Whether you’re a lowly MP at the bottom of the pile or Her Majesty the Queen at the top. We are tenants, old chap. The crown moves from head to head, and when parliament dissolves at five p.m. today, I am no longer the Member for Spelthorne, nor Jack the Member for Croydon North East, nor you the Member for Paddington South. But Paddington, sadly, will go on without you. It is a lesson we all must learn. Earth, and dust.
-- Atkins (Prologue)

Importance: Atkins highlights the theme of political impermanence and the transient nature of power. His metaphor of MPs and even the Queen as mere "tenants" underscores the idea that no individual is truly in control—power is borrowed, not owned. This reflects the broader theme of the play, which focuses on the relentless churn of the democratic system rather than any one politician. The reference to "earth, and...