Union Matters
She joined as a fresher last Michaelmas. A year on, the Oxford Union’s Secretary knows the scandals and the frustrations as well as anyone. Here’s why she keeps going back, and why she’d still tell you to join.
I suspect a lot of you sometimes hate the Union.
I came to Oxford excited, intrigued, intimidated. I didn’t really know the Union’s reputation on the ground, but I was enthusiastic to join nonetheless. As of today, I’ve been in the Union for over a year, and my understanding of the institution has changed drastically.
I used to use the Oxford Union debates online to train myself to be better. To develop better reasoning and logic, and to expose myself to different worldviews. Despite everything, it has played an immeasurable part in who I am today, and I believed I owed it to the institution that inspired me to even consider applying to a place like Oxford to get involved and contribute to the society.
In complete honesty, I don’t know how confident I am in creating the changes I wish for alone, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying, or stop supporting an institution that has hosted some of the greatest debates in the world. I know I’m not alone when I say millions of people around the world would wait excitedly and listen in, if the Union had a meaningful cause to champion.
As a ‘hack’, I’m familiar with the discontent surrounding the institution, and it exists with good reason. There hasn’t been a single term (since I joined as a fresher last Michaelmas) where the Union wasn’t embroiled in a scandal or making headlines for infamous reasons more than famous ones. And I do believe the people involved with the Union must try harder. Not in the sense that people don’t ‘work hard’ (a concerning number of people have had to pull 12-hour shifts or overnight lock-ins), but in the sense that we require a more concerted effort: to stand up for beliefs, to champion ideas people wish to be discussed, and to think of the institution before what the institution can do for you. And for all the people that continue to buy membership, show up to events and donate to the cause, I do believe this can happen.
At the heart of this, we cannot forget the Union is a student-run institution. From the elected officers to those who monitor situations on the ground, I cannot emphasise enough what an achievement it is that the Oxford Union has stood strong and continues to do so. For over two centuries, what began as a small room of students interested in talking about ideas the University then shied away from has become a living symbol of the power of free speech and a representation of student engagement within a larger democratic machinery.
I do not wish to comment on what has been done wrong or what has been handled well, but I do think it is vital that we recognise the achievement the Union is, in and of itself.
I remember how intimidated I was when I joined, seeing so many moving parts and so many people who, though equally committed, viewed the place and the direction it should go in so differently. And a year later, I feel the same way. As much as I hold deep respect and appreciation for the place, I have felt rejections, disappointments and, frankly, frustration several times over the course of my tenure here.
Nonetheless, I keep going back. I keep attending debates, getting involved and speaking when I can. I think I have reached a point in life where the decision is clearer to me than ever. You can love what the Union stands for and still feel deep discontent. Like a love-hate relationship, perhaps, where you can care for the perks, the chance to meet some of your idols or study in a fancy library, but also feel upset about an invitation or the eventual hack message.
If someone were to ask me now whether they should join the Oxford Union, I would still say yes. If someone were to ask me if I am happy with the Oxford Union, perhaps that’s a longer conversation. But it’s a conversation that needs to be had nonetheless. We have hosted some of the greatest debates in history. I still frequently quote “No wonder the sun never set on the British Empire, because even God couldn’t trust the English in the dark.” Probably more than I should, actually. I still meet people excited to see the Union in person after having heard Mehdi Hasan talk about religion, Shashi Tharoor speak about colonial reparations or Ronald Reagan speak of ‘Democracy’s Next Battle’. And I see the excitement, and as easy as it is to sit back and complain and talk about how the Union ‘fell off’, it’s even more important that we stay committed to the principles that created this institution in the first place and aspire to do better.
You can hate what the Union is or does, but you must not hate what it stands for, and what it can become.
Because we are here now, and I am sure we can all do better. It is always better to stand and fall, rather than to not stand for something at all and watch it all fall down.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
Desmond Tutu
The burden falls on all of us, so do not hesitate to get involved. There has never been a better time.
Saara Lunawat is a second-year Law student at St John’s College and Secretary of the Oxford Union. She writes in a personal capacity.