4th Floor

Working at Parliament has been a great experience so far, its very different from anything I've ever done and definitely a change from classes, homework, and exams. It's also been a surprisingly social experience and a very positive learning environment.

My flat is about a 20 minute walk from the Scottish Parliament building which is an usual story in itself, the new building was design by Enric Miralles who apparently brought in some leaves and twigs during his interview, tossed them on the table and said, "this is my vision." It turned out pretty cool in my opinion. The building was/is still very controversial as it cost quite a bit more than expected and has a very modern look in a town know for its historical architecture.

From the sky it's suppose to look like ships coming into port and the lower glass roof like waves. This glass roof is actually the ceiling of the Garden Lobby where photo ops and interviews take place. This is also where the main staircase to the chamber is. I work in the building towards the top of the picture with that awkward looking staircase sticking out. It is known as the MSP Building, or MSP Block

My MSP's office is on the 4th floor, the view from my desk looks out across the hall out onto Arthur's Seat and the beginnings of the Salisbury Crags. The building feels very light, airy from all the windows and the light wood. All the different building materials they used is almost as interesting as the final product (at least I think so...). The 4th and 5th floors are the Scottish National Party (SNP) floors, going down the 3rd floor is where the Liberal Democrats (LibDems) set up shop, the 2nd the Conservatives (Tories) and then the 1st and Ground floor are where the Labour Party, the 2nd biggest party can be found. I hardly stray from the top floors but I have nipped downstairs to look around, no devil's horns or diaboical plans in sight!

On of the quirkest part of the MSP Block is the back side of the building:

When I first saw this photo I thought these were all some type of bizarre staircases. I have since learned that they are the MSP's thinkpods, a very cool space which the MSPs have found a variety of uses for. Here is what it looks like from the inside:

Its just a small space to think and look out the window, or occasional Anne has all 3 of us that work in the office perch here to talk, the rest of the time it provides a place to keep her luggage (as you can see the red bag here). All in all its a pretty nice place to work, no cubicles in this building :-)

The hardest question to answer is what do I do? Its really easy to just say "I'm an intern for blah blah blah" and that kind of conveys I do whatever is needed and don't get paid, which is true but it's much more enjoyable than that! So far I've done a wide range of things which has been great, kept things interesting. Primarily I do research for anything Anne needs, whether its pertain to a question in chamber, something involving her committees, or even statistics she might need, one day, maybe. In addition to that I've been helping Anne decide what she wants her website to look like, contribute to designing a newsletter, written a few motions, arranged several events, acted as photographer at one said event, and answered the phone everytime it rings!

From what I've witnessed and experienced the most important thing for an MSP is to be informed, about petitions, motions, bills, questions, their constituents, a very wide variety of topics. There is no way any of that would be possible without handy dandy reseachers who find the information they need, whatever it may be and then tailor it down so it's exactly what their MSP needs and can be read quickly!

Another thing that I did not expect was how different each day is, for example Mondays and Fridays the MSPs are in their constituencies so the number of people here at Parliament significantly drops (though the flow of emails hardly ever falters) and we get to dress casual and leave earlier. Tuesdays are an in-between day, gearing up for the more chaotic Wednesday and Thursday.

While the second half of Wednesday's most MSPs are in chamber its nothing compared to Thursdays, that is of course depending what is on the agenda for the week. Every Thursday at midday are First Minister Questions followed by Themed Questions and then usually a debate. Decision Time, or voting is on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 and just in case any MSP gets distracted there are several chimes that sound throughout the building leading up to 5:00, just to remind them. When ever chamber is in session, especially during FMQs the hallways up here echo with Holyrood TV (the Parliament's live feed) being played on computers and TVs, things really get messy if someone clicks pause. These are also the days the business-y clothes come out and wow! amazing how everyone can look like a grown up.

That pretty much encompasses the duties of an intern, we also provide lively conversation and entertainment (unintentionally, I'm sure).