| Durham University Conservative and Unionist Association | |
| Formation: | Michaelmas 1934 |
| Abbreviation: | DUCUA |
| Type: | University political society |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Oliver Cookson |
| Leader Title2: | Secretary |
| Leader Name2: | Brendan Almqvist |
| Leader Title3: | Treasurer |
| Leader Name3: | Harry Pendlebury |
| Formerly: | Durham University Conservative Association |
The Durham University Conservative and Unionist Association (often pronounced 'Ducks'), formerly the Durham University Conservative Association, is a conservative student society at Durham University. It was founded in 1935. It is affiliated with the Durham Students' Union.
Its alumni include a some senior figures within the Conservative Party, notably Sir Graham Brady and Sir Edward Leigh.
The Durham University Conservative and Unionist Association held its first annual dinner on 24 January 1934.[1] It was hosted at the School of Art in Armstrong College. It has also been described as the first meeting, and the first president of the association was in attendance, Lord Castlereagh.[2]
Ironically, the Durham branch of the Association, from which the current association is descended, was not the first branch of the association. When it was founded in late 1935, the Newcastle section, then called the Armstrong College (Newcastle) branch, had already been in existence for some years.[3]
By the 1950s, the name was firmly established as the Durham University Conservative Association.[4]
In 2016, protests over Godfrey Bloom being invited to speak saw his event held in a pub. When asked by The Times about protesters outside the pub, the Association president commented "Yahboo and sucks to the lefties who were protesting outside - I hope you got cold."[5]
In 2020 the Association was removed from the Student Union Student Group Register over 'fascist, racist, antisemitic and misogynistic' comments allegedly made by members. The Association responded by insisting that none of its members were involved in the alleged incident, but condemned the incident nonetheless. Some committee members resigned in protest over the accusations. In order to be returned to the Register, the Association had to change its name, selecting Durham Unionist Conservative Association.[6]
In 2016 it was highlighted that the Association was larger than the Durham Labour Club, suggesting a general right-wing lean to Durham students, as opposed to the conventional left-wing lean of most UK university students.[7]
The swiftness of the Associations removable by the Student's Union in 2020 has been remarked by some commentators as indicative of the revisionist nature of the Students' Union, and of cancel culture more widely. They held that it was a move by the Union to remove conservatism from the university, and attacked the Oxbridge-character that the university has maintained since its inception.[8] [9] Others claimed that this character is toxic to all but social elites, with class contempt and jokes about the north-south divide openly exhibited, with the accusations made of the Association are not uncommon behaviours. They have called for the Union to do more to undo this 'toxic culture' and ensure all students feel welcome at the university.[10] [11]