Speak Easy Society was formed in Spring 2023 to champion free speech and casual discussion. We host a range of roundtable debates, speakers, socials and fun events. We will always honour our principles and fight for EVERYONE to have their voice heard on campus. Fingers crossed you will choose to join us for a packed year ahead!

What events do we run?

Casual Mondays - Socials at pubs and entertainment venues across Exeter. Past events have included bowling, the Boom Battle Bar, pub crawls and karaoke (to name a few). Join us to catch up, have fun and maybe have a cheeky debate along the way!

Roundtable Wednesdays - Flagship casual debates at a pub in Exeter. We will discuss two to three motions with floor speeches. Speak for as little or as long as you wish and enjoy a pint whilst discussing the issues!

1v1 Friday Debates - NEW TO SEPTEMBER 2024 - Two external speakers take on one another to discuss political, social and economic topics. Listen, ask questions, speak and then work out which person you agree with more. Occasionally, we will hold these events in the form of a single speaker event with more opportunity for audience challenge. There are lots of exciting speakers planned- you won't want to miss them! Last year, we hosted Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, David Starkey, David Reed MP and many more.

Day Outs and Socials - One-off events that are not to be missed. These will include our “Race Across Devon” runs, attendance at the Battle of Ideas Festival and our Winter Ball. Make sure to get your tickets when they are released!

Intramural Sport - NEW TO SEPTEMBER 2024  - Fancy some casual 6-a-side football alongside other societies on campus? Get in touch and join the team. Or perhaps you want to try a different sport? Speak to us and we'll see what we can do!

Free Speech Workshops - Every now and then, we host workshops on Wednesdays to discuss free speech issues in current affairs and how we can advance free speech. These are casual discussions either on campus or at pubs around Exeter. Strong opinions on Elon Musk and X or the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act? Join us to discuss!

What are our aims and objectives?

1. To allow for casual discussion in up like settings over interesting debate topics where our members can enter a debate, hear both sides and crucially represent their own views.
2. To give members the chance to engage with external speakers by offering questions and floor speeches during our debate nights. 
3. To promote a society with free speech at its heart where ALL legal opinions are allowed and members will be able to voice their opinions without fear of backlash from the establishment groups of students leading other political societies.
4. To be a society that acts as a mediating body which welcomes opposing ideologies to come together and have their voices heard about controversial and sensitive issues not discussed at other societies.
5. To appeal to students who don’t feel welcomed by more established societies on campus but want somewhere to talk about political issues relevant to them. You can speak as a little or often as you want to without judgement.
6. Working with other similar societies across the country to promote casual discussions with a broad range of ideas, such as at the Battle of Ideas Festival and with our sister branches at Warwick and Royal Holloway universities. We also work with the Free Speech Union and Living Freedom to further the cause of free speech on campuses up and down the country.

How are we different?

1. Free speech – We have an absolute commitment to inviting speakers of all political backgrounds and allowing all members to contribute at events without indirectly blocking them.
2. Casual discussions – We give a voice to our members to speak up in defence of their values in motions during our Wednesday events. They can be part of the audience or speak if interested but can do so in a causal environment. 
3. Debate with external speakers - As a society committed to free speech at heart, we have already had a long list of speakers commit to come and speak with us from across the political spectrum. We are excited that they will join us for our debates and that students will get to challenge their argument and not just ask questions. We are also pleased to be the only society running such events that promises to honour freedom of expression for our speakers while they are with us.
4. It's not always politics!  – Students engage with our society that aren't interested in party politics or wouldn't otherwise have had the platform to express their views. Plus we discuss other moral, economic and social issues too.
5. Appeal to international students - We reach out to international students better than any other political society on campus. From working with international societies to discussing global issues in our debates, we want to make sure that everyone is included in our discussions.
6. Member-led - If you want to debate it, we will debate it.