Nu skal jeg bestemt ikke underkende betydningen af Magna Carta, men selv i tilsyneladende hæderlige tekster kan statsmagten ikke lade være med at vise sin sande røvernatur.
Her gemt godt i hvad man kunne have kaldt forbrugerbeskyttelse.
The royal command sounded great: make sure everyone knows what they're getting and gets what they paid for. It's one of the first examples of consumer protection regulation.
But in reality, it was used to protect the business interests of wealthy weavers who could either afford large looms that actually produced cloth two yards wide or could afford the bribes that let them skirt the law. London elites and government officials made out very well; poorer weavers from the country got left.
It's a lesson to always be skeptical about the details of public-spirited legislation, even when overall it's a win for limited government.
