Magna Carta is one of the most fundamental documents of English legal freedoms. It protected the individual from arbitrary abuses of power from the state; it codified and established practices that ensured fair trials and halted the improper levying of taxes.
The legacy of Magna Carta should be celebrated and debated, especially as the rights and freedoms of individuals within the United Kingdom are today increasingly under threat. Whether it be from the UK government or foreign powers such as the European Union and European Court of Human Rights, the individual’s ability to protect themselves and their families from the intrusions of the state is being eroded.
In 2015, the 800th year of the sealing of Magna Carta, The Freedom Association is delighted to be promoting a ground breaking new book that looks to discuss the relevance of Magna Carta to modern day Britain. Magna Carta Today is written by the economist and businessman, Ewen Stewart, and published by the UK charity. The Hampden Trust. It uses a new translation of Magna Carta, combined with an analysis of its importance in the modern world, to illustrate how the values and principles of the Great Charter have been attacked by governments (both domestic and foreign). It prompts the reader to consider the benefits of reclaiming a system of government that promotes and protects the individual against arbitrary state power. It sets the standard for debate in forthcoming discussions over what should be in a new British Bill of Rights.
Magna Carta Today was first produced in hardback form with the kind sponsorship of The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies and distributed at a number of events organised by The Freedom Association and hosted by The Hampden Trust. A further paperback edition has been produced by The Hampden Trust with generous support of the Global Philanthropic Trust. Each book is designed to provoke debate over the future of the individual and freedoms within the legal system.
The Freedom Association delighted to have the opportunity to promote these books and, with the support of the Global Philanthropic Turst, is sending apaperback copy of Magna Carta Today to every maintained secondary school in England and Wales.
This is one of the most ambitious attempts to increase the knowledge and understanding of Magna Carta in the general public. It comes alongside a number of other events that The Freedom Association is organising with the Hampden Trust and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies throughout 2015.
The message of Magna Carta must be heard. For more information, or to order your copy, please contact Rory Broomfield on [email protected].