To mark the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, academics, activists, and members of the public recently came together in Sheffield to draft a new Magna Carta for the 21st century.
The event, organised by the Crick Centre and Sheffield for Democracy attracted around forty local residents, who worked with facilitators to draw-up a Grand Charter to address contemporary social and political issues.
Dr. Anthony Taylor, Professor of Modern British History at Sheffield Hallam University kicked the evening off with a short talk on role the Magna Carta has played in fights for greater civil and political rights around the world. Facilitators from Sheffield University, Sheffield for Democracy, and Unlock Democracy then worked with residents to draft a series of rights and principles for a new Magna Carta. At the end of the evening votes were taken to narrow down the list two twelve key principles.
Following the event, Sheffield’s Magna Carta was delivered to Parliament, along with similar charters drawn up by groups across the country to form part of a new People’s Charter being drafted by Unlock Democracy. The People’s Charter forms part of an ongoing public debate about democracy in Britain and how it can be brought up-to-date.
Sheffield Clauses for People’s Charter 2015
Power
1. We should work to promote collaboration, not competition, across society.
2. There should be increased efforts to create balanced centres of power within political systems and beyond.
International
3. Everyone will have shared global environmental responsibility: to each other, to nature and to communities – the natural, the physical, the political and ecological.
4. The right, responsibility and opportunity to participate in making decisions about issues that affect the global community including people, organisations, animals, the environment, corporations, states, individuals and communities.
Democracy
5. To hold a citizen-led constitutional convention, representative of the British people with a mandatory referendum on the propositions and regular review.
6. Reform of the electoral system and a move towards a system of proportional representation.
Equality
7. Everyone should have the right to basic financial support.
8. Taxation should be progressive and sufficient to provide equality of opportunity. Liberty
9. Everyone should enjoy freedom of information.
10. All citizens should have freedom from exploitation.
Privilege and access
11.There should be greater scrutiny of lobbying and lobbyists’ influence on policy decisions.
12. There should be a movement towards the disestablishment of the Church of England.
