Oxford University Conservative Association

style="font-weight: bold" | Oxford University Conservative Association
Senior officers of the association, Michaelmas Term Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:University of CambridgeUniversity of Oxford*University of St... 2011

Founded	1924
Patron	Baroness Thatcher Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990... , Somerville College Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
Honorary President	William Hague MP William Hague William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001... , Magdalen College Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
Dean	The Rev Father David Johnson, Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
President	James Lawson, St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
President-Elect	Miles Coates, Worcester College Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
Acting Treasurer	James Price, Worcester College Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
Treasurer-Elect	James Price, Worcester College Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
Secretary	Jim Everett, Corpus Christi College Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
Political Officer	Matthew Thomson-Ryder, Corpus Christi College Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
Junior officers of the association, Trinity Term Trinity term Trinity term is the name of the third and final term of Oxford University's and the University of Dublin's academic year. It runs from about mid April to about the end of June and is named after Trinity Sunday, which falls eight weeks after Easter, in May or June.At the University of Sydney, it was... 2011
Junior Officer TBC	Nina Fischer, Corpus Christi College Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
Junior Officer TBC	Adam Wozniak, St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
Junior Officer TBC	Jonathan Smith, Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £34m....
Junior Officer TBC	Ameer Kotecha, St Peter's College St Peter's College, Oxford St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
Returning Officer	James Gillespie, Corpus Christi College Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
Home page	http: //www.ouca.org.uk/

The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

. Since October 2009, OUCA has been affiliated to Conservative Future

Conservative Future

Conservative Future, abbreviated to CF, is the youth movement of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom for members aged up to 30 years old.Founded in 1998, Conservative Future is the largest political organisation on British campuses...

, the Conservative Party

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

youth wing.

Amongst the OUCA alumni are many significant Conservative Party

Conservative Party (UK)

figures, including former Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers. Three past Presidents currently serve in the Cabinet: William Hague

William Hague

William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...

, Jeremy Hunt, and Dominic Grieve

Dominic Grieve

Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve, QC MP is a British Conservative politician, barrister and Queen's Counsel.He is the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and the Attorney General for England and Wales and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland.-Early life:Grieve was born in Lambeth, the son of...

and two others, the Home Secretary

Home Secretary

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...

, Theresa May

Theresa May

Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...

and Leader of the House of Commons Sir George Young

Sir George Young, 6th Baronet

Sir George Samuel Knatchbull Young, 6th Baronet is a British politician. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, and has served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton before...

served on the association's committee whilst undergraduates. Unsurprisingly, OUCA has traditionally been thought of in Conservative Party circles as a training ground for future leading Party figures, with many of the murky skills of student politics being directly related to the skills needed to rise in a major political party.

Past Presidents of OUCA also include Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

, Edward Heath

Edward Heath

Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....

, Jonathan Aitken

Jonathan Aitken

Jonathan William Patrick Aitken is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months...

, Lord Rees-Mogg

William Rees-Mogg

William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...

, Daniel Hannan

Daniel Hannan

Daniel John Hannan is a British journalist, author and politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists political group...

and Nick Robinson

Nick Robinson

Nicholas Anthony "Nick" Robinson is a British journalist and political editor for the BBC. Robinson was interested in politics from a young age, and went on to study a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree at Oxford University, where he was also President of the Oxford University Conservative...

. Other prominent political figures known to be former OUCA committee members or officers include Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdecombe

Ann Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...

, Ed Vaizey and the Earl of Dartmouth

William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth

William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth is a British peer and politician. He is a Member of the European Parliament for South West England representing the United Kingdom Independence Party.-Early life:...

. (Ed Balls

Ed Balls

Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....

, a former Labour Party Cabinet minister, is also an OUCA alumnus, as well as former Labour Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant

Chris Bryant

Christopher John Bryant is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rhondda since 2001...

.)

The Patron of the association is Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

and the Honorary President is William Hague

William Hague

William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...

