The Cambridge Union Society

Thea Hawlin on why the 'Yes we can' of America will never prevail without the 'I do' of its people.

It takes a lot of courage to say what you really think; it takes even more courage when you are the President of one of the most...

Holly McCann writes in proposition of this week's motion:

Britain today cannot be labelled as racist in comparative terms. Admittedly, the progress that has been made in cross-cultural relations since the height of the British Empire should not be belittled, but this does not authorise us to claim that we...

Freya Berry is an English student at Trinity College, Cambridge. She writes on the recent 'Reclaim the Night' march in Cambridge:

Fear is a customary part of a woman - any woman's - life. It is rarely discussed, this quiet dread. But often, we are afraid: to walk home...

Nicola Bartlett, an English student at Homerton College, Cambridge, writes:

Boris Johnson's election victory last week stands in stark contrast to the devastating losses for the Conservatives across the country, but it is unsurprising that London bucked the national trend. The London Mayor is unique as the only democratically...

Robert Wilson writes in favour of the motion.

This government's higher education policy can barely be said to be anything more than foolhardy. It is fiscally peculiar, damaging to equality and frankly Kafkaesque. For a society who has such major aspirations in the field of education and equality, our government's...

This week the Cambridge Union is hosting a forum on Homelessness that is open to the general public and to mark the occasion, second year History student Tom Belger spoke to Banjo Nick, a street musician, Cambridge graduate and former rough sleeper about Homelessness in Cambridge and his personal experience:.

With release of the new BBC series, The 70s, Liam McNulty, a student of Modern European History at Homerton College, Cambridge, argues against Dominic Sandbrook's idealised portrayal of the decade:

When I saw the new BBC series, The 70s, being promoted as an account of "a Britain brimming with aspiration...

Talia Robertson, a first year student studying Politics, Psychology and Sociology argues in proposition.

Anti-prostitution arguments are often couched in language implying concern for the prostitutes themselves, citing issues of exploitation, sexism, and coercion. However, these are false concerns which thinly veil the real motivation of such arguments: a simple...

Kieran Corcoran, a student of English at Selwyn College and former editor of the online student newspaper, The Tab, writes:

Our government is eating itself. By the time you read this, whatever examples I can think of will have been superseded by a new 'omnishambolic' backlash from their policy...

With the story of Tony Nicklinson's "right-to-die" case headlining British news, Paula Melendez, a historian at King's College, Cambridge, puts forward the case in favour of legalising euthanasia:

Euthanasia is one of those polarising issues like drugs, prostitution or the death penalty that generate passionate and splitting debate. And as...

Imogen Schoen writes:

This morning, listening to the radio, the first article I heard centred on gender equality. At the moment, there is debate in Hollywood about the voice-overs for trailers, which are overwhelmingly male. Production companies defend the situation, citing the suitability of 'big, deep and resonant' voices for...

Ian Sielecki writes:

At a time when Downing Street's only doubt is what type of powerful armament it will send to the Falklands, the truly essential question is whether retaining them is in fact desirable.

It is in Britain's ultimate interest to negotiate a new status quo, as...

Albert Beardow, a student of Natural Sciences at Christ's College, and Conrad Griffin, who reads History at Peterhouse, discuss tonight's debate motion for the Cambridge Union Society.

Albert writes in proposition:

It is easy to be complacent when faced with success. We've seen how bankers were happy to...

Alex Forzani, one of the Cambridge Union's Debating Officers, writes:

Four years ago it was the United States. Two years ago it was Greece. Today, it is Italy. Everyone, across the globe, is embracing, whether they like it or not, the after-effects of economic catastrophe. Yet, with much of...

Jeremy Schwarz writes:

If there is one hard and fast rule about this year's primary, it's this: there are no hard and fast rules. In fact, as the 2012 Republican primary progresses, it increasingly resembles the 2008 Democrat primary. There have been more frontrunners in this race than...

Abdullah Chaudhry and Ed Winfield debate the consequences of the Arab Spring ahead of Thursday's debate at the Cambridge Union.

Abdullah contends in proposition:

On 17 December 2010 Mohamed Bouazizi - a Tunisian vegetable seller- had his cart seized by the police and consequently set himself on fire,...

This week, Maria Dimitrova and Holly Stevenson give the student perspective on the motion which some of the greats of the fashion world will debate at the Cambridge Union this Thursday.

Holly argues in proposition:

My procrastination website of choice is the Daily Mail website. Guilty pleasures aside, its homepage...

Feminism is the topic of this Thursday's debate at the Cambridge Union. Tabatha Leggett and Anna Stansbury discuss this week's motion in anticipation of the main event.

Tabatha reads Philosophy and is a former Editor of the Cambridge University online tabloid The Tab. She writes in favour of the...

Former CUSU President Rahul Mansigani responds to the 'rejection letter' addressed to Oxford University in which Elly Nowell wrote that the institution made her feel like 'the only atheist in a gigantic monastery'.

I am sure that every Cambridge and Oxford Admissions Tutor sometimes wishes they could accept more students...

This Thursday will see the Cambridge Union holding its first debate of the 2012 Lent Term, with the motion: "This House believes the Conservatives have been unfairly demonised". David Cowan, member of the CUCA Committee, and Richard Johnson, Chair of CULC, discuss whether the Tories have been vilified unjustly.

David...