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rhythmaning August 18 2014, 13:00:34 UTC
The City of London Corporation is a very strange beast. Largely unaccountable (arising, I think, from an ancient king granting rights in exchange for interest payments).

Googling provides a variety of criticism.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/31/corporation-london-city-medieval

http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/CityOfLondonCorporation

This might be particularly helpful: http://cityreform.org.uk/learn-more/what-is-the-city-of-london-corporation/

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andrewducker August 18 2014, 13:30:42 UTC
Thanks!

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matgb August 18 2014, 15:59:55 UTC
arising, I think, from an ancient king granting rights in exchange for interest payments

Not just the one ancient King, pretty much all of them. All but two clauses of Magna Carta have been repealed or replaced. The two that haven't are "trial by Jury" and "London is SPESHUL and we won't interfere".

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Edw1cc1929/25/9/section/IX

The article is actually a pretty good summary (unlike a lot of the media froth surrounding it-Monbiot's conspiracy bollocks picked up by Avaaz about the Remembrancer is a particular lowpoint in media coverage of it).

Basically, The City has never really been part of England-the-legal-jurisdiction (bit like, arguably, Cornwall was never officially added), and there are some very (very) weird traditions, the electoral system has always been bonkers, and for a bit there were almost no residents.

Um, yeah, it appears "Mat's brain" is a good resource on this one.

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steer August 18 2014, 17:33:40 UTC
More than two clauses -- if you follow your clicky through and walk back and forth your find them.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Edw1cc1929/25/9/contents
(I think four or five but some are a bit kind of "waffle").

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steer August 18 2014, 17:30:26 UTC
Actually, and cf a conversation we had earlier, the city of london (referring to the square mile, not what anyone else thinks is London) dates its special status to Magna Carta... it is very weird indeed and really pretty cool.

This and part two are great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrObZ_HZZUc

The monarch formally needs permission to enter. I love that.

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