The University of St Andrews Union Debating Society is a student debating society at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Tracing its origins back to 1794 and established under the current name in 1890, it is the oldest continuously operating debate society of its kind in the English-speaking world (although it is predated by the College Historical Society at Trinity College Dublin which ceased operations for a period beginning in 1794, the Diagnostic Society of Edinburgh who merged with the Dialetic Society and take their founding date from 1787, and the Speculative Society of Edinburgh which was founded in 1764) and the oldest as a whole in the United Kingdom.
It also holds weekly public debates in the Lower Parliament Hall, which are free and open to all students - the only Scottish Debating Society to do this.
In 2015, the society became the first in Scotland to win the European Universities Debating Championship, a competition that they compete at every year.
The society's motto remains "pro amicitia et litteris" meaning "for friendship and learning".
History
Founding The origins of the University of St Andrews Debating Society can be traced to the formation in 1794 of the university Literary Society. Despite being initially popular, the society began to suffer from a lack of funding beginning in the 19th century. To remedy this, Article 3 of the Literary Society's 1832 constitution imposed a one shilling fee per semester and fines varying in severity for lateness, absence, or the use of 'improper language'. At this stage of its history, the Literary Society operated under a strange mixture of egalitarianism and exclusiveness. Initially, there was no president of the society and meetings were chaired by each member in rotation, taking place in St Salvator's Quadrangle. During this period, the only leadership positions were that of Secretary and Treasurer and all decisions were taken collectively by the society as a whole. However, membership was limited to twenty-five students all of whom were required until 1844 to attend or have attended the university's classes in Logic or Moral Philosophy. Membership was by election only, and no 'strangers' were permitted to attend debates. In 1846, The Classical Society, a rival debating society, was established and was soon vying with the Literary Society for the attention of the student body. In 1847, this new society began a new tradition of hosting an end of term feast called the Gaudeamas, which was later hosted jointly with the Literary Society beginning in 1866. However, it soon became apparent that there were simply not enough students at the university to justify the existence of two debating societies and consequently in 1890 the Classical Society and Literary Society merged to form the Union Debating Society.
Development In 1892, the acquisition of James Crichton's House by the fledgling Students' Union, which despite not being officially affiliated with the society, allowed it to host debates in the Union Diner. This, and the fact that the Union Debating Society now had over seventy members (a third of the total student population), gave the society renewed confidence and a greater importance than ever before in the lives of students.
In 1898 the society decided to form Debates Board, in order to manage the running of the society, it consisted of an honorary president, two honorary vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, a "general committee" of four members, a 'College Echoes' Reporting Committee, and a Debates Committee of four members. In 1910 the constitution was amended to include the election of an official president of the society was created; however, as World War I began society membership dropped, and no president was elected between 1914 and 1919. Following the war, the Union Debating Society remained in decline, so to combat this the society's vice-president (Mr. D. Dick) proposed that its membership become a part of the subscription to the Students' Union, although these negotiations ultimately broke down. These discussions were reopened on 21 March 1925 by then President D. Kennedy who proposed in his farewell address that the Union Debating Society become a committee of the Students' Union. This move was supported by treasurer J. B. Torrance, and the decision was ratified on 30 October 1925, following which the Union Debating Society was affiliated with the Students' Union, and all male matriculated students of the university would be members. The chair of the Union Debating Society would be elected as the Union Convenor of Debates, and debating would be done completely under the auspices of the Students' Union. The Debates Board ceased to exist, and the title of 'President of the Union Debating Society' was kept purely as a courtesy title.
Despite this change, attendance at debates continued to drop, especially as more women attended the university and were disallowed from participating in the society. In response, a new mixed-sex competitor for the Union Debating Society emerged, called the Parliamentary and Dialectic Society, taking over most of its primary functions. The Parliamentary and Dialectic Society prided itself on allowing female members to speak at debates, and restricting the input of male speakers on sensitive issues, which led to it losing the backing of the Students' Union in 1932. When asked by female members of the P and D if the Union Debating Society would now allow women to become members, then president Stephen W. Bonarjee told them to 'go away and start your own society,' leading to the creation of the Women's Debating Society in 1932.
In 1932 the society elected to re-create the Debates Board, in order to regain some independence from the Students' Union. It was to consist of the Convenor of Debates and two clerks to the house. Following this move, the board began to host Parliamentary and Inter-Varsity Debating Competitions, the first of which drew participants from Dublin, Aberdeen, Aberystwyth, Durham, and Liverpool.
