.6% of the seats in Spain's Lower House were occupied by women.

Listeners to the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour will hear how Sir Winston Churchill once poked fun at Bessie Braddock, a Labour MP who represented a constituency in Liverpool. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail downloadable travel guide, which includes Churchill's put-down please click here.

One of the most respected and feared female MPs died on April 17th, 2008. Gwyneth Dunwoody was a forthright independent minded Labour MP who was renowned for her tough questioning in her capacity as chairman of the Commons Transport Committee.

French, German and Spanish speaking visitors can enjoy the Palace Trail and Walk Talk Tours' four other London mp3 guided tours in their native tongue.

Visitors with the Palace Trail iPod travel guide will discover how the two Houses of Parliament - the House of Commons and the House of Lords - operate today. People with the Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour can learn about the history of the New Palace of Westminster. The Palace of Westminster - as the name suggests - was a royal residence until Henry VIII and the royal family vacated the Palace in 1512.

Most of the current complex dates from the nineteenth century. Westminster Hall is the only original Medieval building from the old Palace that is still standing. Both Sir Winson Churchill and Queen Elizabth the Queen Mother have laid in State here. Listeners with a downloadable city guide can discover some of the hugely significant decisons that were reached in Westminster Hall in the past.

The New Palace of Westminster is often referred to as the Mother of Parliaments as the model of government developed in London has been adopted by many Commonwealth countries. People listening to the Palace Trail tour guide will also learn about Big Ben the most photographed part of the Mother of Parliaments.

To see the route of the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour please click here.

Customers can buy one Walk Talk Tour and get a second free by entering the code BI123 in the shopping basket page.

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