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The Cambridge Union

Name: The Cambridge Union
Address: 9A Bridge Street, Cambridge, CB21UB, GB
Telephone: +441223417144
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The Cambridge Union

Defending free debate since 1815: www.cus.org

For membership enquiries: [email protected] But there's more. Open most days until after midnight.

Debates
Hosting world famous weekly debates, we have debating some of the most pressing issues of our long history, discussed by some of the most influential people in the world, and some of the best student speakers in the world, alike. Speakers
In the past few years alone Union members have met Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the legendary actors Sir Ian McKellen and Bill Nighy, comedians Dara

O'Briain and Russell Brand, and the controversial scientist and author Professor Richard Dawkins. Charitable Work
Not only does the Union provide a service to students in Cambridge, it also has multiple programmes for disadvantaged children across the UK. Through teaching public speaking and debate, the Union’s charitable aim is to promote opportunity through education - and we have ambitious plans to expand our charitable work in the future. Social Entertainment
Throughout the year we run some of the best social events in Cambridge. Our Valentines Ball is hugely popular, and we kick off May Week with the most extravagant Garden Party around. With pilates to pub quizzes, Comedy Smokers to Casino & Cocktails nights, we have something for everyone. There's something on almost every night of the week - Union membership ensures you a packed social calendar. The Orator Bar and Restaurant
Our bar is the only one to cater to the whole university, making it the perfect place to chill with friends, particularly from other colleges. Complete with plasma screens and comfy sofas, plus nightly entertainment and drinks deals. Our café is the perfect place to work or play, offering cheap, fairtrade coffee and food throughout the day in a newly-refurbished, friendly and comfortable setting. Library
Our beautiful and historic library is a great place to study and read away from college, with free Wi-Fi, newspapers, and the largest selection of borrowable fiction books outside of the University Library. Competitive Debating
Our competitive debating teams regularly compete on an international level, and in the past two years have won more competitions than any other university in Britain or Ireland. We run workshops for those interested in improving their skills, as well as for complete beginners, giving our members the chance to learn from highly experienced debaters and compete in national competitions themselves.

15/12/2024

Photos from our Winter Ball are now available! Check out the full selection here:

Photo credits: Christopher Lorde

10/12/2024

Full Committee applications for Lent 2025 are now open! Full Committee is the secondary committee of the Cambridge Union and is the first experience of the logistical side of the Union that many people have, and where all Standing Officers start off at. It's the best low-commitment way of getting involved in the Union beyond just being a member or on a subcommittee and there are a variety of departments available for application. All our departments also have ‘Heads’ who are responsible for organising who is on duty and running each department through liaising with Standing.

AUDIO-VISUAL

EVENTS MANAGEMENT

GUEST LIAISON

PHOTOGRAPHY

PUBLICITY

WELFARE

SECRETARY

You may apply to multiple departments. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis, so early applications are recommended. If you have any questions about applying to full committee, please email [email protected]. The deadline for applications is Friday 3rd January 2024 (End of Day).

Please apply via this link: https://forms.gle/W5XNJiisLzDkHcdCA

10/12/2024

Photos from the Cambridge Union Alumni Debate, 'This House Believes in the Wisdom of the Past', held on 30th November 2024. Photos taken by William Blakesley-Herbert.

09/12/2024

And that's a wrap for Michaelmas 2024!

The Standing Committee photo from the final Presidential Debate of Michaelmas term, held on 5th December 2024 proposed by outgoing president Alessio D'Angelo; 'This House Believes the West is Hypocritical Towards China'.

Find more photos and video recordings from the Michaelmas term on our Instagram, YouTube and pages to come throughout the holidays. Do look out for the Lent Term 2025 Full Committee applications, opening soon. We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Photo Credits: Nordin Catic and William Blakesley-Herbert .

04/12/2024

Following last week's interviews for the annually appointed positions of Vice President, Treasurer and Communications Officer, Standing Committee voted to reopen nominations for the position of Vice President and post-pone the decision for Treasurer.

If you so wish, you have until Sunday 6pm to apply for the position of Vice President. This will not affect any applications already made for Treasurer, which will be considered separately.

