Union Presidential Elections: The Tab interviews Kate and Matteo
Featuring Trump, disaffiliation and hairstyles.
In what is set to be a fabulous battle of the wits and near-identical-hairstyles, Kate Dunbar (English 2nd year at Magdalene) and Matteo Violet-Vianello (HSPS 2nd year at Queens’) are running to be President of the Cambridge Union for Lent 2017.
The Tab wanted to make sure they’re both cut out for the role, so we asked them boring manifesto stuff as well as about their morning routines, the Biebs and alcohol. Enjoy.
Kate Dunbar |
Matteo Violet-Vianello |
|
|---|---|---|
| What is your vision for Lent 2017? | ||
| I have really enjoyed my time at the Union so far, so naturally I want to make sure that Lent 2017 is a fantastic term for new and old members alike. I hope to do this in a couple of ways; firstly, I want to make sure everyone feels like they can approach the Union, whether that be by putting on an exciting variety of top-notch speakers and events or by making sure everyone involved, at any time, feels welcome to partake in celebrations or post-event drinks.Secondly, I want to use all the experience I have running loads of boring admin from school-level debating competitions to the weekly debates at the Union to make sure we put on a cracking term despite the building works. | I’ve spent a lot of time at the Union over the course of my degree and it’s come to be a place I cherish – however, there are some things that could be improved. I want the Union to be more open and welcoming by fighting the image of the committee as exclusive and exclusionary. I also hope to attract a more diverse range of speakers, not only for the sake of it but because I genuinely believe that speakers from a wider range of backgrounds and fields provide more interesting content for our members. With the Union being first and foremost a debating society, I’d also like for as many members as possible to have the opportunity to take part in debating without feeling intimidated. | |
| Why does the Union deserve you as its President? | ||
| Ask not what your Union can do for you, but what you can do for your Union (I’m American, sorry). Honestly, though, I really love the Union and I know how sad that makes me sound. I love putting on events, I love hosting interesting discussions and I have so much enjoyed every team I’ve worked on over the last several terms. I’m not exaggerating when I say some of the events I’ve been to at the Union have been perception altering for me and I want to try and host more discussions like that so every member finds something to love. | I think I’ve shown that I could be a good President by the amount of work and passion I’ve put into the Union. As Speakers’ Officer I sent out thousands of emails and made hundreds of phone calls to secure speakers such as Lord Sugar, Stanley Tucci, Heston Blumenthal and Sigourney Weaver. I also think I’ve developed a good relationship with the Union staff and other members of committee that would help me be a good President. I also wholeheartedly believe in the idea of free speech that the Union promotes: a practically uncensored platform for ideas is crucial for a richer debate. | |
**Not a staged photograph in any way**
| If we were to ask your opponent what the best way to have sex in the Union is, what would they say? | ||
| Apparently a Diane von Furstenberg dress opens at the front which seems convenient. | Just make sure it’s somewhere close to the exit so she can have a cigarette when it’s done. | |
| You two have quite similar hair. Discuss. | ||
| We do. It’s really kind of eerie, and the curtains match the drapes too. | I had it first, so maybe Kate just clocked onto the fact that this is the winning haircut. | |
| Wearing black tie is an integral part of Union life. Why do you look better in it? | ||
| Honestly, I’m slightly offended this question has to be asked. | As with #freespeech, it’s all about diversity: three different shades of velvet are hard to beat. I’m really helping to fight stereotypes here… | |
| The only way for you to win is if Trump becomes President. Would you still run? | ||
| #MaketheUnionGreatAgain, I’ve got dual citizenship so I’m willing to take my chances and become a full-time Brit. | Absolutely, but site re-development would include a wall around Union and I’ll make CUSU pay for it. | |
Spotted: two presidential candidates approach a wild VP by the Union watering hole.
|
What would you want to disaffiliate from? |
||
| A world in which the words ‘discourse’ and ‘nuance’ are acceptable in conversation. | My degree. | |
| Tell us your morning routine. | ||
| 11:00am (being optimistic): Coffee, anti-depressants, sex, memes
12:00pm: Wistful look at pile of work on desk, memes 1:00pm: Cigarette, begin shuffle to the Union, upon arrival more memes |
Well currently I’m answering these questions in bed, hungover from Cindies, sipping from a bottle of water from the Christian Union. So not very impressive. | |
High fashun. Edgez.
|
If you could be a type of alcohol, what would it be? |
||
| Whisky. Best consumed in a wood panelled room with a cigarette, but you should probably let me age for thirty years first. | Tequila: you think I’m a good idea but you regret me in the morning. | |
| Is it too late now to say sorry? | ||
| Yes. | In Judaism it’s never too late to say sorry. Every year when a Jewish person says Teshuva and repents for their sins on the day of atonement, they think back to all the misdeeds they have done and the wrongs they have committed. We learn from this that one should say sorry even if a long time has passed.
