NAMDA Novice 2015

NAMDA Novice (October 31st)
R1: Infoslide: Jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government of the United Kingdom to people who are unemployed and actively seeking work. Motion: THW require receipients (sic) of Jobseeker’s Allowance to work in return for welfare payments
R2: Infoslide: A “no-platform” policy is one which requires that a certain person or organisation is not given a public platform on which to speak or otherwise espouse their views. Motion: THBT universities should not implement "no-platform" policies for controversial speakers
R3: Infoslide: The legal system in England and Wales is a “Common Law” system. This means that judges are able to interpret laws, as well as creating new legal norms (as long as they don’t contradict laws passed by parliament). That is to say that the precedent passed by high level courts in previous rulings has a legally binding impact on future court cases (though can be re-interpreted by equal level judges). Motion: THW impose a maximum annual income on everyone in the legal profession (including barristers, solicitors and judges) in England and Wales
R4: THW allow soldiers to opt out of war or conflict for moral reasons
Semis: THW impose a minimum quota of ethnic minority academics (e.g. lecturers and professors) in university departments.
Finals: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, "cultural knowledge" refers to the knowledge of intellectual or social achievements (artistic, historical or linguistic) prized by a specific group or community. For example: the cultural knowledge prized by white, middle and upper class elites in the UK arguably includes (but is not limited to) an understanding of opera, Renaissance poetry, and fine art; a knowledge ancient languages such as Greek and Latin; and familiarity with lists of British monarchs. Motion: THBT the British education system should aim to give students from all backgrounds a high level of familiarity with the cultural knowledge prized by white, upper and middle class elites

Belgrade Open 2015

Belgrade Open (October 31st - November 1st)
R1: THW abolish university tuition fees
R2: TH regrets the narrative that women can have it all - a successful career and a happy family
R3: THW allow the sale of the right to sue
R4: TH welcomes Russia’s military intervention in Syria
R5: THW oblige priests to report all violent crime that they learn about in confession
Semis: THW refuse to recognize the freedom of movement of citizens of any EU member state that refuses to accept a proportional number of refugees
Finals: THW cease using the legal concept of genocide in criminal proceedings

Kyiv Open 2015

Kyiv Open (October 31st - November 1st)
R1: THW aggressively financially incentivize the enrollment of female students in programs of study with disproportionately low female enrollment.
R2: THW legalize squatting (occupation of unoccupied buildings for driven initiatives.
R3: THW allow medical professionals to opt out of performing procedures or treatments on the basis of conscious.
R4: THBT government should not subsidies any art.
R5: In a country with free and fair elections THW make leading politicians (for example ministers and presidents) salaries equal to the highest earners in the private sector.
Semis: Infoslide: The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, stating that it is possible to achieve upward social mobility, prosperity and success if you work hard enough. Motion: TH regrets the American Dream.
Final: Infoslide: For the sake of this debate, mind-reading machines are machines that give the user unrestricted access to another individual's memories and thoughts. The machine only works if the user has physical access to the person being read. Motion: THW give law enforcement agencies the right to use mind-reading machines.

Imperial Novices 2015

Imperial Novices (November 1st)
R1: THW criminalise all forms of high school bullying (including cyber, physical and verbal)
R2: THBT Western Liberal Democracies should not give aid to countries who commit grave human rights abuses against people within their territory
R3: THBT governments should focus on adapting to the effects of climate change, rather than trying to prevent it
R4: THW financially incentivise women to study STEM subjects at university
Semis: TH prefers liberal arts-style degrees to single honours degrees
Final: THW subsidise membership of dating services (incl. websites) for long-term singles

LSESU Novice Cup

LSESU Novice Cup (November 7th)
R1: THW ban private donations to political parties
R2; THBT developing countries should actively support medical tourism
R3: THW allow defendants in criminal trials to argue that the jury should acquit on the grounds that the law they broke was unjust, and would instruct all juries to take this defence into account
Final: Infoslide: Currently, the state defines the terms of marriages/civil-partnerships, for example: what counts as a marriage (eg banning polygamy); how property should be divided in the event of divorc; your parental rights and responsibilities. Marriage privatisation is where individuals, communities or companies instead write terms of marriages, while the state only enforces the contract. Motion: THW privatize marriage.

Welsh Novices 2015

Welsh Novices 2015 (November 7th)
R1: THW ban video games in which the player engages in brutal and immoral violence in a realistic setting
R2: infoslide: [A map was shown alongside this text] The Gulf States (with the exceptions of Jordan, which has accepted a significant number of refugees) have so far provided limited aid and support to refugees during the current crisis Motion: THW continue trade deals with the Gulf States on the condition that they take control of the refugee crisis.
R3: THBTschools should motivate children to believe that anyone can succeed through hard work regardless of their background.
R4: THBT schools should motivate children to believe that anyone can succeed through hard work regardless of their background.
Final: Infoslide: Prison Manufacturing is a massive business in America, that enables them (as an industry) to compete internationally Inmates are paid below minimum wage and have little to no rights as workers, whereas free American citizens have the right to a minimum wage, fair working hours and the right to unionise to resolve disputes. If an Inmate is fit and well, refusal to work often results in punishments, up to and including isolation Motion: THW extend workers rights to the prison population, but not the right to refuse work.



