to talk to you about the Magna Carta and
and you say I’m I’m not storing I’m not
an academic politician and I’m not even
studying anything and I’m a little
creative producer working almost in arts
projects who despite my very liberal go
go-karting job I’m also describe myself
as a present I’m not a creator presenter
heads the lead for lectern and no soap
Oliver bear with please thank you and
before I started working on their
project called 12 15 today which I will
come back to you and I’m happy to make
my knowledge of Micah Carter was loosely
based around this building in me and so
you might say what gives me the right to
come and talk to you about this world
famous historic document well number one
I was asked in and there and number two
a little country where thanks in part to
the Magna Carta my right as a private
citizen to freedom of speech is
enshrined in law so I can say what I
like the right to say what I like LSST
maybe you governor the difficult
as well and the Magna Carta was created
in the year 1215 it was a document that
King John King John a nasty piece of
work by anyone’s calculations and was
forced to sign by his powerful barons to
attempt to limit his own powers if you
want to find out more about King John
there are plenty films and glaze 11 by
and sorting Shakespeare Dorian mentioned
today none of them showing that he’s
particularly brilliant license through
sense I particularly recommend the
Disney version if you haven’t seen it’s
absolutely continues and the Magna Carta
is often spoken announced as the first
legal document that protected ordinary
citizens and in fact the rebellious
barons who were instrumental in making
the King sign the documents weren’t
interested in peasants at all and really
it was just about protecting their
rights and interests buying the rights
and interests of the very wealthiest
people in the country nonetheless it was
the first attempt ever committed to
paper or parchment film the rights of
in 1217 eight years ago this year a
lesser-known document called the charter
of the forest sometimes referred to as
Magna Carta little brother was created
that really was the first attempt to
protect ordinary people’s rights
especially in terms of land and property
and some of you may know later this year
in Lincoln the only place in the world
where there’s document of the original
copy of the Magna Carta and the chart of
the forest will be marking 800 years
magnetometer Kim Jong soon renamed on
the original magnum government and
continue to fight with his balance but
in fact died a year later in October
1216 now again as you may know
throughout history the Magna Carta has
come in and outs of political fashion
but has never been forgotten it’s been
amended its been republished and on many
occasions it’s inspired the
Constitution’s in other countries
including most famously the United
States of America only three of the 63
clauses in the Magna Carta are still
enshrined in law though I met you I find
it incredible that anything written
native years ago is still more but it’s
true and one is around freedom and the
independent to the church in England
another is about upholding ancient
liberties and free customs at the City
of London and other cities towns
boroughs and pulse they were each even
then introduced
but the other one is amazing and it is
generally regarded to have established
the right to trial by jury I legal
construct that obviously we all know is
the basis of judicial systems most
countries around the world today and
this is the wedding so no one will
resell to no one deny or delight right
or justice no free man shall be seized
or in prison or stripped of his rights
or possessions or outlawed for exile nor
will be proceeding the force against him
except by the local judgment of equals
or by the law of the land it just sound
fair note as though it’s written for
everybody but it is free man he’s
talking about which is without merit is
studied it still powerful legal stuff
written eight hundred years ago the
magnet counters relevance in place in
history is short and as we all know
history can teach us so much and in
theory helps avoiding mistakes of the
past as Edmund Burke said those who
don’t know history are destined to
repeat it now we all know that the last
12 months particularly have been
extraordinary times in world politics
Wars act of terrorism shock outcomes and
elections and referenda across the globe
how all highlighted the needs to
re-examine our rights and freedoms have
informed debate and discussion learning
about the bank accounts it has certainly
for me revitalize my interest in history
and politics and in understanding about
the rights of individuals I’ve become a
fascinated by how people get their
opinions and views and what matters to
the most
why the internet and social media has
changed how to consume information ideas
facts and opinions beyond recognition
people have the right to think and say
they want the social media seems to me
it seems to encourage us all to express
strong views and opinions without
necessarily having to back them up with
any evidence at all I’m reminded of the
American author and poet Charles dekosky
and famously said the problem of the
world is that the intelligent people are
full of doubt while stupid google are
full of confidence discuss and I’m lucky
enough to be working at the moment of
the international artists attained the
towel and a group of young people from
Lincoln including seven from the school
and I think a couple from this room and
on a project called 1215 today which I
mentioned at the beginning which is
inspired by the 800th anniversary of the
main canals this isn’t a project has
allowed young people to work artists to
create online workers raised questions
about our rights space we use and how we
contemplate we have another started
looking at my density and assumptions
it’s now first workshop us
and whose voices we hear loudest and why
in an attempt to galvanize young people
think about their own views freedoms
rights and to consider what they might
do differently to change the world the
group will be creating an artwork with
the team that will should be shown in
October this year as part of frequency
in 2017 Lincoln testable digital culture
that takes place in October and we also
so takes place in October and also we
hope will be shared extensively online
we have no idea yet we are work will
look like what art forms it will use or
this stage you can exactly what the
group will be trying to set me what we
do know we’re going to do everything we
can spread a message around the world in
ways the previous generations could even
contemplate you can never guarantee
everything or anything will go viral but
we’re going to make a damn good
government the wonderful thing is that
we’ll be doing all this work for thanks
at least in part to the Magna Carta
itself I’m going to finish by showing
you a short clip from a film called the
empty throne fill itself is 15 minutes
long but don’t worry i’m going to show
you about four minutes of it film is
made in style of a living painting and
is fictional account of the run-up to
the signing the Magna Carta in 1215 it
was made in Lincoln with local
and filmmakers on a single day in May
2015 and this section from the very end
is a call to arms from one of the bands
who has just been beaten up by king’s
men for daring to disagree the Kings
Authority and his addressed to the young
people today live words diverse to you
justice he speaks of justice what does
he know of justice what do any of us
know or justice when we live in such a
world as this a world where our own
human nature is compromised overruled
destroyed and day after day man turns on
man fueling the endless wheel of dissent
and disease and corruption you each and
every one of you what would you do what
would you do for the sake of your
freedom to fight for the very things you
believe to be right to be true do you
look back on us and think we are nothing
near figments of the past conjured at
will by your imagination as dead as the
painted faces of a tableau on a wall
look again
beyond what lies above see into our
souls and see that we are alive we’re
alive because you are alive and because
of the things that we must come to do
the war that we will wage to protect
those basic rights that make us who we
are you will look back and you will see
that what we did we did for ourselves
I’m not too proud I am not ashamed
because it was all we could do we fought
for ourselves and our own rights because
it’s all we knew to do we didn’t know if
the world would ever be a truly free
born place look around you I so much we
have gained in 800 years and yet still
so far to create a future truly free of
pain of persecution of prejudice and now
that future is in your hands a future
for you to make with your words and your
deeds and the power of your imagination
the power of belief because if people
like you and I choose to believe then we
choose to fight for something worth more
than anything else in this life the
our tomorrow was not perfect but it was
possible because of the things that we
did the choices we made now is your turn
now is your time and I charge you today
what’s your dream what kind of a future
do you seek what will you do today for
the good of tomorrow and as you look on
us Mia shadows think on this how will
the world remember you how will history
remember you how will you change the
world
half the size of the beginning about
protecting their own interests you are
on the hook and we can change the world
there’s the last three things I said I’m
just whatever else your brains must be
full of ideas information fact opinions
suggestions today and especially the
other days too I would urge you to
remember the extraordinary story of
Magna Carta and remember the Barons
final words how will the world remember
you how will history remember you how will you change