There has been some comment on my decision to invite Godfrey Bloom, the previously UKIP MEP, as a speaker at the Cambridge University Conservative Association earlier this term. Several of these negative remarks have sought to criticise the Association for welcoming a speaker they described as ‘sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic’. Yet during the course of the evening I, and those I have spoken to who were actually in attendance, found Mr Bloom to be none of these things.

It’s perhaps unsurprising such charges will be levelled at a man who has been demonised in the media for certain turns of phrase, but as most of the public appreciated at the time, terms such as ‘Bongo-Bongoland’ and a joke in which he refers to his own supporters as ‘sluts’ indicate not retrograde views but rather an irreverent sense of humour, something rare among the bland majority of contemporary politicians. This judgement was certainly confirmed for those of us who had the pleasure of meeting him.

But more important than the fact that Mr Bloom proved the aspersions on his character to be false, was the fact that he was willing to engage and be challenged. After his talk Mr Bloom took many questions from the audience and was happy to give full and honest answers to all of them.

These included questions on immigration and gay marriage, in response to which he indicated his concerns on both topics arose not from bigotry but in the former case from economic arguments, and in the case of gay marriage a fear of inadequate protection for religious dissenters against European courts. After the event was finished he was also happy to carry on discussion and debate with many members in the bar.

Even had Mr Bloom proved to be the villain he has been slandered as by the national media, this willingness to engage with those who attended would, to my mind, confirm the wisdom of my decision to invite him. CUCA is not a branch of the Conservative Party; our Committee is not responsible for ‘endorsing’ any person by inviting them. Our responsibility is solely to our members, to provide them with the opportunity to hear, meet and preferably interact with interesting speakers.

We fulfil that duty best by inviting speakers who will do something more than simply trot out a party line that can be heard every evening on Newsnight. Along with Mr Bloom this term we have hosted Members of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg and Chloe Smith, both fascinating speakers with perspectives that cannot in anyway be described as dull. In the past we have welcomed Norman Tebbit, Nigel Farage, and Roger Scruton, along with many other speakers who have challenged the views and preconceptions of our members and engaged them in dialogue.

Mr Bloom certainly fit the model of a speaker we always aspire to invite: not only this eagerness to fully engage, but also an entertaining manner of speaking, views which may not get adequate exposure in usual media coverage of politics, and a reputation that will draw a high attendance not only from our members but from students at large.

CUCA is at its best when we fulfil our aspiration to provide our members with the opportunities to develop and challenge their beliefs, to explore new ideas and encounter the most capable or infamous figures of right-wing politics. University is a time for broadening one’s mind and seeking out new experiences and perspectives, and university politics should be no different.

Were I in a position to make the same decision again I would certainly repeat my invitation to Mr Bloom, if anything more confidently with the benefit of hindsight.