No, I’m not Jewish but I found this online and thought it sounded clever. |
|
Union Members can cast their vote between 8am and 6pm on Monday 13th June using the following link: https://www.cus.org/election/14
Leah Whiting
Exam era: Reasons to be optimistic in Cambridge’s Easter term
Iris RogersEaster is a unique term for lots of reasons outside of exams
Deal breaker: The Easter term exam-fuelled breakup phenomenon
What on earth is going on with couples in Cam…
‘Maybe try a different course’: Ranking Cambridge University lecturers’ brutal comments
Esther KnowlesNo wonder Cambridge students always look stressed
Quiz: Find out where you’d sit in the Cambridge University college boat club eight
Freya WattsYou go to Cambridge and don’t row? How else do you spend your free time?
Cambridge University college to install climbing wall inside 150 year old church tower
Pembroke has already converted the church on Trumpington Street into an auditorium
Cambridge University to ban use of the term ‘Oxbridge’ due to elitist connotations
Anyone caught using the word will be forced to undertake a mandatory ‘inclusivity training’
St John’s College Cambridge now has control over the SJV choir’s social media
The petition to save the mixed choir is supported by the former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams
Cambridge University temporarily halts funding from fossil fuel companies
A report found that donations from oil and gas companies posed a ‘high reputational risk’ for the university
Eight cafés to try in Cambridge as a student before you graduate from university
Lucy BarberSpoiler alert: Fitzbillies isn’t the only coffee shop in Cambridge
St John’s College Cambridge mixed choir is being disbanded
The decision means female sopranos will no longer be able to sing in any chapel services
Cambridge University colleges as songs with women’s names in the title
Ellen HawleyGet ready to update your playlist immediately x
Cambridge men lose on penalties at the 150th anniversary of Varsity football
Cambridge was forced to substitute its goalkeeper following an injury on the third minute
THE RESULTS: Cambridge vs Oxford women’s football 2024
A short summary of the Varsity match for those of you who know nothing about football
Cambridge’s smallest pub has reopened after four years
Here’s everything you need to know about The Rad, a tiny pub on King Street
Review: Blackadder Goes Forth – Cambridge Does Comic Relief
Sophie PetrieA performance that did justice to the much-loved British comedy
Paint thrown over Cambridge University West site building in protest of its ties to Israel
Cambridge’s Laboratory for Scientific Computing has been under fire for its links to arms companies
A moral alignment ranking of Cambridge college rowing blade designs
Totally objective (based on free speed and vibez)
A definitive ranking of Cambridge stash from ugly to just about wearable
April O'NeillIt’s me and my puffer against the world
Here’s where else to watch the Outer Banks cast while you wait patiently for season four
Emily SmithFilling the major Pogue shaped hole in my life rn
Phoebe Kowhai
Everything Natalie and Collins have been up to since their disastrous time on MAFS Australia
Harrison BrocklehurstIf I had to hear about Collins discussing OnlyFans, you do too
Everything Richard Gadd has said about Jessica Gunning’s captivating Baby Reindeer performance
Francesca Eke‘It lived and died on Martha and we couldn’t have been luckier’
Okay, so what happens next in the Ellie and Jono cheating saga on MAFS Australia 2024?
Ellie RingJono becomes public enemy number one
The 10 best songs on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, according to streams
Justice for So High School!!!
Jess reveals she and Callum ‘no longer speak’ after he did something ‘unforgiveable’ to her
‘I wouldn’t say he’s a friend’
Hi Barbie! Meet the student who has written her entire dissertation on the Barbie movie
Not her supervisor’s name being Ken!
Holidays and moving in together: Inside Tom and Molly’s adorable post Love Island life
They’re actually too wholesome
Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning has spoken out about people trying to find the real Martha
‘I think it’s a real, real shame, because it shows that they haven’t watched the show properly’
‘Taylor Swift pub’ The Black Dog staff have spoken out about chaotic week mobbed by Swifties
‘We’ve got a Swift half pint on the menu, which people can get for free if they sing a Taylor lyric’
Kim Kardashian is ‘over’ Taylor Swift feud and ‘thinks Taylor should move on’ after new song
Taylor’s new album features a song called ‘thanK you aIMee’ which is believed to be a massive dig at Kim
From tattoos to moving in together: What are Tori and Jack up to after MAFS Australia 2024?
They’re in their own little bubble
More lies Jack from MAFS Australia has been telling his ex have surfaced and it’s chaos
‘He’s only staying with Tori because he’s backed into a corner’
Ben slams Ellie for being ‘vindictive’ on MAFS and claims she’s with Jono for ‘publicity’
‘She always played the victim’
Cast member Ben claims MAFS Australia 2024 producers mocked and ‘criticised’ his ADHD
‘I didn’t sign up to be taken advantage of through my mental health’
A look inside the wholesome life of Jessica Gunning who carried Baby Reindeer as Martha
I can’t believe she’s not actually Scottish
No ifs, no buts: These are the absolute WORST episodes of Black Mirror ever
Black Mirror episode idea: Me being forced to watch these on loop