Debate Motions 2016-2017

105 tournaments

Skip to month:

September

October

Helsinki Mini (22 October 2016 in Helsinki, Finland)

CA Team: Craig McDonald (CA), Milla Huuskonen (CA), Anton Moisseev (DCA)

R1: TH regrets the rise of TV talent shows
R2: Infoslide: A zero-hour contract is a type of contract where the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum working hours, while the worker is not obliged to accept any work offered. As no hours are guaranteed, worker's rights suchas sick pay or parental leave may be affected. These contracts are often used in retail and service industries.
Motion: THW ban zero-hour contracts
R3: THW prohibit people with criminal records from running for political office
R4: Infoslide: Pop feminism refers to a popularised form of feminism in contrast to academic feminism or feminist political activism. Pop feminism celebrates female empowerment and feminist identity through media including but not limited to pop music, advertising, fashion and social media campaigns. Examples of pop feminism include various songs and performances by Beyonce or Vogue India's "My Choice" campaign.
Motion: TH regrets the rise of pop feminism
Final: THBT it would be in Russia's interest to abandon the goal of becoming a global superpower rivaling the US

September

Istanbul Meridyen Debating Academy (3-4 September 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey)

CA Team: Melda Eren (CA), Monica Forman (CA), Nika Jelendorf (CA), Rebecca Irvine (CA)

R1: THBT governments should strictly regulate construction and renovation in order to preserve historical architecture (buildings, parks, public spaces etc).
R2: THW ban self-learning sex robots that aim to be highly gratifying and realistic
R3: THW permanently remove from service Imams who are stationed in places where an honour killing has occured
R4: THW not use scientific data acquired through non-ethical experiments
Final: Infoslide: Husartsan was the first memorial monument dedicated to the victims of the ‘Armenian Tragedy’. It was erected in 1919 near Taksim Square in Istanbul, on the premises of a former Armenian Cemetary. In 1922, during the occupation of Istanbul, the monument was dismantled and subsequently lost under unknown circumstances. Recently, President Erdogan has declared Turkey the “most meaningful place” to commemorate the ‘Armenian Tragedy’, which Ankara does not recognize as genocide.
Motion: THW rebuild the Husartsan memorial

Red Sea Open (7-10 September 2016 in Eilat, Israel)

CA Team: Dan Lahav (CA), Harish Natarajan (CA), Nika Jelendorf (CA), Noa Ovadia (ACA)

R1: Infoslide: Mother Teresa left her comfortable European upbringing to work with the poor in India, and devoted her life to the Catholic Church. She has been canonised (formally declared a saint). Her legacy is controversial, due to the fact that her belief in the virtue of suffering resulted in an opposition to economic development.
Motion: TH, as Catholics, would oppose the canonisation of Mother Theresa.
R2: THBT the US Government should provide significant campaign funding for congressmen and senators who score highly on bi-partisan metrics*.
*Scores derived from instances of voting with the other party, co-sponsoring bills, etc., calculated by independent bodies.
R3: Infoslide: Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, where he experiences racial discrimination and has few economic opportunities. Rather than continuing as a dishwasher at a diner, he joins a cartel and starts selling cocaine.
Motion: THBT the life in the cartel is a better life for Tony Montana than a life of following the law.
R4: THBT the state’s general economic approach should be to promote policies which seek to maximise net economic gain*, even when it comes at the expense of structural unemployment.
* For example free trade agreements and the automation of labour.
R5: Infoslide: Inseki-Jisatsu i responsibility-driven suicide. A large number of these were committed by military commanders and members of the political leadership following Japan’s defeat in World War II.
Motion: THBT Japan should depict the act of Inseki-Jisatsu as cowardly.
R6: THBT liberal states should provide legal and financial aid to citizens who wish to permanently emigrate from them
Semis: TH believes that it is within the interest of Tibetans to assimilate with China
Final: Infoslide: A “Cultural Defence” is a defence to the prosecution of a criminal act, which, according to the defendant, results from their cultural background.
Motion: THW allow the “Cultural Defence” in all criminal proceedings

October

ISIC (1 October 2016 in Birmingham, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Nick Zervoudis (CA), Lucia Arce (DCA), Sarah Tay (DCA)

R1: Infoslide: Slum tourism is a type of tourism that involves visiting impoverished areas - usually through a service provided by tourism agencies. Slum tourism is now becoming increasingly prominent in developing nations, including India, Brazil, Kenya and Indonesia

