Colleges' Political Leanings

8

I was just wondering what colleges are thought of as the most liberal/ left-wing politically and which are seen as the most conservative.

I also wondered if any colleges are particularly religious/ secular and where Jesus College is seen in relation to both these queries.

Reply 1

000111

Wadham is left. Wish they offered music...

Reply 2

Quistis

Balliol is seen as pretty left-wing/liberal; that's the main reason I applied there. However, having ended up (through pooling) at a less liberal college, I feel I should point out that, in my experience at least, it really isn't as big a deal as you might expect - there's so much scope to get involved in societies and activities outside of college that what goes on in your college's JCR doesn't have to define your university political experience!

Reply 3

Peter_The_Great

4

Wadham is absolutely chockablock with those on the far left. Its popularly known as the 'People's Republic of Wadham', even going so far as to rename one of their quads as the Ho Chi Minh Quad during the 1970s. Not to mention the whole anti-apartheid 'Free Nelson Mandela' thing, or Queer Week: One Wadham SU meeting is enough left-wing sillyness to last a lifetime.

Next is probably Somerville, who are particularly active in OULC (Wadhamites traditionally gravitate towards OUSU for some reason), although they have a habit of producing high-profile Tories like Maggie Thatcher. Balliol follows, known as a 'left-wing' college but more conservative than Wadham.

On the right, Oriel are usually regarded as demonic arch-conservatives, being the last all-male college to admit women in 1985 on the grounds that 'the distinctive character of the college will be undermined'. It has also severed its links with OUSU.

The rest of the colleges are somewhere in between. For instance, Keble and Mansfield are slightly left; St John's slightly right. Exceptions are the notoriously apathetic Turl Street colleges (Exeter, Jesus, Lincoln) who devote all their political fire to beating each other!

Reply 4

ACF99

Where is Christ Church generally seen? Is it affiliated to the NUS, OUSU or both?

Reply 5

Leo-Marcus

1

What about Univ? When I was there for the interview, the interviewees seemed quite conservative (didn't quite get to measure up the undergrads themselves), holding up the telegraph in triumph at the prospect of ninety-day detention. It was rather irritating. Also noticed everyone there was very well spoken, even those of us from the grim north, whereas the accents of my friend's fellow interviewees at Wadham were a myriad of colloquialisms.

Reply 6

J'en ai marre

OP

8

yorkshirelass

What about Pembroke? I love how everyone in this thread is now getting worried...

I also find it hilarious that Oriel is supposed to be so right-wing. I know someone who's going there with a bit of a history and might stir things up a bit, if that's really the case...

Well I suppose that that could be quite fun: trying to bring things done from the inside.

Reply 7

HannahZ

4

As I see it, most colleges are fairly secular but all of them have relatively small but active christian unions. So really there is no particularly religious college that I can think of. I don't know much abot the PPHs though.

There are religious and political societies in the University as a whole. So if you want to get involved you will be bound to find like minded people.

Jesus is fairly apathetic politically and not particularly religious. The name is just a name and doesn't have any religious significance.

Reply 8

PaddyMac

4

Peter_The_Great

Wadham is absolutely chockablock with those on the far left. Its popularly known as the 'People's Republic of Wadham', even going so far as to rename one of their quads as the Ho Chi Minh Quad during the 1970s. Not to mention the whole anti-apartheid 'Free Nelson Mandela' thing, or Queer Week: One Wadham SU meeting is enough left-wing sillyness to last a lifetime.

I have no affiliation to Wadham college or anything - in fact I've strayed from home in the Cambridge forum - but I have to pick you up on what you wrote. Just a quick disclaimer: I find it very difficult to pick on irony here, and I hope this is another one of those cases. Now, let the rant begin...

How can you adopt that snide tone and talk disdainfully of "the far left" and "left-wing sillyness [sic]" in the same paragraph as apartheid? And the make it worse by dismissively saying "Not to mention the whole... thing". I can't belive that anyone nowadays would adopt that attitude. Again, if you're being serious, I find that really disgusting. It was a tragedy that killed untold numbers and ruined the live of countless more. Any efforts to combat that kind of criminal, murderous oppression are not to be sneered at.

:smile:

Reply 9

Peter_The_Great

4

Because, like it or not, Wadham IS a left-wing college and did play a prominent part in the anti-apartheid campaigns of the 1980s. Its still celebrated today since every college bop ends with the song "Free Nelson Mandela" being played even though he was released decades ago.

