Open Session

London: An Open Session ran from 9am to 5pm on Level 4 (a large, open space). There was an open invitation for anyone to come at any point to talk about anything they wished or to listen to others. There were no formal bookings but those who knew in advance what they wanted to speak about, and wanted to advertise the discussion, did so below.

There was a steward present to report any interesting points or important developments to the Convention organisers in an experiment to ensure that new ideas and unheard voices can become part of the Convention and its record.

Regional and National Conventions: Open Sesions also ran around the UK.

What’s happening so far:

  • 11.20: Peter Tatchell will speak on republicanism and liberty
  • 13.30: Jerome Phelps of London Detainee Support Group will speak about the Detained Lives campaign against indefinite immigration detention, by which asylum seekers and other foreigners who cannot be deported are detained without trial, often for years
  • 14.00: Scheherazade, The Freedom Poet, will perform her poem “Will YOU let them Microchip YOUR Baby?”
  • 15.00: Matilda MacAttram (Director, Black Mental Health UK) will be speaking on ‘Mental Health Care – A matter of life and death for Black Briton’
  • 15.20: Peter Tatchell will speak on the need to limit the powers of government by having a written constitution