Motion: THBT the governments of developing nations should actively encourage slum tourism

R2: Infoslide: Identity Cards are common state policy are Southeast Asia, and often include race and religious identification in addition to the IC holder's name, date of birth and address. In some cases, religious identification is used to enforce Sharia Law on Muslim individuals. Identification seldom allows for 'Mixed' categories.
Motion: THBT states should stop identifying citizens by their race or religion

R3: Infoslide: The Association of South East Asian Nations (also known as ASEAN) consists of the following countries: Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Its aim is to accelerate economic growth, social progress and peace and stability within the region. When ASEAN was formed in 1967, it adopted a series of principles that have collectively come to be known as “The ASEAN Way.” These principles place extreme emphasis on national sovereignty and the commitment to non-intervention into the affairs of member countries. ASEAN takes great pride in the fact that community decisions are made through extreme consensus.

Motion: THBT ASEAN should give up all efforts toward greater political and economic integration

Final: Infoslide: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement that was signed on 4 February 2016 by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam. Other countries and regions interested in TPP membership include the Philippines, Colombia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India. In October 2015, Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared Indonesia's intention to join the TPP.

Motion: THBT it is in Indonesia’s interests to join the TPP

UCD Novice (6 October 2016 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Cian Leahy (CA), Erin Kyle (CA), Paul O'Dwyer (CA)

R1: THBT the Feminist Movement should rebrand as Egalitarianism.

R2: TH supports essential services workers rights to strike.
R3: Infoslide:
Motion: THW prosecute the perpetrators of Bloody Sunday.
Final: Infoslide:
Motion: TH supports the end of the Hannibal Directive.

UCD IV (7-8 October 2016 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Emma Lucas (CA), Kit Mercer (CA), Michael Coleman (CA), Owen Mooney (CA), Juliette Barnes (DCA)

R1: Except where there is a clear threat to national security THBT it is illegitimate for Western states to limit immigration from the the developing world
R2: THW impose a cap on the amount of money parents are allowed to spend on their children (excluding essential healthcare and disability needs).
R3: THBT Hillary Clinton should put her experience overcoming sexism to the forefront of her campaign.
R4: Infoslide (roughly): From the 2000’s onward, a trend following online movements has been developing in which elderly people are expected to behave in a way that is similar to young people.
Motion: TH regrets this trend
R5: Infoslide (roughly): A universal basic income (UBI) is a form of social security in which all citizens or residents of a country regularly receive an unconditional sum of money, either from a government or some other public institution, in addition to any income received from elsewhere.
Motion: THBT progressive parties should advocate and campaign for the introduction of UBI.
Semis: THBT Putin has been good for Russia.
Final: THBT feminists should oppose capitalism.

UCL President’s Cup (8 October 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Cerys Bradley (CA), Darion Hotan (CA), Joe Mayes (CA)

R1: Infoslide: A wethouse is a homeless shelter that allows occupants to drink alcohol on its premises.
Motion: TH supports the creation of wethouses.
R2: TH believes that major political decisions should be made by parliament rather than a public referendum.
R3: TH believes that states should make developmental aid contingent on the human rights record of the recipient country.
R4: TH would impose fines on public acts of climate change denial.
Semis: Infoslide: Wikileaks is a media organisation and library which finds and releases classified and leaked documents pertaining to war, spying and corruption. Since its creation in 2006, it has released tens of millions of documents about and from governments across the world. Wikileaks recently stopped redacting the names of civilians from its documents because it takes a prohibitively long time to do so.
Motion: TH supports Wikileaks continuing to publish the documents it acquires, even if they reveal private information about civilians.
Final: TH would allow soldiers to opt-out from military missions on the basis of conscience.
Non-schools final: Infoslide: Grammar schools are state schools which are selective based on academic ability.
Motion: TH supports the creation of grammar schools.

