Go on, convince me: Britain needs a First Amendment

If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.
John Stuart Mill

In this strand of mini lectures, we have asked one speaker to convince YOU the audience of an unpopular opinion.

The guest lecturer will have 12-15 minutes to make their case before the session chair and audience members are invited to push back, scrutinise, pull apart their arguments – or explain why they agree with them. The aim is for these quick-fire exchanges to allow attendees – and indeed the speaker – to robustly defend positions, develop critiques beyond caricature and ad hominem attacks, and steel-man their own arguments. This should allow us to dig deeper into contested issues beyond today’s soundbite-and-meme culture. And perhaps – just perhaps – some in the room might be convinced to change their minds.