Westminster Open (November 7th)
R1: THW ban cosmetic surgery
R2: THBT African countries should adopt English as the principal language of instruction in schools
R3: Infoslide: In the UK, NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) evaluates the efficacy of NHS policies by measuring QALYs. 'Quality Adjusted Life Years' (QALYs) are a way of measuring the effectiveness of healthcare treatments. They are calculated by combining both the number of years added to lives, and the quality of life after receiving treatment. So a medicine which provides 1 extra year of good quality life is credited just as much as one which adds 2 years of life where the quality of those years is deemed 'half as good'. QALYs prioritise length of life over quality of life (e.g. people with short life expectancy, less severe diseases). Treatments which do not increase life expectancy are often difficult to calculate. Motion: THW only fund medicine based on its impact on Quality Adjusted Life Years.
R4: TH, as the West, would cooperate with Russia in its military intervention in Syria (with info slide re Russia’s recent aggression vs. rebels/ISIS)
Novice Final: THBT the media should not report on the private lives of politicians
Semi Finals: THBT female game designers should prioritise over everything else the creation of female characters
Final: THW ban scientific research into the genetics of race

The Durham IV 2015

The Durham IV 2015 (November 7th-9th)
R1: In areas of the US with majority Hispanic populations, THW make Spanish the primary language of instruction in schools
R2: Infoslide: The Sports Governance Observer (SGO) is a measure of good governance of International Sporting Federations (ISF). It measures the level of institutional corruption, democratic process, transparency and efficiency. The SGO scores ISFs on a scale of 0100% with 100% representing perfect governance. FIFA is ranked as the second best governed ISF in world sport with a score of 67.8% (Horse riding is number 1). The worst score on the scale is the International Shooting Sport Federation which scored just 27.3%. Motion: THW make a sufficient SGO score a minimum requirement for a sport to be part of the Olympic Games
R3: THBT charities should not accept donations from individuals/organisations who are involved in immoral activities
R4: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, ‘antiaging technology' concerns the root causes of ageing as opposed to the purely cosmetic effects of ageing. Motion: THBT the medical community should invest in antiaging technology on the same scale as it does for other top priorities like cancer and heart disease research
R5: Given the technology existed, THW erase all knowledge of nuclear weapons
Semis: Infoslide: Jesus of Nazareth is a historical figure who is known to have lived c 4 BCE to c 28 CE. His life and teachings are referred to in numerous historical sources - the Roman Tacitus describes his execution for witchcraft, and hundreds of his followers left differing accounts of his beliefs. The most famous of these contemporary accounts are the Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Many widely held Christian beliefs are not mentioned in these contemporary sources, and can be proven to have originated later, after 800 CE. Examples of these beliefs include the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, the existence of Purgatory, and the infallibility of the Pope Motion: TH, as a Christian, would base its practices and beliefs solely on contemporary accounts of the life of Jesus.
Finals: THBT the People’s Republic of China should overthrow the People’s Republic of North Korea

Tilbury House 2015

Tilbury House 2015 (November 6th - 8th)
R1: THW fine news organisations who consistently fail to meet a standard of fair and balanced reporting
R2: THW require gaming companies to offer their products free of charge to women, in cases where there is a significant gender disparity in consumption.
R3: THW abolish and ban all agricultural subsidies in the European Union
R4: Assuming you would not be found out, in the event of a terrorist attack on EU soil committed by Islamist extremists THW fabricate evidence that the attack was committed by the dominant ethnic and socio-economic group, e.g. white Anglo-Saxons
Semis: THW impose sanctions on Erdogan’s AKP government
Finals: THBT the concept of “safe spaces” has no place in any academic activity or environment.