In 1963, the Students' Union, which had up until that point been exclusively for male students voted to merge with the Women's Student Union and when this occurred the Union Debating Society merged its membership with Women's Debating Society.
In the 1970s, the move of the Students' Union from its original home to a new purpose built building provided the Union Debating Society with the opportunity to make a move of its own. The Convenor of Debates took the opportunity to move debates to the Union Theater, and then to Lower Parliament Hall in St Mary's Quadrangle.
This physical move away from the Students' Union was accompanied by an organisational one. In 1979, the society decided to change the Debating Sub-Committee into the 'Debating Board of Ten'. This new sub-committee comprised the convenor, chairman of ways and means, sergeant-at-arms, clerk to the house, treasurer, steward, two ordinary members, union president, and a further representative from the Union Committee. The president would continue to be elected as the convenor of debates, but the Board of Ten would be elected in an annual general meeting of the Union Debating Society.
The Society today Today the Union Debating Society continues to fulfill its primary mission of holding regular debates in Lower Parliament Hall. The society continues to attract famous speakers. These weekly debates are available for all to attend. The classic St Andrews Gown is traditionally worn by attendees, with the president of the society wearing the Debates President gown. These public debates are organised by the president and their Public Debates Sub-Committee.
The Union Debating Society also has a competitive team, which debates at international university competitions. Major successes include reaching the final of the European Universities Debating Championships in 2007 as well as the semi-finals of the World Universities Debating Championships in 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013. In 2023 the Union Debating Society reached the WUDC octofinals, as the 25th-best ranking team. The society won the Vienna 2015 European Championships where two speakers were also the best and 2nd-best ranking speakers - the first for a Scottish institution.
Domestically, the society has performed at the Scottish Mace Championship finals in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as at competitions such as the Oxford Intervarsity (hosted by the Oxford Union).
Notable Controversies and Debates
In 1842 the society, despite being under an Anglican government, voted in favor of Catholic Emancipation and the reintroduction of income tax. Beginning in 1874, the society began to run a series of debates using the motion this house has no faith in His/Her Majesty's government. The most recent debate of this kind ran on 10 September 2026. In November 1933, Liberal Party leader Archibald Sinclair spoke in a debate on the rise of Socialism. That same year, Otto Wagener, a Nazi, debated in support of the recent election of the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party. In 1950, under the presidency of Stewart T. Bates (1950–1951), the society debated the motion this house believes the Communist Party has the only real solution for the Capitalist Crisis. The motion fell with only twelve votes in favor and three abstentions. In 1952 newly elected Union Debating Society President Derek Meteyard (1952–1953) was arrested for unlawful possession of a golf trolley. Meteyard also hosted a debate on 5 November 1951 debated by LJ Woodward and Professor H. J. Rose on the motion: this house believes it's the same the whole world over, it's the poor as 'as the blame, the rich as 'as the pleasure, and it's all a bleeding shame. The house voted the motion down. Presidents Stewart Lamont (1966–1968) and Gillies Clark (1968–1969) hosted a series of anti-religious and anti-Catholic debates including: this house has no need of a god and this house abominates the Pope and his Church. Towards the end of Lamont's term, he proposed the motion this house prefers the Pill to the Pope. During his speech Lamont produced a pill and demanded opposition produce the Pope. They could not and he won the debate. Lamont also hosted politically controversial debates, such as in 1966 the motion this house believes that Guy Fawkes was the only man who went to Parliament with the intention of carrying out his original proposal. In 1967 also under Lamont, the Union Debating Society hosted the debate this house would not let his daughter marry a black man. This was immediately met with criticism by the student paper of the time the Aien which accused the society of illiberalism, as well as having sexist and racist policies. The Aien also went onto publish a response by a group of Arab students who had attended the debate in which they declared they had not come to Scotland to marry white women. In 1969 under the presidency of Allan Ronaldson (1969–1970), the motion this house regrets having come to St Andrews was debated, but failed to pass with only five votes in favor and one abstention. In 1970 a debate later known as 'the Balloon Debate' occurred. During this session, speakers had to assume the role of a character and argue why they should not be thrown out of a hot air balloon to stop it from sinking. One notable participant Michael Forsyth chose to play the role of Margaret Thatcher. Both before and after the merge with the Women's Debate Society in 1963, the Union Debate Society hosted a series of controversial debates about the place and role of women. These motions included: In 1932: the house debated the motion this house deplores the prevalence of the sex motif in literature, following the ban of the book Lady Chatterley's Lover and allowed women to speak. In 1946: the society voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion the house believes that a woman's place is in the home.