The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) celebrated its centenary last year, and can reflect on decades of shaping British politics. When considered in a wider context, it has played a crucial role in originating many of the political operatives active today. The source of 4 former Prime Ministers, as well as numerous cabinet and civil service officials, OUCA claims to “provide a space for Conservatives of all stripes”. I spent last term attending OUCA’s social events, and interviewing members and alumni to see for myself how the organisation has changed from its founding, and the role it plays for students in the modern day.
OUCA is certainly a society that most Oxford students will have heard of, its black tie events and blatant drinking culture “catering to a certain self-perception”. As I heard it described “there are two schools of OUCA. There’s your genuine toff, then there’s your person who’s desperate to be a toff and come off as a posh person…and some random people in between.”
Despite this characterisation, its membership is somewhat more diverse than the ‘Conservative’ name would suggest – around half of those I interviewed identified as a Labour voter, many of them paying party members. The motivation behind their involvement varied; one Blairite went on the recommendation of a socialist friend who promised an “amusing” time, another preferred the “boozier” atmosphere to that found at the Oxford Labour Club (OLC).
Port and Policy
Within the Oxford student community OUCA is best known for its weekly Port and Policy events, currently held at Black Sheep Coffee on High Street. Popular with students from across the political spectrum, the event nominally features debate on three motions, one of which is a surprise reveal on the night, though the rhetoric is somewhat drowned in debauchery, product of the titular port.
The port itself used to be offered in 3 varieties though this has since been reduced to just 1, bought in bulk at the start of the term and stored in the room of a Junior Officer. As a former committee member justified to me “I’m sure they enjoyed some of the benefits of having lots of port that wasn’t very rigorously counted in their room.”
Served by Junior Officers, port portions are determined by your rank in the society. ‘Officer’s portions’ mean your glass is filled, while ordinary members are permitted little more than a single shot of port with each serving. However, as the Junior Officers are usually relatively new to the society, lying is often a safe bet to save yourself the constant back and forth for more liquor, particularly as the selection has been reduced to either one type of port or cranberry juice.
Really fun space of being able to shout at people and sing the national anthem very poorly
~ a member’s description of P&P
The drinks are somewhat necessary in order to tolerate the mayhem. In a room saturated with hacks from all student political societies alike, a healthy portion of the Union committee and a regular cast of aspiring orators screaming to be heard above the chatter, it’s easy to feel lost. Though the society is generally considered a welcoming, ‘broad church’ which happily opens its doors to newcomers of all political persuasions. One member told me “One thing I am quite proud of is that being in that space has given me the opportunity to make really good friendships across the spectrum [of political beliefs]”.
Most members interviewed had at least a few stories about interesting conversations had at P&P, which compelled them to return week after week. One member told me their first time included “talking to a Dutch Nazi about theme parks in the Netherlands”. My own experience included a conversation in which it was earnestly suggested that Nigel Farage should be deported as “Farage sounds French and that is suspicious”.
Describing the discourse as a whole, one member said: “I think one of the most beautiful things about P&P is that no one cares what your opinion is, or, no one cares what your real opinion is. You can talk to some kind of crazy communist, and as long as the discussion is entertaining, it’s not going to get really nasty, and it’s not going to be that judgemental. I’ve always found it to be something really unique within Oxford”.
A slightly sad nominally political drinking society for alcoholics with nothing better to do
~ one member’s description of OUCA
The extent to which OUCA and its events are seen to foster genuine policy debate has varied, given the conflation with social drinking occasions. Debate motions are usually a raucous affair, much like political discussions between individuals. The almost universal popularity of P&P allowed sideline debates with Labour members in which OUCA members would “not mince [their] words… and fly off the handle, but at the end you can still shake hands and be friendly”. As one member told me “Just because you disagree really, really strongly, doesn’t mean you still can’t have a laugh out of hours.” Recent years have seen the society become far more involved in the Conservative Policy Forum, fostering a “slightly more cerebral environment”.
Once Port and Policy concludes there is always a trip down Cornmarket to the Four Candles, followed by free entry to either Plush or Thirst, courtesy of Old Man Bridge. My most quintessentially Oxford experience to date was in Plush, watching OUCA and half the Union committee singing to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, whilst dressed in my Halloween costume, followed by Aqua’s Barbie Girl to which every member knew all the words.
Many nights go straight from the club to another afters, usually hosted in a committee member’s room (notably hosted in the room of a college Junior Dean more than once). All in all, Port and Policy is a 12 hour affair if you have the stamina for it, where you can meet people with truly unique worldviews.
Beyond the Policy
Like most other societies, OUCA had a hard time coming back from lockdown and two years without socialising in person. Efforts from committees since have given rise to a few staple events, and fond memories for those involved.
Society staples were founded in the years following the pandemic, such as OUCA karaoke which was initially hosted informally in a member’s basement. “We drank like 8 bottles of wine, and we just karaoked the night away, until we got a noise complaint from the neighbours”. The event was a hit and has featured on almost every termcard since.