Imperial Open (15 October 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Eliot Pallot (CA), Imogen Maclaren (CA), Stefan Siridzanski (CA)

R1: THW allow communities to pay for increased police presence in their area
R2: Infoslide: A negative income tax is a system where people earning below a certain amount receive supplemental pay from the government instead of paying taxes to the government. It can be banded so the less you earn the more the government pays you. For the purposes of this debate it would replace most income related benefits (e.g. food stamps, housing subsidies, job seekers allowance, income support)
Motion: THW implement a negative income tax
R3: Infoslide: SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer founded by Tesla Motors CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of creating the technologies to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonisation of Mars. Musk believes that by 2035 at the latest, there will be thousands of rockets flying a million people to Mars, in order to enable a self-sustaining human colony.
Motion: THW nationalise SpaceX’s mission to colonise Mars
R4: Infoslide: Saudi Aramco is the national oil company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the largest oil producer in the world, and has the largest proven oil reserves. It is entirely owned by the Saudi state. Saudi Arabia has decided to offer up between 5-10% of the company for public trade in 2017 with indications that it may gradually offer up additional parts of the company for sale. The estimated value of Saudi Aramco is between $1.25 trillion up to $10 trillion.
Motion: TH supports the privatisation of Saudi Aramco
Semis: THBT secular states should force the Catholic church to accept the ordination of female bishops
Final: THBT the EU should end its commitment to the free movement of people as a core principle of the single market

Edinburgh Cup (15-16 October 2016 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Hannah Beresford (CA), Srishti Krishnamoorthy (CA), Connor Forbes Galbraith (DCA), Dan Roberts (DCA)

R1: THW introduce academic streaming
R2: TH supports voluntourism
R3: TH, as the state, would aggressively fund GMO research
R4: THBT Japan should acquire nuclear weapons
R5: TH regrets the culture of casual sex
Semis: TH, as an astronaut, would take part in Mars One (one way trip to Mars).
Final: THBT the USA should never use the language of American exceptionalism

Imperial Novices (16 October 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Muhammad Asadullah Khan (CA), Ronan Patrick (CA), Sophia Rodriguez (CA)

R1: Infoslide: Tiger Parenting is a term which refers to strict or demanding parents who push their children to be successful academically by attaining high levels of scholastic and academic achievement, sometimes to the detriment of the child's social, psychological and emotional well-being.
Motion: TH supports Tiger Parenting

R2: Infoslide: The On-Demand Economy is defined as the economic activity created by technology companies that fulfill consumer demand via the immediate provisioning of goods and services. Examples of such technology companies include Uber, Deliveroo and AirBnB.
Motion: TH regrets the rise of the On-Demand Economy
R3: Infoslide: Education policy includes, but is not limited to, changes in curriculum, changes in class sizes, the structure of the schooling system.
Motion: THW allow teacher unions to veto education policy that is not linked to pay and benefits
R4: THBT the United States should militarily intervene (put boots on the ground) in Syria and Iraq
Semis: THW not allow tech companies/social media to target advertising in order to change people's political ideology
Final: Infoslide: Over 50 women and children have been captured by the Nigerian military after raids on Boko Haram campsites. These are the wives and children of former or current Boko Haram soldiers. They are kept in a fortified compound by the government, without access to the rest of society. They are provided with an above average standard of living, and given counselling services as well as moderate Islamic teaching.
Motion: THW let the captured wives and children of former or current Boko Haram soldiers choose to live in open society

Roosevelt Open (21-22 October 2016 in Middleburg, Netherlands)

CA Team: Emma Lucas (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA), Sella Nevo (CA)

R1: As adopting parents, THW tell its child it is adopted only after its teenage years
R2: TH would ban all non-medical research into the genetics of race (For example, the effect of race on intelligence, morality, etc.)
R3: Infoslide: Entrapment is a practice whereby a police officer tempts a person to commit a criminal offense that the person would have otherwise been unlikely to commit. For example, police officers posing as drug dealers and offering drugs.
Motion: THW allow the police to use entrapment
R4: TH regrets the rise of the hookup culture (* The hookup culture is one which accepts and encourages casual sexual encounters focused on physical pleasure, without necessarily including emotional bonding)
R5: Infoslide: In many developing countries including India, Argentina and South Africa, it is common for political parties to hand out food en masse in the streets, especially towards elections, as a strategy to get more votes.
Motion: THBT developing nations should ban political parties from handing out food and basic necessities
Semi: Infoslide: FARC is a guerilla group engaged in armed conflict with the Columbian state since 1964. After decades of fighting, the Columbian government reached a peace deal with FARC, which includes a complete disarmament of FARC in return for seats in parliament, full amnesty and re-integration programs for anyone who didn't commit crimes against humanity, and community service for those who did. The Columbian government put the deal up for a referendum vote, in which the Columbian people rejected the deal by a 50.2% majority with low turnout.
Motion: TH regrets the Colombian government's decision to hold a referendum on the FARC peace deal
Final: THW prefer a world where people cannot lie

