May 28, 2015
Sir Robert Worcester KBE DL, “The Relevance of Magna Carta in the 21st Century”, Worcester Cathedral
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28 May 2015, Sir Robert Worcester KBE DL, “The Relevance of Magna Carta in the 21st Century”, Worcester Cathedral
Good evening. I’m delighted to be here to speak at Worcester Cathedral for many reasons, at Worcester where I came on my first visit to my ancestral home 58 years ago. Second, to pay tribute to Magna Carta, for I have revered Magna Carta for nearly 75 years. Third, to pay tribute to the contribution made by King John 800 years ago next month, for without being ‘Bad King John’, would there be a rule of law, or would we still be ruled by the economic and political power of kings, emperors and potentates, clerics and mullahs, military dictators and those who by force rather than reason and voice as we are today.
There are three parts to my talk:
- First, ‘Why me, why here? Why now?
- Second, Why commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Charter of the Barons in 1215, later, in 1217, called Magna Carta.
- and to conclude my remarks, what’s Magna Carta got to do with the Special Relationship, as you can tell by me accent, I didn’t start as Englishman?
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