From the archive: ‘A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: at the Oxford university debating society in the 80s, a generation of aspiring politicians honed the art of winning using jokes, rather than facts By Simon Kuper. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:09.0	Finlay Christie here.
0:10.6	If you're looking for a coastal adventure, you can't be a road trip around the island of Ireland.
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0:25.3	From traditional music sessions in historic pubs to crazy adventures like C-Stat climbing,
0:31.6	there's something for everyone.
0:33.5	Explore everything Ireland has to offer at the Guardian.com forward slash tourism island.
0:39.5	This message was paid for by Tourism Island.
0:42.5	It's time to uncover hidden gems in Southeast Asia with the help of Hilton's expert concierge team.
0:49.9	Be introduced to the magic of traditional water puppetry in Vietnam.
0:54.8	Discover where to ask a wish of the four-faced Buddha in Thailand
0:57.8	or where you can dine in the sky while drinking in Singapore's sunset.
1:03.4	Visit the Guardian.com forward slash travel Southeast Asia
1:06.8	and discover five-star unforgettable travel with Hilton.
1:11.0	This message was paid for by Hilton. Hello, my name is Simon Cooper.
1:34.3	I'm the author of the article, A Nursery of the Commons,
1:37.3	how the Oxford Union created today's ruling political class.
1:41.4	It's taken from my book, Chums,
1:43.1	how a tiny cast of Oxford Tories took over the UK.
1:46.7	I'm also a Financial Times journalist. The genesis of this article, the night when I began to think
1:53.7	about the grip of Oxford on British politics and especially Oxford's role in causing Brexit
	...

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