Mark Hamill, David Hasselhoff, Mary Berry, Lance Armstrong and the Prime Minister of Tibet will all speak at the Oxford Union this term, Cherwell can reveal. The full termcard will be coming to your pidge tomorrow evening, but in the meantime, here’s an exclusive preview of what to expect:
Mark Hamill – 2nd March
Known for his role as Luke Skywalker in a film trilogy set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Hamill will appear at the Union, probably to answer all your questions about Episode VIII.
Mary Berry – 7th March
Judge on The Great British Bake-off, baking innuendo queen and all-round kitchen veteran, Berry will speak at the Union in 8th Week.
Prime Minister Lobsong Sangay – 3rd Week debate, 4th February
Siding with Natalie Bennett, the Tibetan PM will face off against Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Kevin Brennan MP in a debate entitled, “This House Would Sacrifice Trade With China In Protest Of Human Rights Abuses”; certainly not one to be missed.
David Hasselhoff – 25th January
The Hoff is coming. Need we say more?
Shia LaBoeuf with Rönkkö, and Luke Turner (#ELEVATE) – 19th February
He’s no longer famous, so we’re not really sure why the Union invited him. But nonetheless, come along if you’re looking for an evening of unique performance art.
Some other noteworthy names are:
Lance Armstrong (TBC), Janet Napolitano (23rd February), Jon Ronson (31st January), Katrina Kaif, (TBC), Tim Rice (27th January), Harry Redknapp (26th January), and Boris Becker (9th March). See below for more details.
The seven debate titles, and the speakers attending them, will be as follows:
1st Week: This House Believes Holocaust Denial Should Not Be Criminalised In The 21st Century
Proposition:
Sir Richard Evans (renowned historian and author, expert witness in David Irving case)
Professor Deborah Lipstadt (Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University)
Opposition:
Professor Charles Asher Small (founder and Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy)
François de Smet (Director of Myria)
2nd Week: This House Believes Positive Discrimination Is The Best Solution To An Unequal Society
Proposition:
Lucy Drescher (Head of Parliamentary Advocacy at RESULTS UK)
Kate Kinninmont (Chief Executive of Women in Films and Television UK)
Opposition:
Sunny Hundal (journalist, lecturer, consultant, and author)
Katie Hopkins (television personality and columnist)
3rd Week: This House Would Sacrifice Trade With China In Protest Of Human Rights Abuses
Proposition:
Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay (Prime Minister of Tibetan Government in Exile)
Natalie Bennett (Leader of the Green Party)
Opposition:
Sir Malcolm Rifkind (former Defence and Foreign Secretary)
Kevin Brennan MP (Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment, and Intellectual Property)
4th Week: This House Believes Nuclear Weapons Have No Place In 21st Century Britain
Proposition:
Kate Hudson (General Secretary of CND)
Katherine Hamnett (fashion designer and CND activist)
Dr Andreas Stradis (Senior Research Fellow for Atlantic Council)
Paul Shulte (Visiting Senior Research Fellow in Centre for Science & Security Studies at Kings College London)
5th Week: This House Would Prioritise Public Safety Over The Right To Strike
Proposition:
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (Commissioner of Metropolitan Police)
Deborah Lawson (Secretary General of Voice)
Opposition:
Dr Johann Malawana (Chair of the Junior Doctors Committee)
Andy Gilchrist (former Secretary General of Fire Brigades Union)
6th Week: This House Believes The West Has No Responsibility To Take Military Action Against ISIS
Proposition:
George Galloway (former Respect Party MP for Bradford West)
John Baron MP (Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay)
Opposition:
Lt. Gen. Robert Mood (headed UN Supervision Mission in Syria in 2012)
Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb (Commander of the Field Army from 2007-2009)
7th Week: This House Believes The Obama Administration Has Been A Success
Proposition:
TBA
Opposition:
Steven Erlanger (Bureau Chief for New York Times in London)
Mallory Factor (FoxNews contributor, political commentator)
Must Rhodes Fall? panel (19th January, 8pm), featuring:
Professor Richard Drayton (Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King’s College London)
Professor William Beinart (Professor of Race Relations at University of Oxford African Studies Centre)
Yasmin Kumi (President of Oxford University Africa Society)
Sophia Cannon (Social Justice and Political Commentator and Barrister)
Ntokozo Qwabe (RMF representative)
Athinangamso Esther Nkomo (RMF representative).
