Joining a student-led College club or society is a great way to meet new people, have fun and be part of College life and Churchill offers a diverse range from engineering to gardening! The latest society to be launched is the Churchill Society of Political Sciences and we met with the co-founders Joe Helm and Bella Shorrock and other committee members to find out more.

What gave you the original idea to launch this new society?

Essentially, we found it baffling that a College with as many political and historical ties as Churchill didn’t already have a flourishing student-led political society – it just makes too much sense! So a few of us, already friends through the subject and through College, came together to decide that something needed to be done, and thus CSPS was born. As founders, we’re all from different years, which reflects the fact we see the society as something that can be long-lived, contributing to College life and debate well after the current committee have left. It’s criminal that the society is only being set up now, but we intend on making up for lost time.

What are your overarching aims?

They are varied and ambitious – we want to act as an accessible and inviting journal for all political writing among Cambridge students, as we know submitting work can be a daunting and even intimidating experience. We also plan to utilise the College’s impressive networks to bring in speakers who can contribute to thought-provoking discussions to do with all aspects of the political sciences, outside of simply parliamentary politics. We’ve got the motivation, knowledge and know-how to make CSPS an exciting alternative to the older Cambridge political societies, and plan to engage with the College’s unique origins and political groundings – we won’t shy away from these questions.

Who is it for?

CSPS is open to all years across all colleges so do encourage anyone you know to come along to our events. There are some really cool plans in the works, and they’ll work even better if people throw themselves into the society.

What activity has been planned and how can others get involved?

We are busy organising speaker events and are hoping to host some socials where everyone can come together in a more informal setting and get to know one another over some lively political discussion. Do keep an eye out on our website and Instagram page @churchillpolitics for updates. And most importantly, we are already encouraging submissions: your chance to have your thoughts on any topic relating to the political sciences reviewed, and potentially published online and then in print! Link below:

Submission link

What are you most excited about?

Collaboration between students across College in a society distinctly focussed on discussing and deliberating political ideas holds much excitement, especially considering this is among the first of its kind to take shape in College. We hope the society will create a formal platform for sharing a huge range of fascinating thoughts, from opinions on current affairs to outlooks on ancient polities.

What are your longer-term ambitions / plans for the society?

As our society evolves, we really want to better harness some of the fantastic resources available to us, from the Archives Centre to the wonderful Wolfson Hall. It is our ambition that the legacy of CSPS endures long past each of the current committee members’ remaining time at the College, and this can be ensured by the younger members of Churchill getting involved by submitting work or attending talks.