Description: I will begin his entry by stating that I am no great politico. Whitehall and Westminster can often pass me without having the slightest impact on my day – this is perhaps understandable as I have not lived in the UK since 2004. Therefore, when my girlfriend and I strolled from Trafalgar Square towards the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, I was not overly concerned about lingering too long outside Downing Street.
My apathy towards Britain’s Prime Ministerial residence was, though, short-lived. As my girlfriend and I stood outside snapping pictures through the barred gates a black limousine zoomed up at high-speed with flashing lights on the side. The heavily armed police quickly moved the crash barriers and opened the gates to allow it to pass. Suddenly, my adrenaline began to pump. Were we seeing the Prime Minister arriving? Was I meters away from David Cameron.
I had not expected to get so excited at the thought of a politician about whom I am at best non-committal and at worst rather disappointed in. However, there I was, genuinely feeling rather gripped. Sadly, it turned out not to be Dave on his way back from the House of Commons or some foreign jaunt. Nor was it Britain’s arithmetically challenged Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) George Osborne, who has a residence next door to the Prime Minister. It was, in fact, a delegation of officials from the Church of England who were visiting Downing Street to talk to one of the PM’s advisors.
Despite the let down, my thoughts on Downing Street had changed. I was much more interested. My thoughts began to drift to the history of the place and to some of the esteemed – and less than esteemed – leaders who had passed through the famous black door. I began to realize that I was meters away from the spot in which Churchill masterminded Britain’s defiance of Nazi Germany and where Margaret Thatcher made decisions about Britain’s response to Argentina during the Falklands Conflict. It was the place where Tony Blair arrived amidst a wave of support and euphoria and departed looking like a shell of the figure that was swept to power a decade earlier. I was also meters away from where John Major allowed his Conservative government to descend into scandal and farce.
It is impossible to go up Downing Street and to stand outside the Prime Minister’s residence. Security issues have rendered that impossible – attacks from the IRA and the modern-day threat of Al Qaeda have proved too much of a danger. Visitors can only stand on Whitehall and look down the street. This does, though, offer a relatively good view of the area. And, of course, there is always the chance of spotting a top politician on his or her way to meet the PM.
Close