Standing with the national Conservative Party

OUCA was, until recently, an independent organisation which was not part of the national Conservative Party or Conservative Future

Conservative Future

. Historically, relations between OUCA and the national party have been weak, for example OUCA (together with CUCA) were automatically treated as organisations separate to Conservative Future when it was founded in 1998, and after various unflattering stories in the national press, Conservative Party Central Office has traditionally been quick to distance itself from OUCA. However, as of 6 October 2009, the Association officially voted to affiliate to the Conservative Party, and is now an official representative branch of Conservative Future

Conservative Future

.

In March 2010, an Association event in support of the Oxford West parliamentary candidate, Nicola Blackwood

Nicola Blackwood

Nicola Claire Blackwood is a Conservative Party politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 election.-Political career:...

was used to launch Conservative Future's national 'Time to Get Involved Campaign' and the association was praised by the party for its campaigning efforts

OUCA members are often asked to stand for election to Oxford City Council. Most recently, Alex Stafford (President, Michaelmas 2007) stood unsuccessfully for Holywell Ward in the 2008 Oxford City Council Election achieving an 8.2% swing for the Conservatives - his brother, Gregory Stafford, now a Councillor in the London Borough of Ealing

London Borough of Ealing

The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...

, stood in the same ward in 2004 for OUCA.

Committee

OUCA is run by its officers and committee, who are elected each term.

In addition, there is a Returning Officer, responsible for the elections and for administering OUCA's internal disciplinary procedures, and from time to time, there may also be appointed non-executive officers, such as a Press Officer.

OUCA Events

OUCA events and activities vary dramatically, depending on the President and committee. However, all activities broadly follow four main routes; Port and Policy, speaker meetings, campaigning and social events.

Port and Policy

OUCA's most popular regular event is Port and Policy, where political discussion is helped along by fortified wine. Started in Trinity Term 1994, Port and Policy is usually held eight times a term on Sunday evenings in the Oxford Union

Oxford Union

The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...

. Although the format is up to the President and the Political Officer, it generally follows the lines of a set debate to start with followed by a debate with topics from the floor. This is all done in a relaxed environment with unlimited amounts of port. In May 2007 OUCA's port and Policy featured in a documentary produced for Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

titled Make Me a Tory
Make Me a Tory
Make Me a Tory is a 2007 British authored documentary film directed by Daniel Cormack for Channel 4.-Synopsis:The film opens with Daniel Cormack returning to the area of South London in which he grew up and reflecting on how the influence of that predominantly left-wing environment formed his...

. In recent terms Port and Policy has been sponsored by The Spectator

The Spectator

The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...

, who provide numerous complimentary copies of their publication, and Dow's Port who provide discounted Port. The growth in attendance at Port and Policy was featured in the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

as evidence of growing popularity for the Conservatives among students.

Speaker Meetings

One of OUCA's most high profile elements is its speaker meetings. Recently OUCA has been visited by figures such as Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

(November 2002), John Major

John Major

Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...

(April 2010), David Cameron

David Cameron

David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....

(May 2008), Nigel Lawson

Nigel Lawson

Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...

(November 2011), Michael Howard

Michael Howard

Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...

(February 2007 and June 2008) , Liam Fox

Liam Fox

Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....

, Michael Ancram

Michael Ancram

Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, PC, QC , known as Michael Ancram, is a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician. He is a member of the House of Lords, former Member of Parliament, and a former member of the Shadow Cabinet...

, Edward Leigh

Edward Leigh

Edward Julian Egerton Leigh is a British Conservative politician. He has sat in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire since 1997, and for its predecessor constituency of Gainsborough and Horncastle between 1983 and 1997...

, George Osborne

George Osborne

George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...

, Alan Duncan

Alan Duncan

Alan James Carter Duncan is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, and a Minister of State in the Department for International Development....

, John Redwood

John Redwood

John Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995...

, Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdecombe

, David Davis

David Davis

David Davis may refer to:*David Davis , Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council*David Davis , British Conservative Member of Parliament, Conservative leadership candidate in 2001 and 2005*David Davis , head of the BBC's Children's Hour*David Davis ,...

the Earl of Onslow

Earl of Onslow

Earl of Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Shropshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for George Onslow, 4th Baron Onslow. The Onslow family descends from Arthur Onslow, who represented Bramber, Sussex and Guildford in the House of Commons...

, Iain Duncan Smith

Iain Duncan Smith

George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...

