Kent Debating Society

Updates from January, 2010

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  THW Abolish the Monarchy

  Tom Barker 1:15 pm on January 30, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: debate (36), monarchy

  3/02/10 DLT 2, 6pm

  Probably one of the most debated issues in the UK. Is it about time we ditched this archaic institution or is it something we should cherish and preserve?

  This is a motion we picked as a result of the suggestions we received on the feedback forms you filled in. I don’t feel I need to write too much about this as you should all be familiar with the arguments.

  The challenge will be for the proposition. If you get rid of the monarchy, what are you going to do with them? More importantly, be aware of the constitutional significance, the Queen is still our head of state. Though its only a formality, no law can be passed without the Queen’s consent-she might have a thing or two to say about this one if the proposition wins!

  As always if you are interested in speaking get in touch.

   

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  THW Make Voting Compulsory

  Tom Barker 6:01 pm on January 22, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: beginners (2), compulsory, debate (36), novice, voting

  

  DLT 1, 6pm 27/1/10

  This week’s debate is a nice simple one for our less-experienced speakers to have a go at and quite appropriate for an election year.

  The proposition will want to emphasised the problems with the current voter turnout in the UK. For example turnout was so low at the last election that the Labour Party were not elected by a majority of voting population. They will want to argue that the solution is to follow the suit of countries such as Australia and make voting compulsory. It is down to the first speaker to figure out a mechanism (what will happen to those that fail to vote still?) of achieving this. They may also want to emphasise the sacrifices made to maintain democracy and that the current turnout is an insult to those that made that sacrifice.

  The opposition will want to acknowledge that there is indeed a problem with voter turnout but that compulsory voting is not the answer. Is it hardly surprising when so many MPs have fiddled their expenses? Would the proposition be better off tackling the problems causing voter apathy rather than punishing the disenfranchised?

  http://www.ippr.org.uk/pressreleases/?id=2083 an argument for

  http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/articles/against-compulsory-voting an argument against

  http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=44 a summary of the key arguments

   
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  Wooton Bassett March Debate

  Tom Barker 1:52 pm on January 7, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: bassett, debate (36), islam, march, protest, rights (2), wooten

  This House recognises the right of religious extremists to protest at Wooton Bassett, Wednesday 20/1/09, Venue: TBC

  We hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and that you are all ready to dust out those debating cobwebs with an explosive first debate. Unless you have (smartly) been spending the festive season under a sled, you will be aware of the highly controversial plans of Islam4UK to hold a march in the town of Wooton Bassett and this is what our opening debate of 2010 will be about

  The tradition of soldiers, killed in conflict, being repatriated through this town has led to it becoming an area of sacred value to the supporters, friends and families of the armed forces and the reaction to Islam4UK’s intentions has been one of fury. Islam4UK claiming it is merely to draw attention to the huge number of Muslim lives lost in these conflicts. There have been miles of column widths, dozens of facebook campaigns and hours of TV coverage dedicated to this controversy in recent weeks so research should not be a problem.

  The proposition will want to emphasise the importance of the UK’s commitments to freedom of speech, the dangers of un-rebutted patriotism and the risks of any ban or protest here appearing to be overly racist and political. The opposition will want to move the playing field of this debate. Perhaps acknowledging that these issues are all important but are severely outweighed by the importance of supporting UK troops in holding a hardline against religious extremism.

  As always, if you want to speak, get in touch.