Oxford IV 2015

Oxford IV 2015 (November 13th - 14th)
R1: Infoslide: Religious Schools supplement state curricula with religious activities such as prayer or the discussion of religious texts. Teaching is sometimes performed by religious leaders. Motion: THW Ban Religious Primary and Secondary Schools
R2: Infoslide: The majority of US immigration visas are granted in order to reunify current legal US residents with their overseas parents, spouses, or children. Motion: THBT US immigration policy should only prioritise merit-based standards of acceptance over the reunification of families.
R3: Infoslide: Many countries increase punishments for crimes if those crimes are committed with an established prejudiced motive. These are called 'penalty enhancements for hate crimes'. Motion: THW end penalty enhancements for hate crimes.
R4: THBT Western Liberal Democracies should boycott the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
R5: THW allow opponents of abortion to sign legally-binding contracts with pregnant women, in which they pay those pregnant women not to have an abortion.
Open Quarters: THR the rise of megacities (cities of over 10 million people)
ESL Semis: THW accept ‘I was only following orders’ as a defence in war crimes trials
Open Semis: THBT after 50 years of ownership, the state should have the right to repossess all works of painting or sculptures for the purpose of public display
Novice Finals: THW create and enforce filial responsibility laws (mandating that people take care of their parents)
ESL Finals: THR the institutions of marriage and civil partnership
Open Finals: Infoslide: A new planet has been discovered identical to earth. One of two systems can be implemented on this planet Motion: THW implement Communism over Capitalism.

Euroijada Krakow IV 2015

Euroijada Krakow IV 2015 (November 13th - 15th)
R1: THW make anonymous CVs compulsory
R2: Assuming the technology existed, THW allow individuals to opt-in to a permanent state of dreaming where they are able to control the events and environment
R3: THW actively preserve languages classified as endangered
R4: THBT all development aid should be offered without conditions
Final: THBT France should increase military operations in Syria and Iraq with the aim of combatting ISIS

Birmingham ESL Novice Mini 2015

Birmingham ESL Novice Mini 2015(November 15th)
R1: THW impose gender and racial quotas in government cabinets.
R2: Assuming we live in a world where superheroes exist, THW require superheroes to publicly reveal their identities.
R3: THW pay a living wage to stay-at-home parents.
R4: THBT environmentalists should launch violent campaigns against major polluting companies.
Final: THW dramatically reduce the patent life on life saving drugs

Hong Kong Open 2015

R1 THBT MNCs should hire/appoint persons under 35 for at least 30% of positions in their Boards of Directors and upper management.

R2 THBT feminists should support ‪#‎ShoutYourAbortion‬(#ShoutYourAbortion is a viral hashtag meant to encourage women to speak up about their abortions)

R3 THBT the West should replace Saudi Arabia with Iran as its primary partner in the Middle East

R4 THBT the state should provide poor students with full scholarships and pay them at least the minimum wage to get college degrees as a major part of its poverty alleviation strategy

R5 TH regrets the strategy of publicly shaming people for microaggressions (microaggression refers to a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other nondominant group)

R6 THBT the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should sanction its members for environmental disasters that have international effects

Octos: THBT states should financially incentivize inter-ethnic marriages

Qtrs: TH regrets the dominant narrative of women as nonviolent and vulnerable in conflicts and humanitarian crises

Semis: THW ban religious proselytization in public places

GF: THBT individuals should vote for the candidate they most prefer regardless of that candidate's chances of winning

US Universities National Debate Championships, Claremont College, 2015

All motions by John Meany

1. Disinviting college and university speakers does more good than harm.
2. Low-level offenders should have their fates determined by neighbors rather than traditional courts.
3. There should be no space missions without United Nations scientific approval.
4. The sharing economy does more harm than good.
5. Government should create public space on the Internet for social protest and political free speech.
6. This House would establish a universal passport.
7. The US federal government should bail out states and cities.
8. This House supports a permanent seat with veto power on the UN Security Council for Africa.
SEMIFINALS: Colonial powers should pay reparations for the Atlantic slave trade.
FINALS: The US federal government should rewrite its constitution every 25 years.

First NBC Bank World Schools Invitational 2015, New Orleans

HOLY CROSS
NBC WORLD SCHOOLS INVITATIONAL 2015

Rd 1 imp
This house has an unhealthy obsession with sport.

Rd 2 prep
THBT political parties in the USA should select their presidential candidates in a national primary.

Rd 3 prep
TH welcomes the arrival of advanced artificial intelligence.

Rd 4 imp
THW guarantee the amnesty of retired dictators

Rd 5 prep
THW require all isolated religious communities (eg. Hasidic Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) to give all 18-year-olds a 'Rumspringa' [Amish tradition of sending off 18-year-olds to live in outside world for 1 year, after which they may chose to return or not]
.

Semifinals imp
This house would financially incentivize both inter-faith and inter-ethnic marriages.

Finals prep
THBT willingness to participate in publicly televised debates should be a prerequisite to run for elected office.

Air Force 2015

1. THW ban anonymity on the Internet.

2. THW no longer offer accreditation to colleges or universities that tightly integrate religious faith with academic learning

3. This House would leave existing fossil fuels in the ground.

4. This House believes that when news media shows visual representations of human suffering caused by other humans, it should be uncensored.

5. This House believes that Donald Trump has delivered the shock the American political system needs.

6. This House believes that states should eliminate their offensive military capabilities.

Quarterfinals: This House regrets the rise of the sharing economy.

Semifinals: This House would rather live in a post gender society.

Finls: This House would open all borders.