Even SNP supporter Sean Connery would blanch at flying 12,000 miles just for a debate on devolution, writes REG LITTLE.

But Russell and Gayle Black were more than happy to fly all the way from Hong Kong to hear Oxford students spouting on about Scottish and Welsh assemblies.

For the sight of their daughter Nicky Black sitting in the famous President's chair at the Oxford Union was worth any amount of jet lag.

Nicky, 20, has just become fourth woman to be elected president in little more than a year.

As well as bringing glamour to the presidency - a post previously held by the likes of Ted Heath, Michael Heseltine, Robin Day and William Hague - she will certainly give the place a real international dimension.

Her place in the Oxford Union's history is already secure. She is the first president in the debating society's 175-year history to come from Hong Kong, where she was born and brought up. She has also lived in Singapore, with her parents both New Zealanders. Unlike Helseltine and Hague she does not see the presidency as the stepping stone to real power. "I'm not interested in politics at all," said Nicky, a second year Human Sciences undergraduate at Lady Margaret Hall.

"I hadn't even heard of the Oxford Union until I arrived here. I know there have been some people who always wanted to be president. It was not that way with me. I wanted to be secretary and organise big parties. "But since taking on the job I have certainly had a baptism of fire."

It turns out the devolution debate - which involved keeping the likes of Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and Northern Ireland Minister Paul Murphy in check - was the first debate she had ever chaired.

On Thursday she was in the chair as Marko Gasic, of the Serbian Information Office, provoked furious scenes by denouncing "Nato's atrocities". "I had to call order several times because of disturbances. But the atmosphere was unbelievable," she said. Nicky sees the long run of women presidents as further evidence that the union is at last shaking off its image of a champagne-swigging male bastion.

She has already lined up a glittering array of guest speakers for her term in charge, including Salman Rushdie, Ken Livingstone and Tim Rice. And for her farewell debate playboy Peter Stringfellow will be taking on kiss-and-tell king Max Clifford.

Now that really will be worth travelling from Hong Kong for.

Story date: Saturday 08 May

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