500-year-old ceremony that sets agenda
● A 500-year-old ceremony, the State Opening of Parliament occurs on the first day of the new parliamentary session or after a general election.
● Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech, as it is known, is delivered from the Throne in the House of Lords.
● It is the only occasion when all the members of the House of Lords wear their ceremonial robes; MPs wear business suits.
● The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a post dating back to 1350, summons MPs to hear the speech. They are required to stand.
● The Commons' doors are closed in his face and he strikes it three times with his staff to gain admittance. Symbolising the independence of MPs, the ritual derives from the attempt by Charles 1 to arrest five members in 1642.
● Other rituals include the searching of the Westminster cellar by the Yeoman of the Guard to prevent another Gunpowder Plot, the arrival in its own coach of the Imperial State Crown, and, at Buckingham Palace, the holding of an MP, usually a Whip, as a hostage to guarantee The Queen's safety.
● The Queen reads the entire Speech in a neutral tone, to avoid implying any comment.
● It is traditional that both Houses listen in silence. In 1998, when the abolition of hereditary peers was greeted with cries of "yes" from Labour members, there were replies of "no" and "shame" from peers.
