Page "Convention (norm)" Paragraph 23

In government, convention is a set of unwritten rules that participants in the government must follow.

These rules can be ignored only if justification is clear, or can be provided.

Otherwise, consequences follow.

Consequences may include ignoring some other convention that has until now been followed.

According to the traditional doctrine ( Dicey ), conventions cannot be enforced in courts, because they are non-legal sets of rules.

Convention is particularly important in the Commonwealth realms and other governments using the Westminster System of government, where many of the rules of government are unwritten.