Speakers' Corner Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas designated as Speakers' Corners in other parks in London (e.g., Lincoln's Inn Fields, Finsbury Park, Clapham Common, Kennington Park, and Victoria Park). More recently, they have been set up in other British cities, and there are also Speakers' Corners in other countries. Speakers here may talk on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although
Speakers' Corner, Singapore "exercise in tokenism" for the purpose of preserving a literal "space" for engaging in free speech while also "cornering" it in that space. This is reflected in the relative lack of progress towards liberalization in other areas such as awards of high damages in libel lawsuits brought by politicians which has been said to have a chilling effect on political speech in Singapore. Former Workers' Party member James Gomez has also expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the Speakers' Corner as a site of vibrant political debate, citing the lack of a "culture of speaking" amongst Singaporeans. The ban on