This weekend, Kent Debating took a trip to London to participate at King’s College London’s IV competition. Unfortunately, due to a few train cancellations because of weather conditions one of the teams had to be dropped, so Monifa and Oliver H. spent the day gaining experience as judges. Nonetheless, it was a great opportunity for all who came to meet others from the debating circuit, as well as get some invaluable feedback from more experienced debaters and judges. Kent A (Joshua Gibbs and Zhang Zhing) had the following motions before them throughout the day:
- THW allow parents to cast proxy votes on behalf of their children (2nd Place)
- THW Would abolish affirmative action in the admission process of US universities. (4th Place)
- THB that the UK should withhold aid funding from countries that criminalize homosexuality. (1st Place)
- THB that countries that accept EU bailouts should surrender control of fiscal policy to the European Commission for a designated period of time. (3rd Place)
When it came to the draw, Kent A were one point away from the possibility of breaking, making this an excellent start to IV debating for Josh and Zhang. This is a testament to their enthusiasm and debating skills. Well done!
For those of you that couldn’t attend this time, or who are interested in going, we’ll be organising many more IV trips next term.
Wednesday’s debate on whether to give prisoner’s the vote was one of good quality and typical of what we have always hoped to achieve with the Kent Debating Society; an intimate environment where everyone and anyone can better their public speaking skills, inform themselves on contemporary issues and have a great laugh within the space of an hour. The final vote on the debate reached a tie (the society’s first) so credit is due to both sides of the house. Particular congratulations go to Zhiang for winning best speaker.