Please request an application pack from Vice President, Leonas Pausch [email protected]. The deadline for completed applications is Sunday 8th December at 6pm with interviews to happen on Monday 9th December 2024.

03/12/2024

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 🎄🥳 The welfare team has organised the final event of the term, A Christmas themed Sip ‘n Paint. To confirm attendance, please use the link provided by Wednesday 6pm. Hope to see many faces there to celebrate the end of term! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbdl9WcwoAbI6MYgDt8HYAMgG73NHEl6rPusSIt_-Nkq4-XQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

01/12/2024

We’re very excited to announce our final debate of term: ‘This House Believes The West Is Hypocritical Towards China’.

With tensions rising between the West and China, this debate examines their relationship in greater detail. China’s increasing position on the global stage has led to much criticism from Western nations; however, given Europe’s colonial past, some feel that these criticisms ring hollow.

Speakers:

-Proposition-
Alessio D’Angelo
Alessio D’Angelo is the outgoing president of the Cambridge Union. He is a third year at Jesus reading history, with a particular interest in Chinese and American history. He has spent time travelling and teaching English in China.

Professor Kerry Brown
Professor Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. He has previously worked as Senior Fellow and Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House. From 1998-2005, he worked at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing.

Steven Lynch MBE
Steven Lynch is the Executive Director of the Eastern Powerhouse, Director at Beijing to Britain and Chairman of the IoD China Group. Steven is the former Managing Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in China.

-Opposition-
Benedict Rogers
Benedict Rogers is the co-founder and a trustee of Hong Kong Watch, and served as its Chief Executive until recently. He is also an advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and the Stop Uyghur Genocide Campaign, and author of seven books. He is the recipient of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit’s award for Champion of Effective Advocacy.

Charles Parton
Charles Parton spent 22 years of his 37 year diplomatic career working in or on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In his final posting, he was seconded to the EU Delegation in Beijing, where, as First Counsellor until late 2016, he focussed on Chinese politics and internal developments, and advised the EU and Member States on how China’s politics might affect their interests. In 2017 he returned to Beijing as Adviser to the British Embassy to cover the CCP’s 19th Congress.

30/11/2024

We're really excited to be hosting a special Alumni Debate TONIGHT in the Chamber at 8!

At a time when technology is playing an increasingly central role in our everyday lives and calls grow for urgent reform of the House of Lords, we'll be asking whether we are losing sight of the wisdom that can be gained from tradition, time and experience. So let's debate: This House Believes in the Wisdom of the Past.

Proposition:

Lord Chris Smith

Labour MP for Islington South & Finsbury, 1983-2005; Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, 1997-2001; Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority 2007-2017; Chairman of the Environment Agency 2008-2024; Member of the HoL since 2005, Master of Pembroke College since 2015.

Tom Oliver

Tom Oliver went up to St John's College in 1983 to read history, and was on the Conservative Association committee. He was President of the Union in lent Term 1986. He ran an All-Party Parliamentary Group on conservation and was for a whole in the Conservative party candidate list. He is now a conservation farmer and land owner in Hertfordshire.

Sammy McDonald

Sammy McDonald is a third-year undergraduate student reading History at St John's College. He is currently President-Elect of the Union and the LGBTQ+ Officer for the Cambridge University Labour Club.

Opposition:

Neha Pauly

Neha Pauly is a third-year undergraduate student reading Politics and International Relations at Christ's College. She was the President of the Union in Easter Term 2024. Before Cambridge, Neha was Executive Officer-Training at the Queensland Debating Union.

Christopher Lorde

Christopher Lorde is a second-year undergraduate student reading Politics and Sociology at Christ's College. He is the Equalities Officer-Elect of the Union and the Publicity Officer for the Cambridge University Labour Club. Before Cambridge, Christopher was the National Director of Debate for the Junior State of America.

James Cater

James Cater is an undergraduate reading Natural Sciences at Gonville and Caius College. He is a Competitive Debating Officer for the Union.

This debate will begin TONIGHT in our Chamber at 8pm, and all members are welcome!

