https://www.scmp.com/rss/311719/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com “Bad” King John, the villain of every Robin Hood tale, is an unlikely candidate for the creator of a document that has shaped our ideas of individual rights and freedoms for 800 years. And it’s true that when he pressed his royal seal onto the Magna Carta in 1215, he was not being driven by altruism; far from it, the charter was the only way he could preserve his rule. Too many people around the world, including in Hong Kong, continue to suffer discrimination for reasons such as who they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877780/equalitys-lasting-appeal-finds-form-magna-carta?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877780/equalitys-lasting-appeal-finds-form-magna-carta?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2015 07:15:15 +0000 This week sees the public exhibition in Hong Kong of Hereford Cathedral's Magna Carta as part of a global tour to mark the 800th anniversary. The version on display is one of only four surviving examples of the 1217 version - the first to be called "Magna Carta" or Great Charter. The first Magna Carta was sealed on June 15, 1215 by King John at Runnymede. The text was renegotiated four times over the next decade, and almost all its clauses have since been repealed. So why is it still relevant... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876284/why-magna-carta-remains-foundation-our-common-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876284/why-magna-carta-remains-foundation-our-common-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 05:00:15 +0000 This week, Lord Darzi is leading a delegation of UK companies to the Hospital Authority Convention in Hong Kong, to share some of the challenges and successes of heath care reform. Last year, Britain's National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 65th birthday as the world's largest publicly funded health system. The demands it faces have changed beyond all recognition since its inception. Today, Britain's population is much larger, the incidence of long-term health conditions has increased and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1506553/hong-kong-and-britain-are-natural-partners-health-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1506553/hong-kong-and-britain-are-natural-partners-health-care?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 May 2014 20:28:46 +0000 This year will be a significant one for the UK. Plenty of weighty dates punctuate the British calendar. Solemn commemorations of the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Local government and European Parliament elections. Beyond these events, the Year of the Horse heralds an economic turning point. Over 2013, the UK shifted from economic-rescue mode into a period of recovery. Unemployment and inflation are at a four-year low, higher investment and an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1401554/more-trade-and-deals-cards-uk-economy-mend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1401554/more-trade-and-deals-cards-uk-economy-mend?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2014 14:13:38 +0000