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Magna Carta changed the world, David Cameron tells anniversary eventMagna Carta went on to change the world, Prime Minister David Cameron has said, at an event marking the 800th anniversary of the document that heralded modern democracy.He was speaking at a ceremony at Runnymede in Surrey, close to the River Thames, where King John of England sealed the original document in 1215.The Queen also attended the ceremony.Mr Cameron told the audience at the American Bar Association's Magna Carta Memorial that the document had altered forever "the balance of power between the governed and the government".And he said the document had inspired different generations and countries across the world.He said: "Why do people set such store by Magna Carta?"Because they look to history. They see how the great charter shaped the world, for the best part of a millennium, helping to promote arguments for justice and for freedom."The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, said the document had "set the bar high for all of us today".AnalysisFor a document credited with delivering so much, this was a brief celebration, limited to a few speeches and musical performances.Where powerful rebellious barons and a king had once sealed Magna Carta, sat a Queen whose powers and those of her many ancestors were limited by the 800-year-old text.Today, in the meadow by the River Thames, the prime minister used it to highlight a future battle - the one to come over his government's plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights.Reform, which will be contested, is for the future.Today, the focus was more on the past and celebrating Magna Carta, which is revered and has had influence in America and at the United Nations; and which is considered by many to represent the foundation of democracy.The Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal also attended the ceremony."Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain?" asked an exasperated Tony Hancock playing the jury foreman in an episode of his Half Hour.Clearly not. Far from dying, Magna Carta has had a life longer, fuller and more influential than the most optimistic medieval baron could have imagined.But why is a charter from 1215, which was declared null and void by the Pope within weeks of being written, which doesn't mention "trial by jury" or "habeas corpus" (the right not to be held indefinitely without trial), and which forbids any woman from accusing a man of murder or manslaughter, seen as the foundation of our liberties and our law?At its heart is the idea that the law is not simply the whim of the king, or the government.It is the great egalitarian legacy of Magna Carta, that all are equal under the law, and all can be held to account.It is that idea that gave birth to so many of our rights and freedoms, to parliamentary democracy, fair trial, and a series of controls on the abuse of arbitrary power.Princess Anne also rededicated the memorial, saying Magna Carta "provides us with one of our most basic doctrines - that no person is above the law."In recent history and even today we see in many parts of the world that power without the rule of law can lead to human suffering of terrible proportions. But it takes all of us to stand up for these principles."A replica of the Great Charter began its journey down the Thames on Saturday as part of the commemorations.The Royal Barge Gloriana has led 200 boats from Hurley in Berkshire and is due to arrive at Runnymede later.The Royal Barge Gloriana has been leading a flotilla along the River Thames to mark the anniversaryPrince William was shown an art installation commissioned to mark the anniversaryThere are just four known copies of the original Magna Carta in existence today, from an estimated 13 that were made.Two are held by the British Library, with Salisbury Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral holding the others.
At its heart is the idea that the law is not simply the whim of the king, or the government.It is the great egalitarian legacy of Magna Carta, that all are equal under the law, and all can be held to account.
