Public Lecture by Baroness Jenny Tonge

'Political Whips and Freedom of Speech'

This public event is being organised by York PEN, the new York student group associated with the charity English PEN.  The event is also part of the Prison Fictions and Human Rights Project organised by Dr Michelle Kelly and Dr Claire Westall of the Department of English and Related Literature.

Baroness Tonge's talk will explore freedom of speech and political party censorship.  She will give insight into the party political whip system and how this affects the views and voices of party members.

Her appearance is specifically designed to help us explore how the whip system is used within Westminster, the institutional home of our democracy. 

The session will be structured as an interview-based exchange.  The chair will pose questions submitted by the audience in advance, and some time will be left for additional questions from the floor.

This will be a forthright and engaging look at free speech, party politics and political apparatus at Westminster.

This event will also appeal to students taking Literature and Human Rights, Fictions of Human Rights and Cultures of Human Rights Practice.  It will also appeal directly to staff and students interested in issues of political process, democratic institutions and the complexities of life at Westminster.

Free tickets available from http://jennytonge.eventbrite.co.uk/