Perhaps you should be aware as well that I do identify with the far left in politics and would have strongly criticised apartheid if I'd been around to see it. Why can't I poke fun at my own college's reputation? Lighten up a little, student politics isn't important enough to take seriously!

Reply 10

Teebs

16

I heard Magdalen was full of Conservatives :frown:

Reply 11

History_is...

6

Hope so

Reply 12

Teebs

16

I'll just have to hang around wherever the Lib Dems all go :p:

or work on my conversion skills...

Reply 13

pedy1986

13

Why would you apply to a college based on your own current political leanings? These are very likely to change and develop during university.

Reply 14

coffeehead

Teebs

I'll just have to hang around wherever the Lib Dems all go :p:

or work on my conversion skills...

Mind if I join you? Lefties and liberals were an endangered species at my school. :rolleyes:

Reply 15

Yttrium

1

Teebs

I heard Magdalen was full of Conservatives :frown:

It isn't, entirely.

However, the people manning the OULC (Labour) stall at Freshers' fair pretty much laughed in my face when I said I was from Magdalen...

It *does* have a bit of a Tory reputation and there are some crazies... but plenty of normals and even some cool lefty hippy-style-types too... yay!

Reply 16

MatthewH

3

Leo-Marcus

What about Univ? When I was there for the interview, the interviewees seemed quite conservative (didn't quite get to measure up the undergrads themselves), holding up the telegraph in triumph at the prospect of ninety-day detention. It was rather irritating. Also noticed everyone there was very well spoken, even those of us from the grim north, whereas the accents of my friend's fellow interviewees at Wadham were a myriad of colloquialisms.

Ah, don't worry about that... the number of oddsballs you get at interview can't in anyway reflect what the college will look like in freshers' week. A few people have said - tutors for one in a piece somewhere - about the disproportionate number of faux-toffs/young Simon Heffers who fail at interview. Something about a lot of bluster but not much going on upstairs. I can see it.

A stonking great digression here, but speaking of Free Nelson Mandela... I heard a wicked rumour today that a newspaper has hold of a photograph of a young George Osborne (Magd) wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Hang Nelson Mandela." They're waiting for the election and if it's true it will cripple him so much.

It's plausible because
a) GO was incredibly right-wing, and a member of the oh-so-PC Bullingdon club
b) 'Hang Nelson Mandela' was a popular song at the time amongst Young Tories when Thatcher weren't terribly oppositional to apartheid (ok a debate to be had, admittedly). They used to wear t-shirts with that slogan openly to party conference and give out badges with the slogan
and
c) when Cameron denounced apartheid the other week, Peter Hain (veteran anti-apartheid guy and generally a good egg as they go) said that this was a load of too-damn-late bullcrap as "when Cameron was a student people around him used to wear t-shirts saying Hang Nelson Mandela" or words to that effect... dropping hints, or merely coincidence?

Or it might not exist. Or if it does, Cameron's so well oiled with the press he'll probably get it squashed. Time will tell I guess, and when it does it's going to be fun to watch!

Edit: of course, that's not to say that everyone at Madg wants to hang him... I've always thought that it was traditional and quite prestigious but not very rightwing as such. I suppose places get reputations based on what about 3 people might have been like in about 1994 and they can't shake rid of it.

Reply 17

allymcb2

8

cor

Why would you apply to a college based on your own current political leanings? These are very likely to change and develop during university.

Some of us are very sure about our politics, thankyou very much. So speak for yourself.

Reply 18

trina

1

cor

Why would you apply to a college based on your own current political leanings? These are very likely to change and develop during university.

Probably not actually. The stereotypes tend to be quite self-perpetuating so for example left wing people do tend to apply to Wadham.
That said, you will find a good mix in most colleges (including, in my view, the colleges described by Peter_The_Great as 'slightly left/right' ) except those which have obvious stereotypical political leanings and many colleges are pretty apathetic.

Reply 19

MatthewH

3

I think Cor's quite right, actually. I think it's healthy to change position as you learn more and see more of the world, and the more carefully you consider these things the more subtley you're like to shift. If you carry on with the same mantras after three years of being intellectually pummelled you're probably not thinking or just obstinate. Top people like the Miliband Bros are always saying how getting new posts or doing research jaunts makes them reassess their views, and I think that's probably fairly invigorating if politics is your bag.

Colleges' Political Leanings

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated