Years ago, I listened to John Robson on The Magna Carta Legacy. It made a profound impression on me.
To no one will we sell, to no one deny right or justice.
Years ago I was the keynote speaker at the first ever Essentials of Freedom Conference. My topic: Think or Sink - We Think or the West Sinks.
There was so much food for thought at the conference - including John Robson’s talk on something I had heard about briefly in high school. Even that brief mention is no longer happening in most Canadian high schools - where world history has generally been dropped.
What did John Robson talk about, that made such a mark on me?
The Magna Carta.
In fact, his topic was larger: The Magna Carta Legacy. That legacy starts hundreds of years before the Magna Carta, keeps developing and strengthening the rights of the individuals and limiting the rights of the king and state.
I’ve just listened again.
Given all that’s happening, like the denigration of the West as the cradle of slavery teeming with systemic racism everywhere we turn - The Magna Carta Legacy is more than a breath of fresh air. This is something we need to know, to affirm, and to celebrate:
(Here is a direct link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo7uT4bfb54)
In his talk, John Robson mentions the documentary he and his wife, a documentary filmmaker, were working on: Magna Carta: Our Shared Legacy of Liberty.
Here’s a link. Fabulous.
https://thejohnrobson.com/magna-carta-2015
These days, there’s much to get back to: like these words from the Magna Carta:
To no one will we sell, to no one deny right or justice.
All over the West, we are seeing travesties of so-called justice - for instance, relating to the Freedom Convoy in Canada, to what has come to be called “J6” in the US, to everything relating to the lockdowns, mandates, injections.
The Magna Carta: it’s far from irrelevant. In fact, far from having gone past it, there is much in it that is essential to get back to.
Here are more links: to order the dvd, download a digital copy, and order the book:
https://thejohnrobson.com/store/magna-carta-dvd
(Yes, I have a copy!)
https://thejohnrobson.com/digital-copies
https://thejohnrobson.com/store/magna-carta-book
And finally, here’s someone who’s made it part of a curriculum:
https://thecurriculumchoice.com/11513/
Back to where I started, The Essentials of Freedom Conference. One freedom is free access to knowledge (free meaning open, easy, available). John’s remarkable talk and documentary make the Magna Carta legacy more accessible to all of us
As for The Essentials of Freedom Conference. An amazing conference with great speakers. So much to learn and think about. Started in 2013. Still going on!! Another conference just a few weeks ago.
For more information, text Danny Hozack: (780) 808 0271
Thank you, Danny Hozack, for the idea for the conference, and for being the main organizer and driving force, year after year.
(Danny pushed me to list myself as the minor organizer the first year. Yes, I was that - I did all I could because a core value is freedom.)
And thank you, John Robson, for hugely expanding my awareness of this key part of our history.
PS. By the way, did you know that the British anti-slavery movement goes back about to the same time as the Magna Carta.
Posted Dec 8, 2022
Interestingly, I just watched a podcast with a member of the Bitcoin movement - he mentioned and championed the Magna Carta a couple of times https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKByaM5asU8
Thanks for such an interesting post.
For information only the following.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/why-magna-carta-remains-a-foundation-of-our-common-law-inheritance