Cherwell brings you the official Oxford Union speaker list for Trinity Term. Here’s the full termcard, including debates, and information on each speaker to whet your appetite.
Debates
Week 1 – This House Would Never Be An MP
Week 2 – This House Embraces Sex Work as a Career Choice
Week 3 – This House Believes that the Tobacco Industry is Morally Reprehensible
Week 4 – This House Would End the State’s Preferential Treatment of Religion
Week 5 – This House Believes Britain Owes Reparations to her Former Colonies
Week 6 – This House Believes the European Union Should Do More to Further World Peace
Week 7 – This House Would Rather Be Witty Than Pretty
Speakers
Nicola Benedetti
Scottish classical violinist and former winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year, Benedetti has released several albums, toured extensively and even played at the Last Night of the Proms.
Peter Thiel
Entrepreneur, hedgefund manager and founder of PayPal, Thiel is a leading voice in the technology sector. Alongside other philanthropic pursuits, his foundation supports research into anti-ageing and longevity.
Mark Webber
Ex-Formula One driver who retired from the sport in 2013. In the latter years of his F1 career, he drew media attention for his feisty relationship with team mate and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
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Antony Jenkins
Jenkins is the Group Chief Executive of banking group Barclays, and an almunus of Oxford University having studied PPE here.
Dynamo (Steven Frayne)
Magician who (as our video shows) apparently walked on water across the Thames. He currently stars in his own TV show, Dynamo: Magician Impossible.
Piers Morgan
Journalist, chat show host, and all round TV personality, Piers Morgan is currently editor-at-large at Mail Online. But who can forget his interview with Alex Jones?
Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank came to fame for her role in Boys Don’t Cry, winning herself an Oscar in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, five years later Swank won her second Academy Award for Million Dollar Baby.
Simon Armitage CBE
Poet, playwright and novellist, Armitage has a string of awards to his name including the Ivor Novello Award and the Hay Medal for Poetry.
Ivan Massow
Financial services entrepreneur and gay rights campaigner, Massow was the first candidate to declare his candidacy for the 2016 London Mayoral Election, in November 2014.
Jacqueline Gold
Gold is the Group Chief Executive of lingerie chains Ann Summers and Knickerbox, and is the 16th richest woman in Britain.
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Rodrigo y Gabriela
Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have produced several albums, performed for Barack Obama and collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack.
Diane Kruger
Having modelled for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton, Kruger turned to acting where she played Helen in the 2004 epic Troy.
Bill Maher
HBO chat show host Maher is famed for his satirical views and opinions on topics such as political correctness and religion. Famously in 2007 Maher confronted 9/11 conspiracy theorists in his audience and demanded they be ejected from his show.
Rebiya Kadeer
Kadeer is an ethnic Uyghur businesswoman who became a millionaire through her real estate holdings. She was arrested in 1999 by the Chinese government and since her release in 2005 has campaigned for Uyghur separatist organisations.
Brian Lara
Lara is a former West Indian batsmen who holds the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, having hit 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham.
Alexandra Shulman
Keeping a fashion industry presence in the termcard, editor-in-chief of the British edition of Vogue will be speaking at the Union in Trinity. Alongside her role as editor, Shulman has written columns for both The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
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HRH Princess Michael of Kent
First cousin to reigning monarch Elizabeth II, HRH Princess Michael is also an interior designer and author.
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Ella Woodward
Blogger who started writing about healthy foods after she was diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, Ella Woodward is a considerable online presence and advocate of whole foods and plant-based diets.
Eric Whitacre
Whitacre is an American conductor and composer who won a Grammy in 2012 for his album Light & Gold. Whitacre has created several ‘virtual choirs’ formed of people from around the world performing together over the internet.
KISS
Formed by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, KISS is an American hard-rock band famous for their on-stage personas and makeup.
Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie is an English actress who has starred in Bridget Jones’ Diary, Calendar Girls, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She also won the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in Acorn Antiques: The Musical.
D’banj
Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo is a Nigerian singer-songwriter best known for his 2012 hit ‘Oliver Twist’ which reached the top ten in the UK singles chart.
His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch
His All Holiness Bartholomew I is the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world. He has had a large international presence, including helping to rebuild Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Eastern Bloc after the collapse of Communism in 1990.
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Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith is the Conservative MP for Richmond and former editor of The Ecologist. Goldsmith faced an investigation into his election expenses by Channel 4 in 2010.
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Lord Michael Dobbs
Lord Dobbs is a Conservative politician, author and alumnus of Christ Church. Before working for the Conservative Party, Lord Dobbs attained a PhD in nuclear defense studies from Tufts University, Massachusetts. Alongside his political career, Lord Dobbs is most famous for writing the novel House of Cards.
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Warwick Davis
Having played the Ewok Wicket in Star Wars and Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter, Warwick Davis has starred in a number of television shows and films. In 2011, he played himself in Life’s Too Short, a comedy series written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and is due to appear in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Alex Miller (VICE Global Editor)
Miller was promoted to global head of content and editor-in-chief of Vice magazine in February 2015. Before working for Vice, Miller began his career working at NME.
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The Union’s termcard will feature 40 percent female speakers, which equals the highest ever proportion of women speaking at the Oxford Union (matching Michaelmas 2014’s termcard).
For the first time in over two years, every debate will feature a female guest speaker. Five debates will include BME speakers, and three will have as many or more women speaking than men.
Warwick Davis has been confirmed to speak on 8th June, as part of a partnership with disabilities charity Scope which last term saw Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte speak at the Union.
Piers Morgan has also confirmed that the title of his talk will be ‘Piers vs Oxford Brats, No Holds Barred’.
