A FORMER Wellington College student has taken up a prestigious role within one of the world’s leading universities.
Christopher George, brought up in Twickenham, is the new president of the Cambridge Union, the world’s oldest debating society.
He is also the first student from Wolfson College, a college for postgraduates and undergraduates over the age of 21, to hold the post in the Union’s 207-year history.
Founded in 1815, The Cambridge Union prides itself on defending Free Speech.
Christopher said that: “Free speech has been seen as a right-wing issue for too long. It’s a crucial tool for democracy and progress; It is the foundation upon which a marketplace of ideas is built.
“The goals of progress and democracy continue by ensuring people can exchange, challenge, and be challenged by ideas, a space where different sides can come together, and disagreement is accepted and expected.”
Christopher grew up in St Margarets, attending Wellington College in Crowthorne and studying at UC Berkeley before reading History at Cambridge
Now in his final year, he is focussing his efforts on a dissertation on ethnic conflict in Bosnia, as well as his involvement in the college rugby team.
Joining the Union in his second term, Christopher has just completed a stint as debate officer and he is excited to get going in his new role.
“Over the last two years I’ve been lucky enough to work with an incredible team,” he said.
“It’s been a privilege working with so many hard-working students who give up days, if not weeks, each term to make this place something special. I love the job, I love working with the people, I love what we do.”
As president of the union, he leads a team of more than 100 students from Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities.
Other responsibilities include overseeing the Union’s associated businesses, such The Orator, its restaurant and bar.
Continuing in the Union’s tradition, Christopher will host debates on the future of the NHS, the role of Trade Unions, and Scottish Independence.
Recently it has hosted high profile speakers like the actor Robert De Niro and current Maidenhead MP and former Prime Minister, Theresa May.
Looking forward, Christopher is hopeful of securing some more big names.
“Whenever a president takes over we always want to bring in a big name. Someone like Barack Obama is the classic or whoever the Prime Minister is that week,” he said.
“Personally, with everything that is going on in the country at the moment, I really want to have figures like Mick Lynch of the RMT Union.
“Often these huge figures are, understandably, busy and so you can’t get your hopes up.
“You can’t go in betting that you’re going to get someone. But you might be laying the grounds for them coming in the future, maybe two terms later or even after you’ve left university.”
