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Lord Norton on the importance of Citizenship in schools
Lord Norton, Professor of Government in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull and member of the Hansard Society's Advisory Council has written a staunch defence of Citizenship's place in the National Curriculum for Democratic Life:
When I visit schools as part of the House of Lords ‘Peers in Schools’ programme, I begin by explaining why Parliament matters. Parliament matters because politics matter. We exist within a society where we are bound by rules. Politics constitute the means by which those rules are debated and agreed. Rules that are to have legal force – that constitute the law – are agreed by Parliament. Acts of Parliament are enforced by the courts, police and by other public agencies. Parliament is thus a central part of our constitutional arrangements. Government may wish to pursue a particular policy – that is, apply a particular rule – but that policy will not be enforceable until approved by Parliament.
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