麻豆社

Good morning.

鈥淐ircumstances which have never arisen before and are unlikely ever to arise again鈥�. Those were some of the opening words of Lady Hale鈥檚 ground-breaking judgement from the Supreme Court yesterday. The phrase 鈥榰nprecedented times鈥� is often overused, and yet for once I find it is entirely apt. The ramifications of this unanimous decision on Government, on Parliament, on the Monarchy and our Constitution cannot be understated, and the aftershocks of what some have described as a political earthquake will be felt for some time to come.

Speaking truth to power is never easy or straightforward in any circumstances. It requires strength and resilience, as well as an undeniable conviction in acting for the greater good. Being a practising barrister myself, I see on a daily basis the impact that the justice system has on others, and it鈥檚 quite clear to me that legal intervention is something that people only embark upon when all other routes have been closed off to them. It is a last resort when all else has failed.

The law of the land is the greatest of levellers. Those in positions of authority can be held to account in exactly the same way as others. The Bill of Rights of 1688, one of the statutes referred to yesterday, is the foundation stone of our modern constitution, and as a law, it created the concept of the constitutional monarchy. As a result, the crown no longer had unfettered powers.

As a Sikh I find myself reflecting on the long history the faith has had in confronting influential people with inconvenient truths.

For example, Guru Nanak once called out a high ranking official hosting a sumptuous banquet for relying on the blood and sweat of others for his vast wealth.

The 6th Guru volunteered to remain in prison, even though his name had been cleared by the authorities, until he could secure the release of all of the political prisoners being held alongside him.

The 10th Guru put pen to paper and wrote a poetic letter to the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb, who ruled over most of South Asia, admonishing him for his abuse of power and reckless leadership, and calling upon him to repent for his sins before it was too late.

And some lost their lives for speaking truth to power, with the 5th and 9th Gurus sacrificing themselves in order to stop the subjugation of minorities.

The root motivation for these acts of courageous defiance ultimately came from a desire to live according to the opening words of the Sikh scriptures and the very first words that Guru Nanak uttered when he founded the Sikh tradition. Ik Onkar Satnam. There is but one supreme reality, and Truth is its name.

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