News in Oxford
John Bingham, the Oxford Student's Deputy Editor, bowed out this week after an illustrious three terms with the newspaper. John who destroyed OUCA and the Labour Club came back with avengence to report the real life stories behind the inferno which engulfed Univ boathouse, not least the improbably sexy rescue of St. Peter's plaque.
John, once dubbed the hardest man in Oxford by his friends, was saddened by his imminent departure from the paper he had come to love. "My life has become the life of the Oxford Student; we are inextricably linked. This is the saddest day of my life," he blurted out as he sat in tears in the corner of the Oxford Student news room.
The Oxford Union has encountered a formidable opponent in its race to release high-profile rejection letters. The Oxford University European Affairs Society upped the ante this week, by revealing that it has been snubbed by speakers who make Blur and Mohammed Al-Fayed look like bit players on the world scene. The documents released include rejection letters from U.S. President Bill Clinton, who cited "tremendous" obligations "to move his country forward" as an excuse for not appearing, and fashion don Giorgio Armani, who blamed his "seasonally-dictated work schedule." Similar letters were received from Helmut Kohl, Jimmy Carter, and William Hague.
The European Affairs Society's release of letters was highly unusual. Society President Maciej Woznica claims that "our past and future speaker list is second to none, so we don't need to publish the few rejections we do get." Indeed, the Society's Michaelmas speaker roster has included NATO spokesman Jamie Shea and the eminent Sir Peter Ustinov. The Society's last speaker of the term will be the Chief Executive Officer of Nestle, who will discuss "The Search for [Corporate] Trust" at St. Antony's on November 30th (8:30 p.m.). Non-members are welcome to that event, along with the speaking events planned for next term, potentially including former Russian Prime Minister Yevkeni Primakov. In addition, the Society is hosting the "La Nuit Blanche" ball at Oxford Town Hall on December 2nd.
18th Nov 1999