COPRESIDENTS WELCOME
Dear All,
First and foremost, welcome to all new students matriculating and welcome back to all others To new students, we know the anticipation of your start at this University has been long, and there is so much for you to take and in and participate in. That being said, we hope you can take a minute to browse our termcard, maybe chose an event to attend and become part of the OxfordSpeaks community To all those returning, we know the Vac has been long. Whether this is something you adored, or you are happy it is over and you are finally back, we look forward to counting on your continued support in our mission of creating an intellectual and open space in which our speakers can engage with our students - and this includes allowing our students to question and challenge them
The principles of intellectual freedom and free speech have been increasingly under attack in our current day and age. Despite this, these principles serve as the cornerstones of OxfordSpeaks’ ethos. By hosting speakers of wildly different persuasions and beliefs, and allowing them share their perspectives with students, we hope to empower students to be catalysts of knowledge, progress, and positive change, fostering a diverse environment where open, respectful discussion thrives
OxfordSpeaks has been working hard over the summer to collate an exciting list of speakers fitto captivate a both new and old audiences at Oxford - and we are proud to present our MT24 term card Featuring a debate panel on electoral reform; joint events with the Oxford Union, Labour, and Liberal societies; and over 10 speaker events hosted by us, we hope that there is an event to suit everyone. Among others, we look forward to hearing from the new geopolitics editor of the Economist magazine, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, the former First Minister of Wales, a leading international relations scholar, and the former head of the Liberal Democrat Party
We would like to give a special thank you to the whole of our wonderful OxfordSpeaks Committee. Thank you for putting up with the incessant WhatsApp messages from either of us at ungodly hours, replying with such enthusiasm, and for sacrificing parts of your summer with the society. We truly appreciate it.
Best wishes for MT24,
Hari Reilly-Singh Levana Harris Co-Presidents of OxfordSpeaks 2024-25
THE OXFORDSPEAKS STORY
OxfordSpeaks was founded in Michaelmas of 2023 by our co-Founders Sam Zia and Sophia Li, along with a handful of other committee members. Astonishingly, within a year of creation the society has grown into the large and active society which is now presenting its Michaelmas 2024 Term Card
OxfordSpeaks, entirely run by Undergraduate and Graduate students, now has 2k+ members within the University, has hosted 50+ events and has had the honour to interview and facilitate discussion with a wide range of speakers, including:
Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Ai WeiWei (Artist and Human rights activist)
Juan Manuel Santos (former President of Columbia (2010-2018) and Novel Prize Winner)
Ehud Olmert (former Prime Minister of Israel (2006-2009))
Mustafa Barghouthi (Leader of the Palestinian National Initiative)
Baroness Hale of Richmond (former President of the UK Supreme Court (20172020))
Lord Michael Heseltine (former Deputy PM of the UK)
Shirin Ebadi (Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Prize Winner)
Daren Acemolgu (Economist and Political Scientist)
Ali Maisam Nazary ((NRF) Afghan Foreign Minister)
Now, a year into being active, OxfordSpeaks has a committee dedicated to organising events which 150-500 students attend, sponsorships and reaching out to speakers. Working hard over the Vac, they are now happy to present the Michaelmas 2024 Term card, and hope that more people will join to help create this years Hilary and Trinity Term cards and beyond.
