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For over
150 years, Speaker's Corner has been one of London's most unique,
interesting and eccentric attractions. On any given Sunday morning, anyone
who has an opinion to air and anyone who will listen gather at the point
where Oxford Street and Hyde Park meet, in the shadows of Marble Arch and
carry on this tradition of open conversation. There’s no parliamentary
procedure here and anyone who has a mind to, is free to take part.
Tourists are often seen entering into heated discussion with locals and
other visitors alike. Speakers require no qualification or invitation. It
is as open a forum as one is likely to see anywhere in the world, a forum
where one can really see grassroots democracy at work.
At first glance, some of the speakers may appear
to be mentally unhinged. But don't be fooled. Some of the most revered
political and literary minds of the last century have regarded Speaker's
Corner as a flow of popular opinion. Among those who have attended
meetings there, are the some of the most influential figures in world
history like George Orwell, Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels and Lenin.
Nowadays, people are more likely to visit Speaker’s Corner to hear the
rantings of the mad, the bad and the dangerous. But there's always a good
crowd of listeners and hecklers to keep things lively.
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