The rules of the Oxford Union are set for a radical overhaul after sweeping changes to the society’s rulebook were revealed this week.
The reforms were being billed as the most fundamental changes to the Union’s rulebook, which currently runs to over 127 pages, in more than a decade.
Members of the debating society were due to vote on the changes at Thursday night’s debate on the American election, with the proposals expected to pass comfortably.
The list of reformed rules includes the infamous Rule 33, which sets down strict campaigning guidelines for those running in the Society’s elections. The rule essentially outlaws canvassing, stating that those running for election cannot publicise their candidacy apart from telling their “close personal friends.”
Controversy over the campaigning rules reached its peak a year ago, when the Society’s former Treasurer, Krishna Omkar, was elected as President in the Michaelmas elections only to be subsequently disqualified by an Election Tribunal and banned from ever running for election again, triggering a scandal that grabbed headlines around the world.
Ten months on, President Josh Roche announced the list of drafted changes during a press conference on Tuesday, saying he was confident that they would be passed handsomely when proposed to members.
“I have three key aims: better running of the Society, better service to its members, and a better image,” he said. “I am incredibly excited by these changes.”
He added that he hoped rewriting the rules would help boost the Society’s reputation in light of recent events.
“I know that in some quarters the Union has a bad image,” he said. “Some people believe that the Union can and will never change.
“This is our response; not in words but in deeds and on paper.”
A spokesman for the Oxford Union Society said, “We’ve essentially torn up the rulebook and started from scratch.
The proposed alterations to the Society’s electoral system are just one feature of a massive overhaul of the institution this term, with a re-introduction of ‘College Secretaries’ to improve links with Junior Common Rooms, a Members Survey and workshops for women all in the pipeline.
“I am confident that by the end of this term the Oxford Union will be in better condition than ever to meet the expectations of its Members.”
Reaction by members to the rule changes, has so far been cautiously optimistic.
Nick Coxon, a second year student at Wadham, said that he backed the changes but was unsure whether they would change the culture of the Union.
“The reforms are smart and they make sense,” said the PPEist. “But this should have happened a long time ago. For now, the Union is and remains an elitist institution.”
