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Oxford Union attempts to entice Taylor Swift to speak

The Oxford Union on Wednesday uploaded a video of its most famous recent guest speakers edited into a rendition of Taylor Swift’s hit song ‘Shake It Off’.

The video was then tweeted to the American superstar along with the invitation “Fancy joining us in Oxford? #shakeitoff”. Swift is yet to respond to the tweet.

It has been well-received by Taylor Swift fans around the world, and features Morgan Freeman, Stephen Fry, Malala Yousafsei, Sir Ian McKellan, Piers Morgan, Sepp Blatter, Psy, A$AP Rocky and a number of other prominent recent guests.

Oxford Union President Charles Vaughan said, “We made this video to showcase some of the great speakers the Oxford Union has hosted in the past couple of years. The video took a solid week to make, so we’re glad people seem to like it!”

Swift’s busy touring schedule has been cited as her reason for not having accepted previous invitations which have been extended to her. It is yet to be seen whether the Union’s new, public strategy will pay off, but the possibility is likely to excite many members.

Lottie Ritchie, who has finished her final year of PPE at Christ Church, told Cherwell, “I can’t imagine Bridge without Taylor Swift any more, which means that my life wouldn’t be the same without her. Bringing her to the Union would give me the chance to tell her that.”

The Oxford Union’s term card for Michaelmas 2015 will be published during Freshers’ Week.

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