# York Dialectic Union

The York Dialectic Union - previously known as the York Union - is the University of York’s union debating society. Originally founded in 2013, the Union is affiliated with the University of York Students' Union and membership is limited to students at the University. It hosts distinguished speakers and debates on a regular basis as well as social events and formal dinners for its members.

## History

The original York Union arose from a branch of Nouse Events (founded 2012), affiliated to the University’s venerable student paper Nouse. At this time, debates and addresses were not attended by a wide range of students, and thus a separate organisation was created with a purpose of publicising and hosting these events. This ultimately led to the founding of an independent society in the traditions of similar institutions at other universities, the York Union, in 2013. The Union’s original founders were students Adam Seldon and Harry Lambert.
The Union was negatively affected by COVID-19. Due to safety restrictions, attendance and popularity decreased, with events ending in 2022. Following the end of the pandemic, the union was reaffiliated with YUSU before the start of Autumn Term in 2023. From this point onwards, the society has been known as the York Dialectic Union. The principal founders of the second incarnation were students Findlay Milne, Adam Moses, Josef Bräutigam, Cameron Bennett, and Henry Howard. The York Dialectic Union was founded with a distinct ethos of accessibility and anti-elitism, hence why their debates are not subject to formal dress requirements.
Its first President under the new banner was Findlay Milne, elected in Spring 2023. During his presidency, the Union began by hosting a soldier recently returned from the Ukrainian front. The second President was Adam Moses. Speakers during this term included former drug kingpin Shaun Atwood, ex-jihadist Manwar Ali, SDP leader William Clouston, Labour Party MP Rachel Maskell and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn took part in a debate on the introduction of a wealth tax hosted in the university's Piazza Building, with spaces for non-members selling out within days.
The fourth Union President was Alexandra Brates, whose term began with an address by Darren Hughes, Managing Director of the Electoral Reform Society. Other events featured the then-Deputy Leader of Reform UK Ben Habib and Nick Newman, former head of Homeland Security Consulting. The Union hosted Thomas Harrison, Keeper of Greece and Rome at the British Museum as well as a debate on the controversies surrounding Just Stop Oil. Brates’ presidency also included the North Yorkshire Mayoral Hustings on the 18th of April, at which the Union hosted the mayoral candidates for the 2024 York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.
The fifth President, Dominic Williams, was elected in April 2024 to begin in Autumn term. His tenure saw debates on sentences for disruptive activists (featuring Hunted’s Peter Bleksley) and on Western funding for Ukraine (featuring Peter Hitchens), and the efficacy of faculty strikes. A debate on concerns about Chinese influence on UK universities was temporarily postponed by YUSU over an administrative issue, although the Union President and Head of Outreach began preparations to hold the event privately off campus. Sam Dunning, Director of UK-China Transparency, and senior journalist Howard Zhang were due to rise for the proposition, but ultimately the event was delayed due to a lack of opposition speakers and is still in development. Speaker addresses in Williams’ presidency included entrepreneur Liz Earle, former ambassador to Iran Nicholas Hopton, ex-Green Party Leader Baroness Natalie Bennett, and author Clare Mulley.