David Hasselhoff (25th January, 8pm)
Prolific TV, music, and film personality
Harry Redknapp (26th January, 8pm)
Former Premier League football manager
Deborah Meaden (27th January, Time TBC)
Highly successful businessperson, with a reported £40m fortune. Also known for appearances on the TV show Dragon’s Den
Sir Tim Rice (27th January, Time TBC)
Award-winning lyricist responsible for some of the most iconic productions of all time
Thorbjørn Jagland (29th January, 8pm)
Secretary General for Council of Europe
Jon Ronson (31 January, 5pm)
Best-selling author
Gabrielle Aplin (time and date TBC)
English singer-songwriter
Irina Bokova (1st February, 8pm)
Director-General of UNESCO
Laurence Fox (time and date TBC)
Actor best known for role in ITV crime drama Lewis
HSH Prince Hans-Adam II (5th February, 8pm)
Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein
Len McCluskey: ‘Jeremy Corbyn: Blast from the past or leader of tomorrow?’ (9th February, 8pm)
General Secretary of Unite
Marina and the Diamonds (10th February, 8pm)
Chart-topping musician
Jon Favreau: ‘Life as Obama’s Speechwriter’ (13th February, 6pm)
Barack Obama’s Director of Speechwriting
Tariq Ali (15th February, 8pm)
Writer, journalist, activist, and filmmaker
Dame Zaha Hadid (16th February, 8pm)
Award-winning architect of global prominence
Robin Hood Debate: Should Big Taxpayers Be Treated As Treasured Customers Or Cheats? (17th February, 8pm)
Speakers TBA
Shia LaBeouf, Rönkkö, and Luke Turner (19th February, 8pm)
Performance artists. #ELEVATE
Isa Mustafa (22nd February, 8pm)
The Prime Minister of Kosovo
Janet Napolitano (23rd February, 12pm)
US Secretary of Homeland Security 2009-2013, and current President of University of California
Bertie Ahern (24th February, 5pm)
Former Prime Minister of Republic of Ireland
Dr Jill Stein (24th February, 8pm)
Most successful female presidential candidate in US history, for the Green Party in 2012
Frances de la Tour (25th February, 8pm)
Star of stage and screen
Gloria Steinem (26th February, 8pm)
Feminist, journalist, and activist
Professor Tariq Ramadan and Maryam Namazie (29th February, 8pm)
Discussing Islam in Europe today
Mark Regev (1st March, 8pm)
Israeli Ambassador to the UK
Edwin Van Der Sar (2nd March, 5pm)
Former footballer with Fulham, Ajax, Juventus, and Manchester United
Mark Hamill (2nd March, 8pm)
Actor best known for portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series of films
Mary Berry (7th March, 8pm)
English cook, food writer, and television presenter. Judge on The Great British Bake Off
Craig David (8th March, 5pm)
R&B superstar making headlines with a retro comeback for 2016
Michael Lynton (8th March, 8pm)
CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc., Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Boris Becker (9th March, 5pm)
Former tennis World No. 1
Pedro Passos Coelho (9th March, 8pm)
Former Prime Minister of Portugal, and current Leader of the Opposition
Bernard Arnault (time and date TBC)
Chairman and CEO of LVMH
Lord Patten (10th March, 5pm)
Chancellor of Oxford University, former Governor of Hong Kong and Chairman of the BBC Trust
Tom Odell (10th March, 8pm)
Chart-topping English singer-songwriter; he will be performing.
Katrina Kaif (time and date TBC)
One of the highest paid Bollywood stars
Charles Michel (8th Week; time and date TBC)
Prime Minister of Belgium
Antonis Samaras (time and date TBC)
Former Prime Minister of Greece
Ali Babacan (time and date TBC)
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
Sir John Hurt (time and date TBC)
Prominent television and film actor
Lance Armstrong (time and date TBC)
Former professional road racing cyclist at the centre of drug investigation in the sport
Prince Bandar Bin Sultan (time and date TBC)
Former Saudi Ambassador to the United States
President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (Time and Date TBC)
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The Union stated, “We are delighted with the events and speakers visiting the Union this term, and we hope members can agree that we have a unique and exciting collection of evenings awaiting us in the weeks ahead. Represented here are an incredible number of former or current heads of states, and even more individuals who have shaped, or are shaping, the world around us. Every Union committee strives to consistently offer the best lineup of events and speakers in Oxford, drawing global interest and engagement, and we are proud to continue this tradition going into Hilary Term 2016. We look forward to welcoming members new and old to many of our events here this term.”
