Gisela Stuart MPWorking hard for Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton

A day at Westminster // July 8th, 2009 // Speeches, Articles and Interviews

Local journalist Rachel Louvaine reports on a day spent with Gisela in Parliament, in an article reproduced by kind permission of the Edgbaston and Harborne Observer.  You can also read the original article on the Observer’s website by following this link . 

The media has been full of stories of late, detailing scandal and excessive claims made by certain members of parliament.  It is easy to tar all our MPs with the same brush but we risk loosing perspective.  I spent the day in the House of Commons with Gisela Stuart, Labour MP for the constituency of Edgbaston, Harborne, Bartley Green and Quinton, in order to experience a snapshot of her role as a politician in London.

A typical day begins at 9 am when Gisela arrives in Parliament Square and makes her way to her office. On this morning she meets me in the impressive lobby, situated between The House Of Lords and The House Of Commons, where she collects the Summary Agenda, a listing of what will be discussed in The House.  The atmosphere is thick with power and influence and I feel an intense thrill to be here, where some of the most important decisions in British history have been undertaken by such political greats as Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. 

Once in her small and rather ordinary office Gisela shows me her diary for the day, it is full from 9 am to well after 10 pm that evening, but she warns me that the day will not pan out as planned!  Gisela explains that the television on the table shows what is happening within both The Houses and at any time she could be called down to vote or to make a statement that is relevant to her constituency. 

Meanwhile the phone is ringing constantly and Gisela is busy responding to various demands and I soon realise that she is prioritising all the time, a skill finely tuned over her 12 years of service.  Prior to becoming an MP in May1997, when Labour won the general election, Gisela worked in an area that researched pension laws for women. However, it became apparent to her that understanding the law would not satisfy her desire to change situations and improve lives. 

The next few hours are spent pacing the long corridors of the building fulfilling daily tasks of meetings, all the time maintaining her focus on improving Birmingham and life for her constituents. A few select exchange students from Kazakhstan currently studying at Birmingham University on scholarships funded by the Government are among those we greet. Gisela is open in saying that the scheme is designed to protect Britain’s own interests; the rapport being built will prove invaluable in the future as Kazakhstan is a big oil producing country. 

By now my legs are a little tired and my stomach is rumbling but Gisela shows no sign of slowing down the pace. A meeting with other MP’s is looming and we grab a “coffee to go”, it looks like lunch will have to wait!  As editor of ‘The House Magazine’, focusing on current events and politics, Gisela has the task of overseeing the production of its content,  in addition to her already long list of duties as an MP.

Two O’ Clock, marking the start of Parliament’s Session, is fast approaching and after a quick sandwich whilst checking her emails, Gisela takes me to watch her in action in The House.  Various questions are asked by politicians from both sides and Gisela is quick to add her own comment, showing her quick intellect and knowledge and earning her a round of applause from her colleagues.

I leave for home around 5pm, at least five hours before Gisela. I am shattered, both mentally and physically, and I marvel at the dedication and sheer industriousness shown by the people I have met. Regardless of whether I agree with their politics I have for the first time in my life an idea of the relentless nature of the machinations of  Government and a new found respect for those who work so hard within it.

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