Picture of King John stag hunting, 800 years ago.

He was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which continues to evolve its journey of social stabilisation to this day.(The king and his rebellious barons met on a far from stable terrain outside London. Called Runneymede, it may as well have been called RunnyMud. Its waterlogged field weighted against the medieval, heavy-laden army kicking off for another round of blood-letting.)

Magna Carta interactive guide.

It doesn’t need to take eight centuries to build a democracy. ( See video.) Workable variations on suchlike longstanding models of government can be imaginatively designed anywhere in the world if the spirit is willing. The important duty of any democracy is to ensure every member of society feels represented because their voice is heard. But the flesh is weak: the enemy of democracy is corruption. Identifying and curbing the lies which threaten fairness is a fluid charter with no end but it must have a beginning.