, David Willetts

David Willetts

David Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...

, Oliver Letwin

Oliver Letwin

Oliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...

and Lord Patten

Lord Patten

Lord Patten may refer to:* Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, UK Conservative politician, former Secretary of State for the Environment, former Governor of Hong Kong, and former European Commission|European Commissioner...

.

The President of the Association is responsible for inviting guest speakers and organising his term's events.

Campaigning

OUCA often campaigns in local and general elections in other constituencies.

Both The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

and The Oxford Student reported OUCA's 2004 campaigning tour of southern England, led by then President Oliver Pepys (Oriel). The stories centred on the fact that the group stayed with married Tory MPs Virginia and Peter Bottomley, and woke them up in the early hours of the morning by singing Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe under their bedroom window.

During the last General Election, OUCA campaigned hard in Oxford West and Abingdon, where the Conservative candidate, Nicola Blackwood

Nicola Blackwood

Nicola Claire Blackwood is a Conservative Party politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 election.-Political career:...

, overturned the Liberal Democrat MP, Evan Harris

Evan Harris

Evan Leslie Harris is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservative Nicola Blackwood....

with a small majority.

Social events

Although the arrangements are left to the discretion of the President and the Social Secretary, they usually include a party, a garden party in Trinity term, and trips to London to visit Parliament, the theatre or gentlemans' clubs. In Trinity term there are occasionally sporting fixtures against the Oxford Union

Oxford Union

and Cambridge University Conservative Association

Cambridge University Conservative Association

The Cambridge University Conservative Association is a long-established political society going back to 1921, with roots in the late nineteenth century, as a Conservative branch for students at Cambridge University in England...

.

From time to the time the association also hosts events with Conservative think tanks and pressure groups, recently including the Freedom Association, the Army Benevolent Fund and the Adam Smith Institute.

Breakaway group

Julian Critchley

Sir Julian Michael Gordon Critchley was a British Conservative Party politician.Born in Islington, the son of a distinguished neurosurgeon, as a boy Critchley was brought up in Swiss Cottage, north London, and Shropshire, where he attended preparatory school, and later Shrewsbury School...

described OUCA on his arrival at Pembroke in 1951 – despite its 2,000 members, "It was dominated by a patrician clique who preserved their power by preventing the membership at large from electing officers of the Association. These were chosen by the Committee which, although directly elected, was easily open to manipulation." – Critchley and Michael Heseltine

Michael Heseltine

Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...

, defeated in their bids for OUCA office, set up a rival Conservative society, the Blue Ribbon Club.

Dissolution and Merger of the Oxford University Tory Reform Group

In 1965 a group of OUCA members formed the Oxford University Tory Reform Group, pre-dating the national Tory Reform Group

Tory Reform Group

The Tory Reform Group is a group aligned to, but independent of, the British Conservative Party, that works to promote the values of the One Nation Tory vision...

organisation. The OUTRG acted as a One Nation Conservative pressure group in Oxford, although had a substantially smaller membership than OUCA. However due to decline in interest, the national Party's shift towards a more moderate conservatism, and the decline of faction in OUCA the OUTRG voted to disband and merge with OUCA during Michaelmas term 2007.

In an email to OUTRG members, its President Luke Connoly reported that an extraordinary general meeting held at the Lamb and Flag public house at 3pm on 18 November 2008 unanimously voted to dissolve the OUTRG as of midday Saturday 8th week (1 December 2007) and to merge with OUCA. He cited falling attendance and a belief that OUCA had "genuinely become more liberal". He added that "Being a broad political society as it is, and containing all wings of conservative political thought as it does, there will always be OUCA members to the ‘right’ of the political spectrum, but there will also always be OUCA members on the TRG side of the political spectrum. Being as they will be now within one organisation, it will make debate between wings of the party much easier and more productive."

Later in the year, Douglas Hurd, a patron of the national TRG move lamented the disbanding of the Oxford Branch, saying that "Is very important that the One Nation view is powerfully represented."