29/11/2024

Join us in the Library at 5pm TODAY, to hear from Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE and Dr Charisse Beaumont on Black Voices in the Arts.

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers is a British Ghanaian-Nigerian award-winning Actor, Musician and Composer. She recently made her West End debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Duke of York’s Theatre to critical acclaim.

Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE is a celebrated classical double bassist and Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Chineke!, a Foundation which supports and creates opportunities for Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe.

Dr Charisse Beaumont is chief executive at Black Lives in Music, an organisation that is achieving equality for Black musicians and professionals in the music industry through research and advocacy and are at the vanguard of the effort to combat racism, uniting organisations and musicians to create a truly inclusive and diverse music industry.

For their full biographies, please visit our website: https://cus.org/event/black-voices-in-the-arts-panel-event

29/11/2024

Join us in the Library at 6pm for a collaborative event with the Cambridge Geopolitics Society on Sunday 1st December.

Manas Chawla is a political risk expert and the CEO of London Politica, the world's largest political risk advisory for social impact. He has advised heads of state, UN agencies and a range of Fortune 500 companies on navigating geopolitical volatility. He is also the Director of the Oxbridge Diplomatic Academy.

An accomplished public speaker, Manas has delivered keynotes on geopolitical risk at conferences across the world. He is also a regular commentator for a range of international news broadcast programmes including CNN, BBC, CNBC and Bloomberg. Manas holds an MSc from St Antony's College Oxford, and his PhD research at the LSE explores how Big Tech actors shape the geopolitical order of the twenty-first century.

27/11/2024

The Cambridge Union is excited to announce that we will be joined by Hasan Piker on Wednesday 4th December!

Hasan is one of the leading voices that bridges a young, digital generation, progressive politics, and culture.

After getting his start with The Young Turks, he began streaming on Twitch in 2018 where he became an early pioneer of live-streamed social commentary.

The show Hasan has built on Twitch now boasts over 110 million views and was the most watched channel across the platform in 2022.

We'll also be hosting a balloted meet and greet with Hasan after the main event ends - keep an eye on our social media for more details on how to sign up for it.

Please note two important details for this event:

1. NO BAGS will be allowed into the building during the event.
2. Attendees MUST be able to present their membership card upon entry. Emails will not be accepted as proof of membership.

The event will take place in our Chamber at 5pm next Wednesday. We look forward to seeing you there!

25/11/2024

We're so pleased to be hearing from renowned astrophysicist and science broadcaster Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell this Wednesday at 7pm!

Dame Bell Burnell inadvertently discovered pulsars as a graduate student in radio astronomy in Cambridge, opening up a new branch of astrophysics – work recognised by the award of a Nobel Prize to her supervisor. She has subsequently worked in many roles in many branches of astronomy, working part-time while raising a family. She is now a Visiting Academic in Oxford.

She has been President of the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society, in 2008 became the first female President of the Institute of Physics for the UK and Ireland, and in 2014 the first female President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. She was one of the small group of women scientists that set up the Athena SWAN scheme.She has received many honours, including a $3M Breakthrough Prize in 2018.

The public appreciation and understanding of science have always been important to her, and she is much in demand as a speaker and broadcaster. In her spare time, she gardens, listens to choral music and is active in the Quakers. She has co-edited an anthology of poetry with an astronomical theme – ‘Dark Matter; Poems of Space’.

This event will take place in our Chamber at 7pm this Wednesday 27th November. We look forward to seeing you there!

24/11/2024

We're very excited to host this Thursday's debate; This House Would Privatise the NHS

The NHS faces a precarious position following recent strikes, financial challenges, and criticism over waiting list lengths. After over 75 years of the NHS, this debate will examine whether its future lies in privatisation and how to address the issues it faces.

Speakers:

Proposition

Yaron Brook
Yaron Brook was the CEO of the Ayn Rand Institute for 17 years, where he is currently the Chairman of the Board. He hosts his own YouTube show, has co-authored many books on the benefits of true free markets, including his most recent In Pursuit of Wealth, the Moral Case for Finance (2017).

