Oxford Union

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The Oxford Union
Oxford Union
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Oxford Union

The Oxford Union - Information
Founded 1823
Home Page The Oxford Union

Junior Officers of the Union, Hillary Term 2007
President Theo Roos, Lady Margaret Hall
President-Elect Alex Just, Wadham College
Librarian Luke Tryl, Magdalen College
Treasurer Charlotte Fischer, Balliol College
Treasurer-Elect Smruti Sriram, St Peter's College
Secretary Emily Partington, Jesus College


The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a private debating society in the city of Oxford, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1823 and gained a worldwide reputation for the cut and thrust of its debate, proving a valuable training ground for many future British politicians.

Contents

[edit] Status and membership

The Oxford Union is an unincorporated association, holding its property in trust in favour of its objectives and members, and governed by its rules (which form a multi-partite contract between the members).

Since its foundation, it has been independent of the University: historically, this was because the Victorian University restricted junior members from discussing certain issues (for example, theology). Despite such restrictions since being lifted, it has remained entirely separate from the University, and is constitutionally bound to remain so.

Only members of Oxford University are eligible to become life members of the Union, but students at Oxford Brookes University and certain other educational institutions are entitled to join for the duration of their time in Oxford. Shorter membership is also extended to those participating in some visiting study programmes in Oxford.

The Union buildings are owned by a separate charitable trust, the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust.

[edit] The Union buildings

The Oxford Union buildings are located in Frewin Court, off Cornmarket Street, and on St Michael's Street. The original Union buildings were designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1879. This was about a decade after the completion of the Cambridge Union's premises, also designed by Waterhouse, and the exterior of the two buildings was very similar.

The current debating chamber
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The current debating chamber

A debating chamber was subsequently added, but the Union's growing membership meant that it became too small, and is now the "Old Library". The current debating chamber, and several further extensions to the main buildings were added over the next forty years. The final extension was completed in 1912, adding a dining room and a second library, together with basement library stacks.

Some rooms in the Union are named for figures from the Union's past (Macmillan Room, Goodman Library).

The cellars of the Union have been used as a night club for several decades, and are now run by a third party, under the brand "Purple Turtle". The Purple Turtle was opened by former Deputy Prime Minister and Union President Michael Heseltine.

[edit] Debating

Debating at the Oxford Union takes two forms, competitive debating, and chamber debating.

Competitive debating is the preserve of a minority of members of the Union. The Union's best debaters compete internationally against other top debating societies, and the Oxford Union regularly fields one of the most successful teams at the World Universities Debating Championship (which the Union hosted in 1993) and the European Universities Debating Championship. The Union also runs a number of internal debating competitions, the prestigious annual Oxford Intervarsity tournament, and the Oxford Schools' debating competition.

Chamber debating, including the debates (known as Public Business Meetings) with invited guest speakers for which the Union is best known, tends to be less formalised (even if more formal) than competitive debates, and the manner of delivery is closer to public speaking, with audience engagement far more important.

[edit] The Union and the Student Union

The Oxford Union is often confused with the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU). OUSU is the officially recognised student representative body of the University of Oxford. Unlike almost all other British university student unions, OUSU has no central building to provide a venue for students, only a set of administrative offices, while all events are run in conjunction with other local venues. This stems largely from the fact that each of the University's Colleges has its own Junior Common Room, or JCR which provides many of the functions, albeit on a smaller scale, that would otherwise be provided by a central student union.

[edit] OLDUT and OUS

It is not generally recognised (either by the outside world, or the Union's members) that the Oxford Union Society does not own its buildings. The Oxford Union was never financially secure, and its position was not helped by its termly changes of junior (i.e. student) officers. There was also a significant level of historic debt, associated with the erection of its buildings.

Following a particularly bad period in the 1970s, the Union buildings were sold to a charitable trust ("OLDUT", the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust), and the Oxford Union Society was granted a licence to occupy the building.

Several parts of what were historically the Union buildings and grounds were subsequently either sold or made the subject of long leases, including an area of land around the rear of the debating chamber, part of the Union cellars (adjoining that now occupied by the Purple Turtle), and part of what was formerly the Steward's house (now occupied by the Landmark Trust). OLDUT has subsequently paid for the refurbishment and maintenance of the Union buildings, both from its own resources and by securing private donations and grant funding.

As a result of OLDUT's creation, the future of the physical Union is now secured, so that even if the Oxford Union Society were to cease to be, or to fail financially, the buildings would not be lost. In addition, OLDUT provides some financial support for the running of the Union in those areas where the Union undertakes activities which match OLDUT's charitable objectives - particularly the operation of the Union's library.

Despite the importance of OLDUT in preserving the fabric of the Union, the relationship between OLDUT and OUS has at times been strained. OLDUT is first and foremost a charitable trust, and it has objectives which do not always match those of what is primarily a student society.