SOAS IV (22-23 October 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Daniel Bramble (CA), Gavin O’Leary (CA), Jamie Jackson (CA), Monica Forman (CA)

R1: THW ban private healthcare
R2: THW require children, to the extent they are able, to financially support their parents in old age
R3: TH regrets the remilitarisation of Japan
R4: THW ban foreign states from funding religious organisations
R5: THBT companies have a moral obligation to significantly invest in helping the communities in which they operate, even when it has no benefit to that organisation
Quarters:
Semis:
Final:

Belgrade Open (28-30 October 2016 in Belgrade, Serbia)

CA Team: Dan Lahav (CA), Djordje Jovicevic (CA), Karin Merckens (CA)

R1: THW prosecute violent fouls in sports as criminal assault
R2: THBT ICC should forcefeed detainees going on hunger strike
R3: TH, as China, would allow women, and only women, to marry multuiple male partners
R4: THBT Israel should Privatize the West Bank Checkpoints
R5: TH regrets the overhelming narrative of good triumphing over evil in childrens
Semis: THW rather be a part of “Club 27” thank live an average anonymous
Final: In retrospect, THW have preferred Truth and Reconciliation Commissions over the ICTY to deal with the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars

Queen’s University Belfast IV (28-30 October 2016 in Belfast, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Alex Harris (CA), Méabh McMahon (CA), Olly Donelly (CA)

R1: THW ban essential service workers from striking
R2: TH supports the creation of personal artificially intelligent robotic romantic partners
R3: THBT violent protest is legitimate
R4: Infoslide: Propaganda balloons are small, unmanned, hot air balloons filled with western and south korean media and propaganda. They are sent across the North Korean Border by individual South Korean citizens, often evoking a negative response from the north Korean government.
Motion: THBT the South Korean Government should ban propaganda balloons
R5: THBT televised debates between the leaders of major parties before general elections do more harm than good
Semis: Infoslide: Most people in NI identify as 'Irish' or 'British' There are very few accepted 'Northern Irish' cultural signals (Flags, Sports teams, A national Anthem)
Motion: THBT the Northern Irish government should aggressively promote a distinct 'Northern Irish' Identity
Novice Final: Infoslide: (Context slide about the movement to destroy Hitler house and Rhodes must fall.)
Motion: THS the destruction of historical artifacts seen to glorify atrocities
Open Final: Infoslide: Men are body-shamed if they are not tall or strong looking enough. They are more likely to drop out of education, to get arrested, and to commit suicide than women. Activism for men's issues is limited, and often perceived oppositional to feminism.
Motion: TH supports the advocacy of men's issues explicitly independent of feminism

NAMDA Novice (29 October 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Bethany Garry (CA), Kit Mercer (CA), Muhammad Asadullah Khan (CA)

R1: THBT young, educated people in Western countries should focus their charitable efforts (e.g., volunteering, donations, etc.) towards benefiting the disadvantaged in their own country, as opposed to in the developing world
R2: THW teach vocational skills rather than liberal art subjects in underdeveloped areas
R3: THW prefer a world without romantic love
R4: THW replace income tax with a tax on the social privileges of individuals (eg gender, race, parental income, IQ, physical appearance)
Semis: THW only fight defensive wars
Final: THR the automation of labour

Trivium Tournament (29 October 2016 in Nijmegen, Netherlands)

CA Team: Lisa Schallenberg (CA), Adrienne Huisman (DCA), Davy Fung (DCA), Jeroen Heun (DCA), Pieter van der Veere (DCA)

R1:
R2: TH believes that feminist female students should boycott students’ corps
R3: TH would prosecute the editor-in-chief when the magazine they are in charge of publishes falsehoods
R4: TH would disqualify the entire amateur football club for one competition season when there are acts of violence on or around the playing field
R5: TH would legalise a market for organs
Final: TH would prefer a monocultural society over a multicultural society

KCL IV (29-30 October 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Gigi Gil (CA), Josh Bailey (CA), Raffy Marshall (CA), Sam Van Elk (ACA)