WEEK 1 WEEK 2
MONDAY 14TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH WRITER, HISTORIAN AND JOURNALIST
OWEN MATTHEWS
LOCATION: HABAKKUK ROOM, JESUS COLLEGE TIME: 5PM-7:30PM
THURSDAY 17TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH FORMER SHADOW ATTORNEY GENERAL, BARONESS SHAMI
CHAKRABATI - IN COLLABORATION WITH OULA
LOCATION: SHIP STREET THEATRE, SHIP ST TIME: 5PM
THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH JOURNALIST ZEINAB BADAWI
LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION FORMER LEADER OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, SIR VINCE CABLE - IN COLLABORATION WITH OXFORD UNIVERSITY LIBERAL ASSOCIATION
LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
WEEK 3 WEEK 4
MONDAY 28TH OCTOBER
ELECTORAL REOFRM DEBATE - IN COLLABORATION WITH OXFORD
UNIVERSITY LIBERAL ASSOCIATION LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
TUESDAY 29TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH CHAIRMAN OF MUSLIMS AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM, GHANEM NUSIEBEH LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
WEDNESDAY 30TH OCTOBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH POLITICAL SCIENTIST, JOHN MEARSHEIMER - IN COLLABORATION
WITH THE OXFORD UNION LOCATION: THE OXFORD UNION TIME: 5PM
THURSDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH ANALYST OF THE MIDDLE EAST, MOUIN RABBANI LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH MINISTER OF JUSTICE IN THE NORTHERN IRISH GOVERNMENT, NAOMI LONG LOCATION: ONLINE TIME: 6PM
MONDAY 11TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH PROFESSOR FANIA OZ - “IS THERE AN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN HOPE?”
LOCATION: TBC
TIME: TBC
TUESDAY 12TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR, PETER HITCHENS
LOCATIN TBC
TIME: TBC
THURSDAY 14TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH JOURNALIST AT ‘THE ECONOMIST’, DAVID RENNIE
LOCATION: TBC
TIME: TBC
WEEK 7
TUESDAY 26TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH BRITISH POLITICAL SCIENTIST, PROFESSOR JOHN CURTICE
LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSIONER FOR STANDARDS, DANIEL GREENBERG - “IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR STANDARDS IN UK PUBLIC LIFE?”
LOCATION TBC TIME: TBC
THURSDAY 28TH NOVEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH POLITICAL SCIENTIST AND ACTIVIST, NORMAN FINKLESTEIN
LOCATION: TBC
WEEK 8
TUESDAY 3RD DECEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF OXFAM UK, HALIMA BEGUM LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
THURSDAY 5TH DECEMBER
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH FORMER FIRST MINISTER OF WALES, MARK DRAKEFORD LOCATION: TBC TIME: TBC
OTHER EVENTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH LINGUIST AND HISTORIAN, DR JADE
MCGLYNN
LOCATION: TBC
TIME: TBC
INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION WITH CHATHAM HOUSE DIRECTOR, RUSSIAEURASIA PROGRAMME, JAMES NIXEY
LOCATION TBC
TIME: TBC
SOCIAL IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DIPLOMATIC SOCIETY
MT24 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Hari Reilly-Singh New College Co-President
Trystan Willis Wadham Speaker Outreach Director
Levana Harris Christ Church Co-President
Luca Moretto Lincoln Secretary
Sam Zia Jesus Co-Founder
Sophia Lee Jesus Co-Founder
Chelasea Cresswell New College Speaker Outreach Director
Ed Legard New College Head of Research
Martin Alfonsin Larsen St Catherine’s Speaker Outreach Director
Thomas Napier Jesus Head of Research
Joanne To Jesus Treasurer & Sponsorship Lead
Rameen Power Keble Sponsorship Officer
MON 14TH OCT
- OWEN MATTHEWS
MON 28TH OCT
- ELECTORAL REFORM
DEBATE: W/ OXUNILIBERALS
TUE 29TH OCT - GHANEM NUSIEBEH
WED 30TH
OCT - JOHN MEARSHEIMER: W/ OXFORD UNION
MON 11TH NOV
- FANIA OZ
TUE 12TH NOV - PETER HITCHENS
TUE 26TH NOV - JOHN CURTICE
WED 27TH NOV - DANIEL GREENBERG
THU 17TH
OCT - SHAMI
CHAKRABATI: W/ OULC
THU 24TH
OCT - ZAINEB BADAWI
THU 7th NOV
- MOUIN RABBANI & NAOMI LONG
FRI 25TH OCTSIR VINCE
CABLE: W/ OXUNILIBERALS
TUE 3RD DEC - HALIMA BEGUM
THU 14TH NOV - DAVID RENNIE
THU 28TH NOVNORMAN FILKENSTIEN
THU 5TH DEC - MARK DRAKEFORD