OUCA in the Media

A Channel 4

Channel 4

documentary entitled Make Me a Tory

Make Me a Tory

Make Me a Tory is a 2007 British authored documentary film directed by Daniel Cormack for Channel 4.-Synopsis:The film opens with Daniel Cormack returning to the area of South London in which he grew up and reflecting on how the influence of that predominantly left-wing environment formed his...

aired on Sunday May 13, 2007 and produced by Daniel Cormack included footage from one of OUCA's Port and Policy meetings. The programme also included an interview with party leader David Cameron

David Cameron

and was described by its promotional material as 'an accessible and genuinely revealing look
at the political movers and shakers who form the future of the Conservative party'

In Trinity Term 2010 just over a week before the 2010 General Election, the Oxford Mail reported John Major's visit to the association. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...

newspaper subsequently reported the event and criticised the Oxford Student newspaper for their 'anti-Tory' coverage.

In Hilary Term 2011, Courtney Love

Courtney Love

Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...

attended a Port and Policy event. In the course of the evening she contributed to the debate, joined the association and the President appointed her Non-Executive Officer for Rock and Roll.

Accusations of Racism

In 2000 four OUCA members were expelled from a meeting 'for making "Nazi-style salutes."'

It was claimed by the left-wing New Statesman

New Statesman

New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....

that a member of the OUCA committee at the University's 2001 Fresher's Fair greeted new students by saying:

"Welcome to OUCA - the biggest political group for young people since the Hitler Youth."

Another senior member of the group was thrown off OUSU's executive for 'marching up and down doing a Nazi salute.'

An ex-treasurer of the association was found guilty of bringing OUCA into disrepute 'after posting "offensive" comments about India in a newsletter'.

There was condemnation from two senior OUCA members following an incident in 2007 where a drunken member gave a Nazi-salute at a meeting attended by a former Tory MP.

The most damaging incident came in 2009 following an OUCA hustings where two candidates made racist jokes following encouragement from some other members in attendance. The incident led to national media coverage and an investigation by the University. This resulted in Oxford University severing links with the association, banning it from using the university's name in its title. This led to OUCA temporarily becoming 'OCA' (Oxford Conservative Association). As a result of the incident, two members were expelled from the national Conservative party and the Oxford Union

Oxford Union

temporarily banned OUCA from using its premises for hustings

In 2011, members were criticised for singing a song glorifying the Nazis with the lyrics "Dashing through the Reich / in a black Mercedes Benz / killing lots of kike / ra ta ta ta ta." The alleged incident occurred in 2010. Current and former members of the association have strongly criticised this incident, with some members resigning, and the university has once again launched an investigation into the society as a result of the reports.

Accusation of sexism

In 2008 OUCA was accused of using 'sexist publicity material' by the Cherwell

Cherwell (newspaper)

Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...

and was criticised by a member of the OUSU executive. The poster in question depicted 'an attractive young woman above the caption "Life is better under a Conservative".'

Recent Presidents

For a complete list of Presidents dating back to 1924, see Former Presidents of Oxford University Conservative Association

Former Presidents of Oxford University Conservative Association

This is a list of former Presidents of the Oxford University Conservative Association.-External links:***OUCA termcards held at the New Bodleian Library, The Broad, Oxford, 1995-2010...

Year	Term	President	College

2009	Hilary	Niall Gallagher	Worcester College Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
2009	Trinity	Anthony Boutall	St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
2009	Michaelmas	Alexander Elias	Pembroke College Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
2010	Hilary	Oliver Harvey	Christ Church Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
2010	Trinity	Natalie Shina	St. Peter's College St Peter's College, Oxford St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
2010	Michaelmas	Andrew Mason	University College University College, Oxford .University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
2011	Hilary	Henry Evans	Corpus Christi College Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
2011	Trinity	Joe Cooke	Oriel College
2011	Michaelmas	James Lawson	St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...

General references

Anthony Berry and Douglas Wilson (eds.) with a foreword by the Rt. Hon. Anthony Eden, Conservative Oxford (Oxford University Conservative Association, Oxford, 1949) OCLC: 67886997
Martin Ceadel, "The 'King and Country' Debate, 1933: Student Politics, Pacifism and the Dictators The Historical Journal, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Jun., 1979), pp. 397–422 Jstor link

External links

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