[edit] Notable speakers

The Oxford Union has a long history of hosting international figures and celebrities.[1] Previous guests have included the Dalai Lama, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix, US President Jimmy Carter, physicist Stephen Hawking, comedian and writer Stephen Fry, US politician Robert Kennedy, actor Ewan McGregor, Malcolm X, Winston Churchill, porn star Jenna Jameson, footballer Diego Maradona, actor Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, US President Ronald Reagan, soft rock star Jon Bon Jovi, O.J. Simpson, televangelist Jerry Falwell, trickster David Blaine, US President Richard Nixon, diplomat Henry Kissinger, porn star Ron Jeremy, pop star Michael Jackson, TV talk show host Jerry Springer, Mother Teresa, singer Barry White, Russian politician and former finance minister Grigory Yavlinsky, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange and musical humourist and conductor Gerard Hoffnung.

[edit] Free speech

The Oxford Union has long associated itself with freedom of speech, most famously by debating and passing the motion "This House would under no circumstances fight for its King and country" in 1933.

What is generally forgotten (but arguably more significant as an example of the Union's commitment to freedom of speech) is that an attempt was made by several prominent Union members (including Randolph Churchill) to expunge this motion and the result of the debate from the Union's minute book. This attempt was roundly defeated — in a meeting far better attended than the original debate.

Harold MacMillan called the Oxford Union "...the last bastion of free speech in the Western world.", a quote which continues to feature prominently in the Union's publicity.

However, the Union's commitment to free speech has been tested by pressure to deny platforms to controversial speakers. An invitation to the historian David Irving to speak in a debate on censorship in 2001 was met by a coordinated campaign by left-wing, Jewish, and anti-fascist groups, together with the elected leadership of the Oxford University Student Union, to have the invitation withdrawn. Despite the fact that there was no mechanism in the Union's constitution by which members could compel the President — who is responsible for organising debates — to either cancel a debate or withdraw an invitation to a particular speaker, attempts were made to pass a Union motion ordering her to do so. Following a particularly bitter meeting of Union members, and a subsequent meeting of the Union's governing body, the Standing Committee, the President decided the debate would have to be cancelled.[2]

A previous debate which was to have involved the far-right leader John Tyndall was met with a similar campaign in 1998, although that debate was cancelled on police advice following a series of racially motivated nail-bombings in London, rather than as a result of the opposition.[3]

[edit] Governance

The Oxford Union is run by the Standing Committee which is elected termly and is constituted by the junior officers (President, President-Elect, Junior Librarian, Junior Treasurer, Treasurer-Elect and Secretary), five elected members, recent junior officers (who have chosen to serve), and the Chairman of the Consultative Committee. The Standing Committee is also attended ex-officio by the Returning Officer (responsible for the conduct of the Union's elections and for advising on the interpretation of the Union's rules) and the Chairman of the Debates Selection Committee, neither of whom have a vote. The Union also has two senior officers, the Senior Librarian and Senior Treasurer (generally Oxford academics but must be members of the Union) who advise the Standing Committee.

The junior officers each have specific areas of responsibility, such as debates (President), "speaker meetings" (President and Librarian), sponsorship and funding (Junior Treasurer), and social events (Secretary). The junior officers-elect spend a term preparing their area, before assuming their office.

A number of other committee run or advise the running of various aspects of the Union, including the Wines and Spirits Committee (the Union's bar), the Cellar Management Committee (responsible for liaison with the management of the Purple Turtle), the Library Committee (responsible principally for library acquisitions), the Finance Committee (which advises the Standing Committee on financial matters), and the Debates Selection Committee (who run competitive debating). Two further committees, the Secretary's Committee and the Consultative Committee, are not, despite their names, committees in the traditional sense.

The Secretary's Committee consists of nine members, elected on a termly basis in the same ballot as that for the Officer and Standing Committee, who assist at the Union's social functions, and is generally the first stage for any aspiring Union politician. Although considered a committee under the rules, it only ever meets informally, and is more akin to a group of people with a particular role, rather than a committee.

The Consultative Committee holds weekly public meetings during term time, at which members can informally question the junior officers and members of the elected committees on the performance of their duties. All members of the Union are considered members of the Consultative Committee, so meetings tend to be more like an open forum.

The Chairman of the Consultative Committee (who is elected termly, but not during the Union's main elections) is a member of Standing Committee but without voting rights, responsible for the Union's publicity, website and archives; setting up the Union's rooms for events; chairing Consultative Committee, and bringing up any matters of concern at Standing Committee.

The Returning Officer is elected from a body of Deputy Returning Oficers who are in turn nominated by the Standing Committee. He is responsible for running the Society's elections and is empowered (along with the President) to interpret the Society's constitution. It remains hotly disputed whether the Returning Officer wields disproportionate influence without an electoral mandate, or maintains an essential check and balance to the powers of the President.

The day to day management of the Union is partly conducted by professional staff, principally the Bursar and the Steward.

[edit] Past officers

Famous past presidents include:

Other officers of the Union who have achieved political success include Max Mosley, Harold Macmillan, Ann Widdecombe and Roy Jenkins.

[edit] Elections

The Union holds elections in the penultimate week of each University term, in order to allow members of the society to choose officers and committee members for the following term. The elections are held to fill the offices of President-elect, Librarian, Treasurer-elect and Secretary, as well as 5 elected positions on the Standing Committee and 9 positions on the Secretary's Committee. The election for the Chairman of the Consultative Committee is held at CC on Monday of 8th week.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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