Good state of the Union
LAST THURSDAY'S DEBATE at the Union ended in a pro-American vote that has been reported in U.S. press.
The motion 'This House believes the U.S.A. is the greatest barrier to world peace' was rejected by 195 votes to 151. Following the vote, Associated Press announced that "Oxford University has declared the United States safe for democracy."
The New York Times took a more balanced take on the proceedings, saying that "What was clear... was that every speaker... was in some awe at the United States' unbridled power now aimed at Iraq." Although recording the event, neither publication suggested that the motion was any effective barometer of British public opinion, the New York Times adding that, "The rarified deliberations of one of Britain's oldest and best-known student bodies.. might yield scant solace at the White House or Camp David."
The LA Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Times contrasted this motion's vote with that of an earlier motion passed in 1933, 'This House refuses under any circumstances to fight for King and Country' which was denounced by Churchill as an, "abject, squalid, shameless avowal."
27th Feb 2003