Alcohol features heavily at most OUCA events, including the termly staple wine, cheese and poker and regular picnic socials in University parks. The alcohol might explain one of the more “surreal” events to take place at the latter – an impromptu duel to the death. As one then-Junior Officer described it “One member was very offended by something trivial the other said and was messaging about avenging his honour and duelling in uni parks, the second one mostly wanted witnesses to this madness, so they met at the OUCA picnic”. Both members were eventually kicked out, though “shockingly, OUCA does not have a rule that covers “what to do if someone tries to duel’”.
Beyond the Port
Oxford Conservatives have a bit of a reputation, and they know it too, some admitting that they had intentionally hammed up their remarks upon learning Cherwell would be comparing Oxford political societies. As one member put it “very few people in OUCA actually hold the views they espouse, they like to play caricatures”. This reputation goes beyond Oxford, with many OUCA members I spoke to describing a stigma faced by Conservatives, often more so at women than men.
Many members shared the sentiment that “there are very few warm houses for people on the right or the centre right in Oxford”, with several expressing that they felt OUCA was one of the few places conservative values can be openly discussed and expressed. However, others expressed that this had more to do with presentation, commenting on the “sea of red trousers” only found at OUCA events.
A lot of socially liberal alcoholics in a room together
~ a member’s description of P&P clientele
OUCA alumni have included a number of Conservative heavyweights including Margeret Thatcher, Edward Heath, and Oxford University’s new Chancellor, William Hague, with a former OUCA President sitting at the Cabinet table of every government since 1957. This is no accident, but neither, some members claimed, is it the result of the OUCA label on their CVs. Rather, it is “the exposure to that type of environment, the type of conversations that come up and [getting] a feel for campaigning.” As one member put it: “I think you develop confidence and you start to understand the clientele you would have to appeal to if you went to a Conservative selection. It gives you the skill to tailor your language and approach to these people.”
OUCA has hosted a number of significant speakers over the years, many of them themselves life members of the society. A glance back through the archives reveals gems such as a Trinity 1969 talk titled “Money Matters” from Margeret Thatcher, then Opposition Cabinet Spokesperson on Transport, and two decades later a speaker event featuring William Hague, “The most recently elected Conservative MP, Ex-OUCA officer, widely tipped as a future Cabinet Minister.”
Though consistently the largest Oxford political society, OUCA has on several occasions faced challenges to their legitimacy and use of the ‘Oxford University’ label. The first such instance occurred shortly after the society’s founding, in 1934, when it was discovered the society had never registered with the proctors, though several institutions including the Isis successfully argued for this to be overlooked. They were most recently forced to disaffiliate in 2010 following a slew of headlines highlighting racist and sexist behaviour.
However, the society today has a lot more to offer than the traditional drinking and debating for which it is best known. Initiatives such as making sandwiches to give out to the homeless, and the promotion of the society’s articles on conservatism (to which contribution is a requirement of holding an elected role) have broadened the termcard and brought substance to the idea of the association as primarily political.
Several members also fondly recounted campaigning trips, which see society members travel to different constituencies to campaign on behalf of MPs, recently including names such as Priti Patel and Oliver Dowden. One described it as a “highlight”, saying “you get to know each other really well when you’re on a bus together for 3 hours and wading through muddy trails in shoes that shouldn’t be on muddy trails.”
A drinking society with a political problem
~ a member’s description of the society
Also of note is the relationship between OUCA and the Oxford Union, with the latter’s debating chamber formerly hosting P&P. As Union slates originally aligned with British political parties, OUCA naturally played a large role in elections, and as one active member of both societies explained: “The Union is seen as more naturally Tory or right wing, which creates a vicious cycle of perception. People think it’s this, so people stay away from it, or people go to it because of that, and that makes it the thing they think it is.”
Union slates have since decoupled from British political parties, in part due to a greater international presence at the university, though OUCA has remained influential – most notably “coming out in force” for the ‘No’ campaign in the recent Union referendum on sweeping electoral rules changes.
The Verdict
Speaking on their centenary in response to this article OUCA offered the following comment: “Reflecting on our last hundred years, OUCA is keen to learn the right lessons from our history and move forward into the future. We’re proud to have helped launch the careers of Britain’s first two female Prime Ministers and its only British Asian Prime Minister. Benazir Bhutto, the first female leader of a Muslim democracy, even introduced Theresa May to her husband, Philip, at an OUCA event.
As we start our second century, we’re glad to see increased engagement across the University, particularly from women and other traditionally underrepresented groups. While there is always more work to be done, we hope to offer a welcoming and inclusive home for those of all backgrounds and beliefs. We look forward to delivering an exciting termcard with something for everyone to enjoy.”
That termcard is set to include 3 former party leaders (one of them the recently elected Chancellor Lord Hague) as well as a cross-party women’s debate in collaboration with Oxford Women in Government. Additionally, second week’s Port and Policy will be held in collaboration with the Conservative Environment Network and preceded by a talk on conservative environmentalism.
After attending OUCA for a term (a little under if you count the week I missed due to freshers’ flu), and speaking to a wide range of members past and present, I can convincingly say there is more to this society than meets the eye. If you have a spare £16 and nothing to do on a Sunday evening, it’s certainly one to try, though probably best to take a friend just in case. Who knows, maybe you’ll find it as “formative” an experience as the thousands of alumni who have gone before you.
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