 Pray let me your ears and I'll tell you our story a drama of power of battle and glory Parliament's tale is a tale to savor whatever your taste or political flavor a Thousand years past our Kings wanted a palace that others would look on in envious malice competing to build the grandest of Ode but Westminster Hall was the most a la mode The King gets to bossy. So here comes Magna Carta to reign in his powers and do things much smarter Council meets in his chambers for intrigue and dramas and Parliament's born with the King in pajamas 200 years later more voting arrives though. It's 400 more till it touches most lives No porpoise or women get electoral powers and the wait will be long till democracy flowers Back to the palace Westminster's ablaze Leaving poor Henry the eighth in a daze the council remains King sooner packing so parliament gets the first home. It was lacking Wales and England unite in a bold new beginning common laws for both lands the judiciary's grinning But Guy Fawkes those fuses on the 5th of November and gives the whole country a night to remember Now grim civil war sounds the monarchy's death now and power is seized by bold Oliver Cromwell For the outcomes the one that the King has most dreaded and on a cold lonely morning the poor blokes beheaded Charles the second does better. He's soon back on the throne and Scotland ensures that he won't feel alone With Scottish MPs Parliament's now overflowing but a hundred more from Ireland keep the numbers are growing Reforms now democracy is looking more healthy one in seven can vote if they're male grown and wealthy What is it with fires again? Parliament's burning Westminster Hall saved guess the fire brigades learning a new buildings built with lots of to-do lists And big Ben has added which pleases the tourists yet something smells funny and though Parliament's newer They had to go sort out the stink from the sewer Our women want votes chain themselves to the railing their passion is great their resolve is Unfailing then the men go to war in the greatest of slaughters leaving the land in the hands of their wives and their daughters and in 1918 Female suffrage arrives and so in the wake of the war a democracy thrives Yet it isn't for long that we lay down our weapons as once more the specter of world war Parliaments bombed 14 times in the air raids and Commonwealth sends in repairs help and upgrades Skip on to the 60s equality flares Voting age 18 now that Parliament dares The 80s. We're almost back to the present time to make Parliament look much more pleasant It's been burnt down and rebuilt and crowded and smelly But it's scrubbed up all nice when it gets on the telly and so ends our tale of war fire and mystery Why not go find out more about democracy's history?