Former Prime Minister David Cameron, Dr Anthony Fauci, Hong Kong activist Nathan Law, and footballer Mo Salah are among the speakers on the Oxford Union’s termcard.
David Cameron will be appearing in-person. Since overseeing the Brexit referendum, he has published a memoir, For the Record, and held various advising and consulting positions.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is an advisor for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, providing recommendations on public health for the United States. In his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he has advised the government on HIV/AIDS, the swine flu, Ebola, and now COVID-19.
Several prominent activists have been invited to speak, including Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Derrick Johson, President of the NAACP. The Union is also holding its first ever Black History Month debate, with the proposition, “This house is not proud to be British”.
Speakers with ties to activism in China are also abundant. Nathan Law is a student activist who organised the 2014 Umbrella Movement before fleeing Hong Kong after the 2020 National Security Law. Chai Ling was a leader at the Tiananmen Square Protest Leader who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Finally, the Hon. Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma is a Senior Hong Kong Judge.
Prominent businesspeople include Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, and Alex Cruz, CEO of British Airways.
Mo Salah, considered to be one of the best footballers in the world, accompanies other athletes including Osi Umenyiora, former American football player for the Giants, and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a Paralympian for Great Britain.
There is a formidable list of US politicians, including John Kasich and Carly Fiorina , both former Republican presidential candidates; Julian Castro, a Democratic presidential candidate; and former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose reputation was damaged by the “Bridgegate” scandal.
16 speakers will be in-person, as will the LGBTQ+ panel and all debates but one. Events will be held in the debating chamber at reduced capacity and a one-way system will be put in place. Tickets for in-person events will be released on Fixr to avoid crowded queuing, and the recordings will be released on YouTube shortly afterwards.
Beatrice Barr, President of the Oxford Union, stated to Cherwell: “I’m thrilled with the efforts of our committee to put together such an exciting series of events this term, in keeping with our commitment to engage in forward-thinking and responsible conversations. We’re lucky to be able to bring our members a programme of both in-person and online events, in line with government guidelines – though we are, of course, ready for everything to change at very short notice! I hope that members old and new will take advantage of everything the Union has to offer this term, in whatever way they feel comfortable.”
Additionally, the Union Bar and Library will be open, both operating at reduced capacity. The library may be booked online in advance for morning and afternoon slots. The bar will abide by government guidelines on hours and social distancing, with measures including table service only and an order-ahead app.
While the membership fee has not changed, it has not increased as it usually does year-on-year.
DEBATES
This house has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government
This house is not proud to be British (Black History Month debate)
This house believes America is a failed state
This house believes the scientists have let the public down
This house would sell out
This house believes the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house
This house believes there is no future for the free press
This house believes the Labour Party has turned its back on the working class
LIST OF SPEAKERS
0th Week
Sir Mark Sedwill – Former Head of the Civil Service
Amb. Dame Karen Pierce – British Ambassador to the USA
1st Week
Amb. João Vale de Almeida – EU Ambassador to the UK
John Simpson CBE – Veteran Broadcaster
Reeta Chakrabarti – Journalist and BBC Newsreader
Gloria Allred – Leading Women’s Rights Attorney
Alastair Campbell – British Journalist and Political Strategist
2nd Week
Chai Ling – Tiananmen Square Protest Leader
Martin Lewis OBE – Founder of MoneySavingExpert.com
John Podesta – Former White House Chief of Staff
Osi Umenyiora – American Football Player
Ken Burns – Documentary Maker
3rd Week
Dave Franco – Actor and Director
Prof. Leslie Thomas QC – Barrister representing family of Mark Duggan
Scott Mills – Radio 1 presenter
Frank Gardner OBE – BBC Security Correspondent
Andrew McCabe – Former FBI Director
General H. R. McMaster – Former National Security Adviser
4th Week
Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson – Team GB Paralympian and Presenter
Robert Icke – Director of 1984 and Oresteia
Billy Bragg – Singer Songwriter and Activist
Fiorina Carly – Former Republican Presidential Candidate
Dr Anthony Fauci – White House COVID-19 Advisor
Prof. William Easterly – Economist
5th Week
Daniel J. Jones – Exposed CIA torture
Governor John Kasich – Former Republican Presidential Candidate
Governor Chris Christie – Former Governor of New Jersey
6th Week
The Hon. Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma – Senior Hong Kong Judge
Derrick Johnson – President of the NAACP
Cecile Richards – Former President of Planned Parenthood
Alicia Garza – Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter
Carlo Cottarelli – Economist
Susan Wojcicki – CEO of YouTube
Rachael Denhollander & Maggie Nichols – Former American gymnasts who brought down Larry Nassar
Prof. Gita Gopinath – Chief Economist at the IMF
7th Week
Mohamed Salah – Egyptian Footballer
Lt. Com. Pete Reed OBE – Team GB and OUBC Rower
Julián Castro – Former Democratic Presidential Candidate
Michael Wolff – American Author and Journalist
Alex Cruz – CEO of British Airways
8th Week
Nathan Law – Hong Kong Democracy Activist
Robert Peston – Political Journalist
Rafał Trzaskowski – Mayor of Warsaw
The Hon. Mamata Banerjee – Chief Minister of West Bengal
TBC
The Rt. Hon. David Cameron – Former Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto Memorial Lecture
Image credits: Number 10; PublicResource.org; Kirill Venediktov, Wikimedia Commons; Michael Vadon; TechCrunch
