Democracy on Trial: The stress test - can democracy survive?

Speakers: Emily Bell, Sam Fowles, John McDermid, Saad Mohseni, Elizabeth Seger and Gavin Esler (chair) Digital disruption, the rise of authoritarianism and polarisation, a failure to deliver for marginalised groups and future generations. Is democracy fundamentally incapable of navigating 21st century threats? Expert witnesses present the evidence of modern-day collapse. Speakers taking to the stand include digital journalism strategist Emily Bell, Founding Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, New York, US; Saad Mohseni, Chairman and Chief Executive of Moby Group; John McDermid, Director of the Centre for Assuring Autonomy at the University of York; Elizabeth Seger, Senior Policy Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; and barrister Sam Fowles who specialises in public and constitutional law. Our session is chaired by journalist, author and political commentator Gavin Esler. Join our citizens’ jury as we put our system on trial. Hear the evidence, witness the cross examination and cast your vote. The defendant is democracy. The verdict is yours.