Visits

TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Thursday, May 25. The ten members of Lower VI Politics Set and Mr. Rigby caught the 8 o'clock to King's Cross, for a visit to the House of Commons.

It is not easy to get eleven tickets for the Public Gallery on the same afternoon, and we are very grateful to Sir Robin Turton, Member for Thirsk and Malton, who arranged it.

As everyone knows, the important part of an M.P.'s life—working as a plumber's mate, pleading a case, etc.—must be got over before lunch, leaving the afternoon free for his hobby as a legislator. We therefore had some time to spare; for some it was an opportunity to tog themselves out in new gear, while others went along for the laughs.

As for the Parliamentary Business, we had amazing luck. The Prime Minister was answering Questions—no rigging! Willie Whitelaw was reporting on Northern Ireland, and Michael Heseltine on Concorde. Everyone important was present to hear the reports except the Foreign Sec., who was abroad; and the House was alive, electric. Perhaps it was not typical, but it was great to be there.

We saw everyone who had recently been in the news, mostly because of Northern Ireland: Harold Wilson, and Enoch, and Bernadette. Ian Paisley spoke, surprisingly level-headed—what a man, like him or not!

Returning to York, we seemed to have chosen British Rail's grubbiest and most crowded train; but it had been a very good day.

J.P.R.

TO RUSSIA

On Thursday July 20th after more than a year's planning, the Russian party finally gathered at Victoria Station to begin the first leg of the trip. The flight out was in a Russian TU 104, admittedly rather drab but it seemed to work all right. The customs at Kiev airport, our first port of call, were quite casual, but here we got our first taste of Russian bureaucracy as we were asked for our numerous pieces of paper every five yards. In Kiev itself we got our first experience too of the Russian black market as we strolled down the Kreshchatik, the main street, on the first night. In fact, all through the trip we found that we were constantly approached by groups of teenagers who wanted to exchange foreign currency for several times the official rate or to buy clothes, magazines, biros, records, and, incredibly enough, chewing gum.

Everywhere impressions of a very different way of life flooded in on us. Basic essentials seemed to be very cheap, but other items were expensive and often virtually unobtainable. Furthermore, the shop assistants, due to a lack of financial incentive, were invariably unhelpful and sometimes rude, and they operate a cumbersome chit system which doubles the time for buying anything. Another thing which struck us was that there is little for the Russians to do in the evenings. There are of course theatres, cinemas, and restaurants, but there are no snack-bars 56

or pubs. The only way to buy a drink is either to use a machine, to buy some kvass, a rather revolting brew made from bread, from one of the tanks which are pulled round the streets at night, or to go to a foreign currency bar. As a result, the streets are filled until late with Russians who wander around aimlessly. As to their national character, the two most noticeable features were that they rarely smile unless they see something funny and that they never apologised if they accidently bumped into someone in the street. However, on the whole they were extremely friendly and we were often approached by Russians who were merely curious about our country and way of life. In Kiev, we went on several excursions by bus. It proved to be a lovely town with masses of greenery lining the river for several miles.

We visited the Pechersky Monastery whose catacombs contained a number of perfectly preserved monks whose 1 1 th Century hands stuck I ghoulishly out of their vestments. St. Sophia's Cathedral also turned out to be very beautiful with its ancient frescoes and wedding-cake like belltower. A short flight took us on to Moscow where we spent the first morning wandering round the Kremlin. The Bolshoi Theatre was unfortunately closed for repairs, but we did manage to see the Exhibition of the

Achievements of the National Economy, a Pioneer Palace, a circus,

Lenin's tomb, the Tretyakov and Pushkin Art Galleries as well as Red

Square at night. Leningrad was the final stop on our tour, which we reached by the "Red Arrow" night sleeper, which was well up to Western standards apart from the fact that the buffet ran out of beer before we set off.

The outskirts of the city were very much like those of Moscow or Kiev; large blocks of flats with little variation in height or design, but the centre was spectacular with a plethora of 'beautiful buildings. The effect is rather overwhelming as each 'building, however lovely on its own, becomes merged into the general mass of beauty. The same is true for the Hermitage, the gigantic arts museum, of which the Winter Palace forms only a part. The 24 million exhibits tend to be remembered just as a blur. Here in Leningrad we saw both the good and bad sides of the Russian's treatment of their ancient heritage. At the Peter and Paul's

Fortress, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the Union looked dilapidated through the paint flaking off the outside walls. However, at

Pushkino, the former "Tsar's Village", we witnessed the results of the reconstruction of the Summer Palace from the burnt-out shell to which it was reduced by the Germans during the war. Another Summer Palace was situated out of the town at Petrodvorets where there is the beautiful

Catherine's Palace and over 100 fountains, two of which are liable to spray unsuspecting victims as they pass over innocent-looking stones.

We returned to the city 'by hydrofoil, a treat elicited from the authorities only after several hours hard bargaining by Mr. Pullin and our Russian guide. Our last day there was Navy Day and we were lucky enough to be able to see and even photograph some Soviet ships. Finally on

Monday morning we all got up bright and early, but to no avail as we were speedily whisked through customs. Another few hours and we were

back in England where there was nobody at all in the customs;

ost as if they did not care. However, we all arrived back home fe and sound with nobody left along the way. 57