Leon Emirali
Leon Emirali is a former aide to the Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP, working alongside the former Health Secretary when he was Brexit Secretary and Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He previously co-founded a digital marketing agency and now advises global businesses on government relations and strategic communications.

Student speaker

Opposition:

Pat Cullen MP
Pat Cullen is the Sinn Féin Member of Parliament for Fermanagh South Tyrone since 2024. She was previously the Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing from 2021 to 2024. She has previously worked as a community nurse in West Belfast and registered psychotherapist, and led English and Welsh nurses in the first NHS strikes in the nursing union’s history in 2022.

Dr Kamran Abbasi
Dr Kamran Abbasi is the editor-in-chief of the British Medical Journal since 2021, having held various senior positions. He has previously worked in hospital medicine, in various medical specialties including psychiatry and cardiology. He is an honorary visiting professor in the department of primary care and public health at Imperial College London.

Professor Sir Terence Stephenson
Professor Sir Terence Stephenson is the Nuffield Professor of Child Health at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London and Chair of the Health Research Authority for England. He was previously chair of the UK GMC from 2015-19 and President of the UK Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2009-12.

23/11/2024

The Union is delighted to be welcoming Nobel Prize-winning Physicist and professor of atomic physics, Anne L'Huillier, to the Chamber this Monday at 2pm!

Anne L'Huillier is a Professor of Atomic Physics at Lund University in Sweden, specialising in the field of attosecond pulses. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023.

She'll be coming to the Union to deliver a lecture on 'The Route to Attosecond Light Pulses.' Her presentation will highlighting some of the key steps of the field of attosecond science.

This event will take place in the Chamber at 2pm on Monday 25th November, and is OPEN TO ALL (non-members welcome). We look forward to seeing you there!

This event was organised in collaboration with Trinity College Science Society.

21/11/2024

Little Simz at the Cambridge Union, 19-11-24.
Photo credits: Nordin Catic

18/11/2024

We're looking forward to this Thursday's debate! If you'd like to speak, student speaker auditions are open until 6pm today

As questions over the efficiency, veto power and composition of the United Nations’ Security Council grow, including proposals for African representation, this debate questions whether this structure is a key tool for maintaining international security or outdated and ineffective.

Speakers:

Proposition

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE is the Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics. She is the founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network, where she spearheads the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership, comprising women-led peacebuilding organisations in 40 countries. In 2000, she was a civil society leader and drafter of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. She previously led the first UN assessment team into Maoist cantonments in Nepal and was the first Gender and Inclusion Expert appointed to the UN’s Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors.

Evie Aspinall

Evie Aspinall is the Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, a non-partisan think tank focused on the intersection between domestic and foreign policy. She is a five-time author of the UK's most comprehensive annual survey of UK public opinion on foreign policy. She has previously worked at UN Women UK and the Future Leaders Network.

Student speaker

Opposition:

Karen Pierce DCMG

Karen Pierce DCMG is the British Ambassador to the USA. Prior to this, she served as United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2018. She has held many different positions since joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as UK’s Ambassador to Afghanistan and Chief Operating Officer of the FCO.

Jeremy Browne

Jeremy Browne is the CEO of Canning House, the UK’s leading forum on Latin America. He was the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Deane from 2005-15, and served as Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as Minister of State for Crime Prevention.

Student speaker

17/11/2024

The Cambridge Union is very much looking forward to welcoming Sarah Bonito on Friday 22nd November!

Sarah Bonito is the lead singer of Kero Kero Bonito, an art-pop trio from London, England. The trio met on an internet forum in 2013.

KKB have released one mixtape (Intro Bonito, 2014), two albums (Bonito Generation, 2016 and Time 'n' Place, 2018), one EP (‘TOTEP’, 2018) and one mini-album (Civilisation, 2021), along with singles including "Flamingo", "I’d Rather Sleep", “Trampoline” and "Only Acting".

From their inception KKB have always been focused on creating a dream vision of pop music —acknowledging its deep history while challenging the status quo. While they’ve explored nostalgic rock, kitsch pop and psychedelic experimentalism, their trademarks — subversion, idealism, craftsmanship — are ever-present across their discography.

