The Oxford University Liberal Democrats is the student branch of the
Liberal Democrats for students at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, with the purpose to support, develop, improve and promote the
policies and candidates of the Liberal Democrats and liberal values within Oxford and the university.
It is affiliated with the federal
Young Liberals, and is involved in activism and campaigning alongside the Young Liberals.
It is the official successor to both the Oxford University Liberal Club and the Oxford University Social Democrats, which voted to merge early in 1987, about a year in advance of
the national parties.
History
The Oxford University Liberal Club was founded in 1913, with the stated aim to "rally progressive members of the University to the support of Liberal principles". Its foundation date makes it the oldest political society founded at an English university. It was formed from a merger of two older
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
societies at Oxford, the Russell Club, and the Palmerston Club, both of which dated to at least the 1870s, and had as their goals the promotion of liberal politics. Around in the early 1900s was also a society called the 'Liberal League', founded "in defence of free trade".
Originally holding premises on the corner of Cornmarket Street and George Street, open for the majority of the day, the society was modeled after the usual
gentlemen's clubs of the day, before the arrival of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the general reduction in the student body of Oxford. The society faced further problems in the 1920s, as around half of its members defected and joined the newly established Labour Club, as well as the New Reform Club, a pro-
Lloyd George group, reflecting the division of the national
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
at the time.
Revitalization occurred with the coming to the fore of
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
, Treasurer in Hilary 1935, along with
Frank Byers
Charles Frank Byers, Baron Byers, (24 July 1915 – 6 February 1984) was a British Liberal Party politician who later became a life peer and Privy Councillor.
Background
Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire. He was the son of Charles Cecil By ...
as president and Raymond Walton as secretary. Efforts made to provide a stronger draw to the society – including the institution of a society newspaper and library – had membership treble to over 300.
Membership continued to grow during and after the war, with its peak hit under the Presidency of
Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979, and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979 he was tried at the ...
in 1950, of over 1000 members. By this point, the Liberal Club had become more of a social club, including drinking events, balls, and parties, some of which are continued by the society in its modern form.
Turbulence for the national party meant turbulence for the society itself, however, and the party's catastrophic collapse in the 1960s, combined with mergers throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, led to a smaller membership and a series of renamings and mergers for the society at large. After merging the Oxford University Liberal Club and the Oxford University Social Democrats in 1987, however, the society in its present structure was formed, with a smaller membership focussed more heavily on campaigning, but maintaining the social functions from its post-war heyday.
See also
*
Cambridge University Liberal Association
Cambridge University Liberal Association (CULA) is the student branch of the Liberal Democrats for students at Cambridge University.
It is the successor to the Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats, which in turn was formed from the merger of Cam ...
*
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) is a student Conservative association founded in 1924, whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford. Since October 2009, OUCA has been affiliated to Conservative Future and its su ...
*
Oxford University Labour Club
Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) was founded in 1919 to promote democratic socialism and is today the home of the Labour Party and of social democracy at Oxford University. OULC is the largest and oldest university Labour club in the count ...
References
External links
The Friends of OULD, for information on the history of OULD and its predecessors
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Organisations associated with the Liberal Democrats (UK)
Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
Politics of Oxford
Student wings of political parties in the United Kingdom