Destiny Calls!

THIS ARTICLE – Destiny Calls! – was written and distributed by the ‘liberty lovers’ who promote The Magna Carta Appeal – http://15thjunemagnacarta.org/ – on an annual basis. The Magna Carta Appeal notes both the importance of the Magna Carta and the threat to liberty and justice posed by an increasingly repressive British State:

‘In 13th Century England the Monarchy represented the State, only the powerful had any rights.

In 1215, at a turning point of History, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta document.

This was the first time that the people were recognised as having rights!

Now, however, the State is stealing more and more power from ordinary people.’

We’re reproducing the article as it dovetails nicely with our own views on the Magna Carta (which, to our mind, is a truly progressive – even revolutionary – document) and the forthcoming EU referendum. Destiny Calls! also mentions King William III, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and the Chartist Movement. All of these represent a ‘point of reference’ for us, in that they all said and/or did interesting things.

Destiny Calls!

IS DESTINY calling? That must be one of the thoughts going through the minds of those who are active in the fight to promote, protect and preserve liberty and freedom. The reason for this is two forthcoming events. For June 15th sees the 801st anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta – whilst June 23rd is the date set for the Referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

It could be said that one event – the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 at Runnymede (near Windsor Castle) in Surrey between the barons of England and King John – changed the course of British history. It could also be argued that the EU Referendum could have a similar effect.

Our friends at Free Speech: How Do We Protect It? – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1607711629485795/ – have already pointed out the significance of Magna Carta Day:

‘The Magna Carta amounted to a series of written promises between the king and his subjects. It meant that King John would govern England and deal with its people according to the customs of feudal law. It was an attempt by the barons to stop a king abusing his power.

Basically, the Magna Carta ensured that the king recognised that some of his subjects had individual rights. Years later the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of King William III – sometimes called William of Orange or ‘King Billy’ – heralded a transition from the personal rule of the royal House of Stuart to the more democratic and Parliament-centred House of Hanover. Indeed, King Billy’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne cemented the idea of ‘Civil& Religious Liberties For All.’

Since those times, Britain has become known as a liberal democracy. However, in recent times our democracy has come under attack from groups as diverse as the Socialist Workers Party – who seek to deny a platform with anyone they disagree with – to the current Tory government – who would seek to use the threat of ‘Islamic terrorism’ to erode our rights to free speech and assembly.’ (1)

One central tenant of any liberal democracy is the right of the electorate – at regular intervals – to vote for or against the government of the day. And that is, in effect, what is going to happen next week during the EU Referendum.

The EU Referendum (reluctantly granted by David Cameron in an attempt to stop Nigel Farage’s UKIP eating into the Tory Euro-sceptic vote) is a chance for ordinary working families to herald another transition in the way Britain is governed.

It’s our view that the EU is a very warped version of an exclusive gentlemen’s club – traditionally an upper class members-only private club. Here obscene wealth is the common denominator. Indeed, the EU is the plaything of powerful corporate big business and banking elites. (Meanwhile, their underlings – the politicians – are happy enough with the trappings of power.)

Nothing illustrates this better than its policy of allowing the ‘free movement of capital and labour’ between EU member states. This has meant that industry Can ‘up sticks’ and chase – and exploit – the lowest wages across Europe. Peter Hitchens – the noted culturally conservative English journalist and author – pointed out the dangers of this form of globalism when he noted:

“Globalisation is all about wealth. It knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Without borders the world will become – is visibly becoming – a howling desert of traffic fumes, plastic and concrete, where nowhere is home and the only language is money.” (2)

It’s virtually impossible to accurately speculate on how the barons of England (who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta which established a series of rights for the ‘dispossessed majority’) would view the current EU set up. What we can say is that they have cemented their place in history – alongside the likes of King William III, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartist Movement and many, many others – in fighting for liberty and freedom.

As we’ve already noted, Wednesday 15th marks the 801st anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. A week later – on Thursday 23rd – destiny calls. For the sake of liberty and freedom, the current generation of Britons can also cement their place in history by voting to get Britain out of the EU!

(1) http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-free-speech-how-do-we-protect-it-%e2%80%93-civil-religious-liberties-for-all