Lord Jonathan Sumption, ‘An enormous font of vicarious experience’

During the month of October, the Robert Menzies Institute has been very proud to host former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Lord Jonathan Sumption on a tour of Australia in which he has captivated audiences with a number of prominent speaking engagements, most notably the RMI Oration and Gala. Sumption’s views on the pivotal importance of the rule of law and the precarious future of modern democracy closely echo concerns expressed by Sir Robert Menzies, who himself was very close to becoming a Justice of the High Court of Australia. In this week’s very special episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Lord Sumption about a number of vital issues, including responses to the Covid pandemic, Brexit, and the manner in which the lessons of history can help inform modern decision makers.

Lord Jonathan Sumption began his career as a Fellow in history at Magdalen College, Oxford, before practicing at the English bar. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2018, and delivered the BBC Reith Lectures for 2019 on the subject of Law and the Decline of Politics. He is also well known as the author of a number of books on European history of the late middle ages, most notably a multi-volume history of the Hundred Years War which won the Wolfson History Prize. Since retiring from the Court, Lord Sumption has become a prominent commentator on contemporary issues, particularly in relation to the Covid 19 pandemic. His latest book is Law in a Time of Crisis, published in March last year.