Monday 29th June 2026

Opinion

The Oxford Union was never about free speech

A private members’ club audacious enough to promote itself as the “last bastion of free speech”, the Oxford Union is the embodiment of Oxford exclusivity and elitism. Founded by...
Opinion Olivia-Mae Butterfield -

Oxford’s prestigious reputation deserves scrutiny

I was very close to rejecting Oxford for Exeter. While this is not why...
Opinion Saba Ahmadzadeh Noughani -

Who gets to build the future: On tech bros

While scrolling through social media, a video appeared on my feed titled “Remember who...
Opinion Nancy Locke -

Gender is what you make of it

If you ever dare to become an audacious transsexual like me, you may have...
Opinion Morwenna Stinchcombe -
Latest

Free speech and genuine questioning: Is the Oxford Union failing us?

"denied the opportunity to ask a question, I heckled Singer with disgust over the ‘soft-ball questions’."

The unbearable lightness of grieving

CW: gun violence, murder, terrorism This morning, I woke up to the news headlines about the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas:...

Why the latest BBC cuts are the most dramatic yet

Nadine Dorries, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has made no secret of her dislike for free and independent media...

Party to privilege, and privileged to party: College balls and socioeconomic exclusion

"Balls are a manifestation of the hierarchical independent school culture that persists in Oxford."

In between practicality and principle: a partial observer’s advice for the French left

"When faced with unity or annihilation, it is time to put aside minor differences, and think about ultimate aims – if not for ourselves, then for those who will suffer under the opponent’s policies."

Calorific damage

CW: calories, eating disorders Many will be aware of the public concern which erupted when the government passed legislation making it compulsory for eateries with...

Conditional allyship? Queerness and censorship in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

CW: queerphobia Many gay people go through their teenage years realising who they are and, more often than not, coming to believe that it makes...

Oxford isn’t designed to change

"Oxford is doing what it is designed to do: reconstruct and renew Britain’s elite first, act as an educational institution second."

Access fatigue at Oxford: Letting ‘them’ in and letting ‘them’ down

"...my own feelings towards outreach are a lot more complex than they were when I first started."

Oxfess: Why the fixation?

Let’s imagine it’s night-time, you’ve settled in for an early one after a long old day, and you decide to innocently scroll through the...

What’s in a name? The social inequality attached to where we go to school

"If you go to a school with a widely known ‘name’ then, whether you want it or not, people perceive it to be one of your characteristics."

Linguistic hypocrisy: Rhetoric on refugees

"Refugees are considered political problems; they are viewed as contentious, voter-dividing subjects"

Sale of Blackwell’s: The long-term defence against Amazon

"There is a certain joy at browsing the shelves and displays of independent bookstores and reflecting on the individuality of the owners."

As a Palestinian NUS delegate, I say that tolerance of antisemitism within our student spaces must end

Anas Dayeh discusses the scourge of antisemitism within the NUS and beyond, and advocates standing with Jewish students in the face of prejudice.

There Ain’t No Party Like a Conservative Party!: Oxford, the Tories, and the preparation for life without consequences

"Boris Johnson...was fresh from a degree largely spent violently drunk, destroying property, mass-vandalising and harassing staff"

Calorie labelling is not a miracle cure for obesity, it’s proof that the government has failed those with eating disorders

Displaying calorie information on menus is a step towards furthering a culture that believes food is the enemy

Leader: Oxford SU must not fail to stand against NUS antisemitism

When Shaima Dallali tweeted ‘Khaybar Khaybar O Jews … Muhammad’s army will return’, the president-elect of the National Union of Students was being explicit...

Jashn-e-Riwaj and linguistic myopia

"There is, then, a truly outrageous hypocrisy in criticising companies for choosing Urdu names and in the same breath making daily use of Arabic and Persian vocabulary loaned into Hindustani."

Layla Moran MP: Oxford University students key to repealing Vagrancy Act

"I hope the success of the campaign against the Vagrancy Act gives hope to students everywhere that they really can make a difference."

The perils of historical comparison and the dangerous origins of Putin’s ideology

"Historical comparisons can reveal potential outcomes yet no hard facts."
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