Nick Herbert quizzed by students at The Angmering School
Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert paid a visit to The Angmering School on Friday afternoon (18 July) to talk to students about a range of political issues.
Mr Herbert was greeted at the school by the Headmaster David Brixey and also met the Chair of Governors Anne Prior. He was introduced to the students by Anna Ward who teaches ‘A' Level Government and Politics.
Mr Herbert began by giving an overview of contemporary British political philosophies, which students have been studying as part of their politics course. He also discussed the work of a Member of Parliament.
After his talk, the MP took part in a ‘question and answer' session with the students. He took questions on a variety of topics, including the threat of climate change. He said that the UK needed to take a lead on reducing carbon emissions - that we could not reasonably expect countries like India and China to restrict their emissions if we were not prepared to do so ourselves.
Mr Herbert also discussed the war in Iraq, the crises in Zimbabwe and Darfur, the rise of India and China, the role of the USA in the world and human rights.
In a final question, Mr Herbert was asked about his views on knife crime. He recognised that knife crime was causing considerable fear and concern in local communities and that young people felt increasingly unsafe. He said that he wanted to see the proper enforcement of existing laws that prohibit the carrying of knives. The MP said that society had to send a "clear message" that carrying a knife is unacceptable.
Anna Ward commented: "The visit was a fantastic success and the students gained a lot of knowledge and insight into the life and work of an MP. We are looking forward to following it up with a visit to the Houses of Parliament to enhance learning further. Many thanks to Nick for his time and enthusiasm!"
Nick Herbert commented: "I enjoyed my visit to Angmering School on Friday and I look forward to going back again. It's always challenging to be asked intelligent and searching questions by students. I hope it's useful when they're studying politics to debate current affairs with the local MP. I try to talk about the issues objectively rather than inject any party politics into the discussions."
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. For the website of The Angmering School, visit http://learning.angmering.w-sussex.sch.uk/.