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Member of British Parliament to Speak Feb. 18

British Parliament Member Graham Allen will be adressing Professor Gary Mark's "Introduction to West European Politics" class on Monday, February 18.

Faculty, students and the general public are welcome to attend Allen's discussion of the question "Can Britain Become a Democracy?" The event will begin at 12 noon in 104 Howell Hall. A question-and-answer session will follow the talk.

Allen, a member of Britain's Labour Party, has served in the House of Commons since 1987 as a representative of the Nottingham North region, where he was born and raised. He has extensive experience in policy matters relating to the environment, transportation, technology and social security. Prime Minister Tony Blair recently appointed Allen to serve as one of four Senior Whips to facilitate the passage of the Government's agenda in the House of Commons.

Allen's 1995 book, Reinventing Democracy, served as a blueprint for the democratic change currently being implemented in the United Kingdom. His most recent book, The Blair Presidency, is currently in production. In it, Allen argues that the Prime Minister's role has developed into a preseidency and that the UK's system of government should acknowledge and adjust to that transformation. More information about Mr. Allen can be found on his Web site.

The event is sponsored by the Center for European Studies. For more information, please contact CES Director and Professor of Political Science Gary Marks at marks@unc.edu.

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