Democracy on Trial: The verdict and the road ahead

Speakers:Liam Byrne, Gavin Esler, Patrick J Houlihan, Alexander Hurst, Kate Pickett and Joan Concannon (chair)

Every day it feels like the world is fracturing. Trust in leaders is gone, money dictates politics and the future can seem bleak. Has democracy outlived its usefulness – or is it our only hope?

Join our citizens’ jury as we put our system on trial. At this session we decide: is democracy too flawed to save or can it be reclaimed? Our expert witnesses examine whether a radical shift to hyper-local, citizen driven action could be the way forward. Speakers include Liam Byrne MP, Kate Pickett, co-author of the award-winning and best-selling The Spirit Level and The Inner Level, historian Patrick J Houlihan of Trinity College Dublin and journalists Gavin Esler and Alexander Hurst. The session is chaired by Joan Concannon, Chief Reputation and Stakeholder Relations Officer at the University of York.

After the summing up, the verdict is yours.

This event is part of the Festival Focus series ‘’ presented in partnership with the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy. You may also be interested in ‘’ and ‘’ also on Sunday 7 June. Come along to one session or join us for the day.

Presented in collaboration with the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy, which is generously supported by the C and JB Morrell Trust.

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Host or Publisher York Festival of Ideas