For years the Oxford Union has been a bastion of free speech. Its Rules, it has been said, “are more comprehensive than the constitutions of many third world countries.”
However, as with other some African the rulers deem themselves to be above the law. The issue in question is the use of laptops of members in the Union Bar.
Apparently the bar staff have had issues with Chris Adams on many occasions. He claims that the rule will be changed. But until it is those in authority are flouting rules it is surely a very bad example to those of us who are mere members.
UPDATE: apparently the gathering of Union leaders earlier in the bar have repealed the relevant bye law and thus were not abusing their own rules: at least not since they repealed it!
Gyronny Herald 
Dear Michael,
I should like to respond to a couple of points in your post. Firstly, regarding ‘flouting rules’, and secondly to your likening of the hierarchy of the Oxford Union to that of a corrupt African state.
Flouting ‘rules’: there was never a rule created, but a mere policy, to request that members refrain from using laptops in the bar during the time at which food is being served, instituted in Hilary Term 2010. This was to ensure that members who come in the bar to sit and work while lingering for five hours over a single coffee would be swayed to move upstairs to the Union’s numerous reading rooms, leaving space for people to eat lunch. On occasion, I, and others, have used laptops in the bar for the direct purpose of carrying out the society’s business. On my part, only ever during meetings of the Bar Committee, held naturally in the bar, and usually over lunch, where I took minutes more effectively if they were typed rather than hand-written. I hope that you can see that this was in the original spirit of the policy which we implemented, and that it was not unfair to other members. Believe me, I would much rather not to have had to use my laptop.
This brings me to my second point: there are no rulers in the Oxford Union, nor did I ever hold any authority with respect to the no-laptops policy which was greater than any other member could potentially hold. Vacancies come up on the Bar Committee almost every term, and any member can apply to join and gain a vote on the committee. Furthermore, committee meetings are open to all members, and all members can contribute to discussion freely, regardless of whether they hold a vote on the committee. In future, if you see a group of ‘rulers’ in the bar eating lunch, and one of them is typing furiously into a laptop, it means that they are holding a meeting of the Bar Committee which implies, furthermore, that they are not ‘rulers’ or ‘leaders’, but actually ordinary members like yourself who have given up their time to try to improve the bar. Next time, please, do come and join us.
Best,
Chris
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It seems strange that after nearly a year, there is a response to the original posting. However, maybe I was a tad rash to liken our esteemed Union to a complete country – even if the rules are myriad.
Next time that I am in the Bar, and see such a gathering in progress, I will of course accept Mr Adams’s kind invitation to join in. Hopefully, I will be made welcome so to do.
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