Campus Life - Letters from Oxford University

Oxford's debating society

By Wahei Aoyama

Oxford Union の建物

On an obscure wall of the King's Arms, there is a black-and-white photograph of around 50 dignified white men dressed in black tie. It is the 150th reunion portrait of 50 former presidents of the Oxford Union, the university's self-proclaimed "world's most famous debating society." I remember looking at the photo for a minute or so, trying to count how many famous people I could recognize.

Devout Union members say the Oxford Union is no ordinary debating society. It is supposedly the pathway to prominence and power, a rite of passage for aspiring politicians and future prime ministers, a society that invites such renowned speakers as the Dalai Lama, Ronald Reagan and Mother Theresa to grace its debating halls.

It is the stereotypical embodiment of the Oxford elite, a class of students who revel in their affluent background and education, a group of people who, in many ways, grow up to rule the world. Of course, this description is more myth than fact. Yet what, then, is the Oxford Union, and why does it interest me so much?

The Union was founded in 1823, and is first and foremost a debating society that promotes discussion of topics ranging from abortion to soccer's World Cup. It quickly became the bastion of free speech within the university, an opportunity for both students and guests to voice their opinions on the pressing issues of the times.

Debates typically consist of a controversial motion, such as, "This House believes the United States is the greatest barrier to world peace." Students take turns arguing for or against the motion. At the end of the debate, the audience votes to decide the victorious side, and so determines the opinion of the Union on a particular subject. In a famous motion that was televised on the BBC in 1975, the Union passed an approval of British membership in the European Community (EC) with a sweeping 493-to-92 majority. The Oxford debate is often said to be a major influence on the national referendum result that catapulted the United Kingdom into the EC.

Yet, would you pay 160 pounds (¥30,720) to become a member of the Union? Not me. When I first came to Oxford, I had assumed that anyone could join the society for free. Unfortunately, it's expensive. Many students agree that membership isn't worth it unless one is truly fanatical about debating. Membership of the Union may give a student the prestige of belonging to an exclusive club of ambitious, intelligent young individuals, yet it is this aura of elitism that troubles me.

On the one hand, the Oxford Union is independent from the University and has no choice but to charge high fees for membership. However, many students who simply want to listen to high-quality debates, or just participate in such debates, are excluded from attending or even entering the Union. This exclusivity strikes me as both unfortunate and hypocritical, if one considers the fact that free speech is the Union's pursuit, yet free access is denied to students. I do concede that the Union's policy is inevitable when considering its circumstances, yet to become a member of a mere debating society, the price is high.

Perhaps my opinion of the Union as a "mere debating society" is mistaken. Members seriously believe the Union dramatically influences people and politics, and that their motions can change the world. It's this naive and exaggerated self-perception of the Union's place in society that fascinates me. It's a club that lets members live the Oxford high life, letting them feel important while sipping brandy and smoking cigars in private billiard rooms. More than just a prestigious debating society, the Union is a posh club for the wannabe influential. Would you pay 160 pounds to feel important?

Shukan ST: April 25, 2003

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