The Cambridge Union Society is Cambridge's oldest and largest student society, founded in 1815 as a forum for debate and discussion. Today it remains most famous for attracting eminent guest speakers to lecture and debate on a wide range of issues. It is also the only central building in which students of all colleges can meet and socialise, enjoying the benefits of a cheap bar, an extensive library, snooker room and many other facilities.

Recent speakers have included Michael Parkinson (legendary talk show host), Robert Peston (BBC business correspondent) and Frederick Forsyth (Author and political commentator. In the next term you can expect to hear the likes of Dara O'Brien (Irish Comedian), Edwina Currie (Former Junior Health Minister), Lord Paddy Ashdown (Former Lib Dem Leader) and John Howard (former prime minister of Australia) as well as many more in the future. The Union is THE social and intellectual centre for Cambridge student life.

The Cambridge Union Society is more than just a private members club. Whilst we are proud of our status as one of the world's oldest and most prestigious student debating societies, we are also proud to be a registered charity. Our historic defence of free speech and ongoing belief in participatory democracy commits our members to promoting these values in the wider community - particularly in schools, universities and in local communities throughout UK and abroad. We therefore organise and participate in domestic and international debating events on a regular basis.

Our debates serve to engage and to challenge the presumptions and prejudices of a wide range of ideas, opinions and beliefs through the use of rational argument and credible intellectual exchange, and our speaker events provide a forum for young people to challenge and learn from public figures from a variety of backgrounds. We are committed to making our society as inclusive as possible: we open many events to the wider public, and our officers and members come from a diverse selection of social, political and racial backgrounds.