I spent the weekend after Dublin in London. My first day there was a packed one: a concert in Hyde Park, a West End Live Event in Trafalgar Square, picnics in St. James Park, a street play in Piccadilly.

And a 250,000 person protest at Parliament. (or a 70,000 person protest. Depends on the political leaning of your source)

I stumbled upon an anti-austerity protest that went from the Bank of England to the Houses of Parliament. The road was filled with thousands of marching people holding up signs saying “no more cuts” or “end Tory rule.” Never before have I seen so many unflattering pictures of David Cameron’s face. It was very peaceful and unusually silent as not many protestors were cheering or chanting as they walked. The story changed as I followed the march to Parliament. Massive crowds stood around loud speakers listening to and cheering with the leaders of the protest. Downing Street was packed with policemen, and by graffiti covered wooden barriers guarded monuments. I was upset to see people climbing and smoking on the statue of Winston Churchill, so much so that I said out loud, to myself, how disrespectful that was. The people around me heard me, and instantly and passionately began to explain why Churchill was evil. Surprisingly they never once mentioned his politics, but instead called him a war criminal. I walked away. I had had enough of the screaming.

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Today was arguably one the busiest day we have had in Paris.  We were to visit and have tours of the two bodies that comprise France’s bicameral legislature, the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly) and Sénat (Senate).  Before delving into photos and giving a personal analysis of the experience, I believe it imperative that I give some background information about the two bodies.

The National Assembly is called the “lower house” of the bicameral legislature and is comprised of 577 members who are elected by direct universal suffrage amongst the people in their respective constituency/district.  They meet in Palais Bourbon in Paris and their meetings are presided over by a president who is aided by six vice-presidents.  The Assembly can be dissolved by the President and, likewise, the Assembly can pass a “vote of no confidence” and take over the executive.  Something interesting about the Assembly’s weekly agenda is a session that takes place at 3pm every Wednesday where members of the Assembly can ask “questions to the Government”.  These sessions are broadcasted on national TV and are opportunities for the opposition party to challenge the majority.  If it’s anything like the British parliament, it’s probably very entertaining.

The Senate, also known as the “upper house” of the legislature, is comprised of 348 members who are elected indirectly by various political officials like mayors, city councilors, members of the National Assembly, etc.  The Senate, like the Assembly, is presided over by a president and is the first in line for succession to the Presidency of the Republic.  Senators meet in the Luxembourg Palace and houses the most impressive hallway/room I’ve ever been in (pictures can be scene below).

Background info out of the way, now for today’s venture.  We started out with a tour of the National Assembly and were given ample time to gaze upon the magnificence of its interior.

National Assembly Main Chamber

The sheer magnitude of the Roman columns and decorative, rotunda ceilings was awe inspiring.  The various symbols of law and liberty covering the chamber and number of statues and busts throughout the building, pay homage to the liberal ideas of the once great Roman Republic/Empire.  France, a formerly known as Gaul in Roman times, over the last millennium has grown from a territory of Rome, to one of the last surviving enclaves of Roman power.  From the structure of the architecture and decoration of government buildings, to their legal system of Napoleonic Code or Civil Law derived from Roman Law, France has become one of the many countries attempting to claim the inheritance of the Roman Empire.

Our next stop would take us to the Senate at Luxembourg Palace where we would have another guided tour by a Senator and then have our visit capped off with a peak into the main chamber to watch these politicians in action.  Like the previous stop, the Senate was also adorned with symbols of liberty and democracy.  Paintings and statues illustrated famous philosophers and popular myths, but the most impressive part of the entire visit came when we walked into this massive room decorated top to bottom in gold and priceless works of art.

If there ever was a room that could manage to put on such a display of power, I have yet to see it.  The room is covered in gold and velvet, two symbols of wealth, power over consumption.  The walls are covered in drapes and paintings of religious figures and depictions of myths, a display of supernatural power.  Finally, in the center of the room, rests the throne of Napoleon, a symbol of power over man.  The fact this room is housed in the same place as the Senate is symbolic in that it represents that all the power of the state, rests in the hands of the Republic.

The weather may have been brutal with temperatures in the upper 90s and I may have been coughing up a storm, but the sight of that one room made the entire trip worth it.  I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the legislative branch of the French Republic and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with those less fortunate.

We’re at the Coca-Cola Belgium Headquarters!

Last Wednesday, we went to Coca-Cola Belgium. There, we had the chance to speak with someone working in the areas of governmental affairs and public relations in the Europe Group, getting a taste of what it was like for one of the largest non-alcoholic drink producers in Europe to interact with the public sphere.

As a company with over 600 products in 38 European markets, Coca-Cola’s Europe Group has to deal with a large number of areas and issues spanning its vast supply chain. It is in dialogue with governmental institutions at both the national and EU levels, for issues that range across agriculture, production, packaging, transportation, refrigeration, sales, consumption, and disposal. In particular, we touched on many issues, including the environment and health.

The environment is affected at every step of Coca-Cola’s supply chain, but what was surprising to me was that refrigeration was a such a contributing factor in the company’s impact on the environment––I thought something like transportation would be more important. It turns out that the company produces a lot of their products are produced locally, transportation isn’t as much a significant factor. On the other hand, Coca-Cola branded refrigerators used by retailers are owned by the company, making refrigeration factor into their environmental footprint, and in fact make up over 80% of that.

Being a very visible part of the issue of health in society, Coca-Cola ultimately has to do something about the issue, even if the company’s products don’t make up a significant amount of the average person’s consumption. Thus, the company has provided a number of solutions such as making it mandatory for retailers to offer all Coca-Cola product categories and sizes so that the consumer could choose adequately, committing to a no-targeted-marketing policy towards children, sponsoring and supporting sports, and even creating in Europe (alongside other industry partners) their own nutrition facts label that was eventually adopted by government legislation.

Ultimately, two things in particular stood out to me from the discussion. The speaker heavily emphasised the need for the company to provide solutions to problems and their goal of complying with laws and regulations before they come into effect, since public trust in Coca-Cola was crucial to the continued success of the company and that it was much easier to adjust before a laws and regulations than to waste time fighting. These two key points underscored the company’s successes in the European Union and elsewhere, and really showed us just how much the speaker understood working with the public sphere. Overall, I highly enjoyed our visit to Coca-Cola Belgium and felt like I gained a lot of understanding into the company’s operations, and its relations with governments and publics, especially within Europe.