"Lorely's Life" at Westminster Chapter 1

Written by Lorley Burt on Sun 1st May 2005

Friday 6th May, 6.20am. I awoke and blearily surveyed my lounge. Why was I waking up on the sofa? Why was I fully dressed?

Suddenly several things dawned on me: only 2 hours ago and after 2 recounts I'd been declared the new MP for Solihull, I'd had only 20 minutes sleep and I'd got my first radio interview in half an hour!

The rest of Friday passed in a blur. I lost count of the number of television and radio interviews I did, although I CAN remember getting the size of my majority wrong by 100 votes. (100 votes is pretty crucial when your majority is only 279!) Television camera crews were lining up in Broomfields Avenue to interview me, much to the bemusement of the neighbours.

On Monday I was instructed to be in London by 2pm. BBC Midlands Today had appointed a video journalist to accompany me, and he gleefully recorded me getting lost, falling off a chair and dropping my husband off at the wrong hotel. Later, after the 20th person said 'I saw you on the telly - did you ever find the right hotel?' I have to say the joke lost its funny side.

'Has it sunk in yet?' was probably the most frequently asked question in those first days. When you have not dared allow yourself to speculate what it might be like to win, the answer was always 'No'.

The sense of unreality was not helped by turning up at Portcullis House to be greeted by a man in a penguin suit with a big medal round his neck. I began wondering when the White Rabbit might appear!

Then there's the Palace of Westminster. I'm told that after years people still get lost, and I can understand why. You THINK you know where you're going, but the staircase you're on seems always to take you somewhere else, as anyone who has seen or read Harry Potter can visualise.

And there are other similarities with Hogwarts too. As well as the Gothic style of the place, I felt very much like a small child on its first day at a very large public school. .

The sense of history in the place is palpable. Just putting your hand against a door to open it brings home not only the beauty and workmanship but also the people who have shaped our history and who also put their hand in the same place.

What an incredible privilege has been bestowed on me. I'll never forget I'm there to serve.

Next time I'll tell you more about Westminster and its fascinating places (including the Members Tea Room) and how I got my own clothes peg, complete with ribbon on which to hang my sword!

lorelyburt@solihull-lib-dems.org.uk