R1: Infoslide: Seeking Arrangements is a website which provides a forum for attractive women to be connected with richer men that are willing to spend their money on them. These people are referred to as sugar babies and sugar daddies respectively. It is common for sugar babies to have multiple sugar daddies.
Motion: TH opposes 'Seeking Arrangement'
R2: Infoslide: In many developing states where the murder rate is exceptionally high - for example the Phillipines and Burundi - there exists a common practice whereby the communities effected hire local mercenaries to carry out extra-judicial law enforcement, including the killing of suspects. Police forces usually are not present in these areas or turn a blind eye to the mercenaries' actions.
Motion: THS the extra-judicial killing of suspects in states where law enforcement is systematically failing
R3: Infoslide: UN protectorates are international administrations established to govern countries or regions in crisis. Examples include the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). / A failing state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly. Examples include, South Sudan, Somalia and Haiti.
Motion: THW create UN protectorates in failing states
R4: Infoslide: Insider Trading Laws Prohibit investors from using information gained from confidential sources which is not publicly available to other investors. For knowledge to be publicly available the opportunity needs to exist for other investors to access it. (For example getting confidential information from a CEO in return for buying her lunch would currently be illegal whilst it would be ok to pay for access to a publicly available stock report).
Motion: THW remove all restrictions on insider training
R5: Infoslide: A Social Credit System collates a wide variety of indicators to produce a rating that reflects your usefulness to society. Indicators include, but are not limited to; propensity to give, law-abidingness, socially-beneficial vocation and civic and political engagement (e.g. voting). The indicators are controlled for socio-economic status. For instance, a nurse who voted would likely be deemed more useful than a corporate lawyer who goes on three holidays a year and gives nothing to charity. A higher Social Credit score gets a citizen expanded access to public services such as welfare, hospitals, schools etc. A Social Credit System still guarantees citizens a social safety net.
Motion: THW introduce a Social Credit System
Semis: Infoslide: A bail-in is rescuing a financial institution on the brink of failure by making its creditors and depositors take a loss on their holdings before they can recieve any government assistance. A bail-in is the opposite of a bail-out, which involves the rescue of a financial institution by external parties, typically governments using taxpayers money. For example, bondholders in Cypriot banks and depositors with more than 100,000 euros in their accounts were forced to write-off a portion of their holdings.
Motion: THS the use of bail ins of failing major financial institutions
Novice Final: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nzeJrXFttg
Motion: THR the demonisation of the rich
Open Final: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLyPpUsNkAE&feature=youtu.be&t=1m9s / Asian Values is a political movement which prioritised collective economic and social improvement over concepts of individual human rights and liberal democracy. These values include a preference for social harmony, concern with socio-economic prosperity and the collective well-being of the community, loyalty and respect towards figures of authority, and preference for collectivism and communitarianism.
Motion: TH prefers Asian Values to Western liberalism

November

UCU Open (4-5 November 2016 in Utrecht, Netherlands)

CA Team: Clíodhna Ní Chéileachair (CA), Ilija Ivanišević (CA), Nishith Hegde (CA), Rebecca Irvine (CA), Ybo Buruma (CA)

R1: THW ban political candidates who repeatedly make false claims during election campaigns from running for office
R2: THW fully subsidise all forms of plastic surgery
R3: Infoslide: Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups who are descended from and identify with the original inhabitants of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area more recently. For example: Native Americans, Indigenous Australians, Canadian first-nations people.
Motion: THW grant full self-government to indigenous peoples who live in geographically separate areas
R4: Infoslide: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an international court that prosecutes individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Currently the ICC is dependent on its member countries to catch and bring forward any individuals the ICC indicts.
Motion: THBT the International Criminal Court should hire bounty hunters to catch people who refuse to surrender after an indictment
R5: THBT women should boycott major international sporting events in countries with poor womens' rights records
Semis:
Novice Final:
Open Final:

Welsh Novice (5 November 2016 in Aberystwyth, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Ed Mason (CA), Tara Murphy (CA)

R1: THW force fathers to take paternity leave
R2: Infoslide: An Economic crime is an illegal act committed with the principle motive of economic gain. E.g. stealing a loaf of bread
Motion: THW not punish economic crimes, when committed by individuals living in poverty
R3: Infoslide: An overseas constituency is an electoral district located outside of nation states borders which is recognised by the state’s government as a district for the representation of its expatriate residents who live within the territory of another nation state. For example, France has eleven constituencies covering the rest of the world. In 2012 french citizens, living in Canada and the United States voted for Frédéric Lefebvre to represent them in the French National Assembly. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Constituencies_for_French_residents_overseas.svg/500px-Constituencies_for_French_residents_overseas.svg.png
Motion: THW create overseas constituents for the UK Parliament
R4: Infoslide: Development aid is financial aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing countries. It is distinguished from humanitarian aid by focusing on alleviating poverty in the long term, rather than a short term response.
Motion: THW only provide development aid to countries who are investing in and using sustainable forms of energy
Final: THS a future in which all manual and unskilled labour is completed by robots

