A conspiracy of silence
THE OXFORD STUDENT can reveal that the operation of our Union is overseen by a clandestine committee of dons and trustees. We have never voted for them. Two years ago the members of the Oxford Union voted overwhelmingly to get rid of secrecy.
Minutes of a secret and un-elected body unaccountable to Standing Committee have been leaked to the Oxford Student. The secretive Policy Liaison Committee first met on Monday 23 June 1997. Meetings are chaired by the President - but Standing Committee knows nothing of the shadowy cabal.
In a Trinity 1998 poll, 90% of Union members voted to change Rule 23 to read : "All Union Committees shall be open to ordinary Members as observers, except as otherwise provided in this Rule." Although there are some conditions in which committees may discuss in camera - mainly concerning the actual negotiation of external financial matters, disciplinary matters and staff contracting - committees may not meet in secret. Union rules also state that no body can call itself a committee without complying to "openness and accountability" rules.
The existence of the committee deliberately and directly contravenes the Union rules. Mr Christopher Walton - now a financial advisor to the Oxford Union - was the instigator of the Committee. It was formed under the title 'Trustee Liaison Body', though it evolved to become the 'Policy Liaison Committee', usually meeting twice termly. Rules of the Body were drawn up, including rule 6.3: "For the avoidance of doubt there shall be no observers." Although the body had no direct executive power, it exists to "advise [the] Oxford Union Society and to recommend courses of action." Some of those sitting on the committee also sit on Standing Committee, though in that capacity they do not have the power to vote.
Union President Jeff Bell denies that the Policy Liaison Committee is a committee, despite the fact that it circulates an agenda, and compiles minutes which call for 'action'. He has distanced himself from the former presidents' actions, though was present at a meeting in his capacity as President-Elect. He claimed "The thing is, I didn't write those minutes; I didn't convene that meeting - I was just sitting in the room discussing with Mr Walton, which is perfectly acceptable." He condemned the meetings under previous presidencies, describing them as "bad." He blamed Mr Walton for the confusion: "Mr Walton has talked about a Policy Liaison Committee, and the trustees have met in the President's office." However, he denied that this constituted a committee.
When asked whether he thought his immediate predecessors, Aitkens and Seifert, should be censured for their allowance of the Policy Liason Committee, he replied "They probably didn't know the rule". He himself admits that he did not know of the rules instituted by the openness poll until Returning Officer Mike Atkins brought it to his attention.
A new set of Union rules are currently being drafted, and it is rumoured that Ben Seifert is to raise the issue of greater secrecy in the near future. But Mr Walton considers the Policy Liaison Committee to be a body which transcends the rules, recently writing: "Unfortunately I was unable to get this committee's existence written into the Union rules."
He continues "But it now has a reasonable track record, and has come to be accepted as an important vehicle." However, it is a vehicle which is known to few.
Previous Presidents who have chaired the meetings are Nicky Black, Theo Mills, Ben Seifert and Lucy Aitkins. A meeting is scheduled in previous minutes to take place next Monday. But the current Union President, Jeff Bell denies that this will go ahead , saying: "No, the meeting won't happen, because it is up to me. Because frankly, I am President of the Union." He went on to say: "I don't have to, because there is no committee under the rules that is called Policy Liaison Committee." He claimed to have cancelled Monday's meeting, adding: "there is no such thing as the Policy Liaison Committee." Bell claimed that he disapproved of the committee, but a source close to the President commented that he thought Monday's meeting would have gone ahead despite this. Under Union rules, none of the Ex-Presidents who are currently members of the Standing Committee were able to comment, and Mr Walton refused to comment.
How the members will respond to the news is unclear. Ex-returning officer, Sheridan Westlake commented "Someone must take responsibility for this institutional deceit. What safeguards are there to stop this from happening again?" He went on to "Senior figures have engaged in a sustained attempt to hide information from the members, displaying a shocking contempt for the electorate, who demanded greater openness and accountability."
One member of the Union, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed: "it makes the whole idea of getting involved in the Union look like a bit of a farce." She went on to comment "I can't think why people put so much time into Union 'hacking' if they don't even know what is at the top."
4th May 2000