Sarah is also a visual artist; regularly painting with acrylics on canvas. In 2022 Sarah debuted ‘Cryalot’ - a collaborative project with producer Jennifer Walton that explored darker aesthetics based around the story of Icarus. 2024 has seen Sarah explore her love for DJing; fusing influences from the UK hard dance scene & club culture with her roots in Japan.

The event will take place in the Library at 7pm. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Address

9A Bridge Street
Cambridge
CB21UB

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 11pm
Wednesday	9am - 11pm
Thursday	9am - 11pm
Friday	9am - 1am

Telephone

+441223417144

Website

http://www.cus.org/

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Videos

2/2 One from the archives: On the 7th November 2021, James Cleverly, the former Home Secretary spoke in opposition against Wes Streeting, the current Secretary of State for Health in one of our annual ‘This House Has No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government’. Find the full video on our YouTube channel, linked in bio. Follow @cambridgeunion to find Streeting’s response

1/2 One from the archives: On the 7th November 2021, Wes Streeting, the Current Secretary of State for Health debated James Cleverly, the former Home Secretary in one of our annual debates: ‘This House Has No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government’. Speaking in proposition as the former shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty, he had recently criticised the government for their cuts to Universal Credit. Find the full video on our YouTube channel, linked in bio. Follow @cambridgeunion to find Cleverley’s response, posted tomorrow.

Julian Assange addressing the Cambridge Union Chamber on the 11th November, 2015, during his residence at the Ecuadorean Embassy from 2013. The WikiLeaks founder was invited to answer questions from the Chamber following a referendum to Union members, in which 77% voted in favour of the event being held. What has been deemed the ‘biggest leak of classified material in US History’, Assange was released today, taking a plea deal with US prosecutors which will allow him to walk free after having served 62 months in a UK jail. You can find his full address, alongside Stella Assange’s more recent address to the Cambridge Union on our YouTube channel linked in the bio.

Deputy Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, explains why Labour has failed the working class. Watch the full debate on our YouTube channel. #cambridgeuniversity #politics #ukpolitics

A personal message from Nick Davis on the importance of new access memberships.

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Our Story

**Debates** Hosting world famous weekly debates, we have debated some of the most pressing issues of our long history, discussed by some of the most influential people in the world, and some of the best student speakers in the world, alike. **Speakers** In the past few years alone Union members have met Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the legendary actors Sir Ian McKellen and Bill Nighy, comedians Dara O'Briain and Russell Brand, and the controversial scientist and author Professor Richard Dawkins. **Charitable Work** Not only does the Union provide a service to students in Cambridge, it also has multiple programmes for disadvantaged children across the UK. Through teaching public speaking and debating, the Union’s charitable aim is to promote opportunity through education - and we have ambitious plans to expand our charitable work in the future. **Social Entertainment** Throughout the year we run some of the best social events in Cambridge. Our Spring Ball is hugely popular, and we kick off May Week with the most extravagant Garden Party around. But there's more. With pilates to pub quizzes, Comedy Smokers to Casino & Cocktails nights, we have something for everyone. There's something on almost every night of the week - Union membership ensures you a packed social calendar. **1815 Bar and Café** Our bar is the only one to cater to the whole university, making it the perfect place to chill with friends, particularly from other colleges. Complete with plasma screens and comfy sofas, plus nightly entertainment and drinks deals. Our café is the perfect place to work or play, offering cheap, fairtrade coffee and food throughout the day in a newly-refurbished, friendly and comfortable setting. Open most days until after midnight. **Library** Our beautiful and historic library is a great place to study and read away from college, with free Wi-Fi, newspapers, and the largest selection of borrowable fiction books outside of the University Library. **Competitive Debating** Our competitive debating teams regularly compete on an international level, and in the past two years have won more competitions than any other university in Britain or Ireland. We run workshops for those interested in improving their skills, as well as for complete beginners, giving our members the chance to learn from highly experienced debaters and compete in national competitions themselves.

The Cambridge Union

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27/11/2024

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21/11/2024

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A personal message from Nick Davis on the importance of new access memberships.

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