Events of The Society
The Union puts on a wide variety of events for its members, but is best known for its Thursday night debates and individual speaker events. In both of these, leading figures from public life are invited to discuss something of interest to the membership.
Debates in the past year have seen such figures as Andrew Mitchell, David Blunkett and Nigel Farage discussing the merits of the coalition government, Max Mosley debating whether the British press have too much freedom and Max Clifford discussing reality TV. The motion for a week's debate varies widely, and often touch on politics, science, the arts, religion, the economy and comedy. Generally, the proposition and opposition sides of a debate each have three speakers, with speeches alternating between the two sides. Before the last speech on each side, the debate is opened up to the floor, where any member can have their say and question either side. Those watching then vote by exiting the chamber through one of three doors: "Ayes", "Noes" or "Abstentions", with the result announced moments later in the bar.
Recent individual speaker events have included Ken Livingstone, former BP CEO Tony Hayward, comedienne Jo Brand, actor Bill Nighy, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, the first democratically elected President of Iraq Jalal Talabani, Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi and UN weapons inspector Hans Blix
The Union also puts on a wide range of social entertainments for its members, including yoga & pilates, comedy evenings, an annual Valentine's Ball, a summertime 'Garden Party', cocktail workshops, a weekly pub quiz and much more.
Read more about this topic: Cambridge Union Society
Famous quotes containing the words events and/or society:
“Whatever events in progress shall disgust men with cities, and infuse into them the passion for country life, and country pleasures, will render a service to the whole face of this continent, and will further the most poetic of all the occupations of real life, the bringing out by art the native but hidden graces of the landscape.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“There are souls that are incurable and lost to the rest of society. Deprive them of one means of folly, they will invent ten thousand others. They will create subtler, wilder methods, methods that are absolutely DESPERATE. Nature herself is fundamentally antisocial, it is only by a usurpation of powers that the organized body of society opposes the natural inclination of humanity.”
—Antonin Artaud (1896–1948)