Westminster Open (5 November 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Annabelle van Beusekom (CA), Bailey Reid (CA), Darion Hotan (CA)

R1: Infoslide: A megachurch is a church with, on average, over 2000 people in weekly attendance. They are often very wealthy, with large financial contributions made by their members.
Motion: TH regrets the rise of megachurches
R2: THW ban international adoption
R3: THBT environmental legislation should be entirely determined by a panel of technocrats
R4: Infoslide: A city state is a self-governing city with sovereign control over its boundaries (e.g. Singapore, the Vatican city, Monaco, Bahrain, Carthage (RIP)).
Motion: TH prefers city states to larger nation states
Final: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsL96q4UD-A
Motion: THBT the state should incentivize high-performing citizens to have children together

Durham IV (5-6 November 2016 in Durham, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Floris Holstege (CA), Sophie Large (CA) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (CA)

R1: THBT citizens in countries with high political corruption should evade tax as a form of protest
R2: THBT the US should legalise foreign political donations
R3: THW prefer a world where children are raised communally, as opposed to in families
R4: THW not contact uncontacted peoples
R5: THBT the UN should set up a global refugee state
Semis: THW stop the global oil trade by 2030
Final: THW prefer a world where everyone wore uniform, grey jumpsuits

Oxford IV (11-12 November 2016 in Oxford, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Crash Wigley (CA), Dan Lahav (CA), Dessislava Kirova (CA), Fanele Mashwama (CA), Tommy Peto (ACA)

R1: When police are put on trial for alleged instances of a violent wrongdoing, THW decrease the burden of proof to the balance of probabilities
R2: Infoslide:
Motion: THW allow negative voting
R3: THBT armies should indoctrinate soldiers to take their own lives in the event that they fall captive to the enemy
R4: THBT the state should promote the norm of the 'single life'
R5: THBT NATO should expel members that do not meet the organisation's defence spending targets
Open Quarters: In 2008, instead of bailing out systemically important financial institutions, THW have bailed out homeowners directly
ESL Semis: THBT it is always morally wrong to buy sex
Novice Final: THBT the state should facilitate the creation of a new identity (complete with relocation and new government documents) for any citizen that requests it
Open Semis: TH opposes the attempts to form a new Fatah-Hama\s unity government
ESL Final: THW prosecute leaders that have lied to their nation over the justification for going to war
Open Final: THBT the left should not celebrate the ideal of individuals climbing up the class ladder

Yorkshire Novice (12 November 2016 in York, United Kingdom)

CA Team: David Bender (CA), Morag Deans (CA)

R1: THW ban private education
R2: Infoslide: Most legal jurisdictions use juries to determine guilt, and have a judge to determine a sentence. / Some jurisdictions use judges to determine both guilt and the sentence. In jurisdictions that use juries, they consist of twelve randomly selected citizens. / Citizens must fit certain characteristics, such as age, not holding certain politically important jobs, or not having some mental health conditions. / All jurisdictions disallow people with direct involvement in the case from serving on a jury, whilst a small number (not including the UK) expand that principle to indirect involvement, such as being affected by issues in the case. / Juries must find defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to convict.
Motion: THW abolish juries
R3: THW ban the production, distribution, and consumption of pornography
R4: THW make development aid to non-democratic countries conditional on verifiable* steps towards democracy
* Assuming it is possible to verify whether or not a country is making steps towards democracy.
Semis: Infoslide: (Printed and distributed to teams) A small number of people (~2000 in the UK) have the capacity to manipulate energy using small wooden sticks. Such people are known as ‘witches’ and ‘wizards’. Those without this skill are known as ‘muggles’. The existence of the magical world is kept secret from muggles, as witches and wizards fear persecution by muggles. / The wizarding world in the UK is highly stratified by ancestry. Those with many generations of witches and wizards in their family are called ‘pureblood’. Those who are born of mixed magical/muggle ancestry, or with some muggles in recent generations are called ‘half-bloods’. Those with two muggle parents are called muggleborns. / Muggleborns are heavily discriminated against, politically and socially. Three common slurs against muggle-borns is that they are ‘mudbloods’, are less magically powerful, and have stolen their magical powers from 'true' wizards. / Between 1995 and 1997 a group of pureblood extremists took over the UK wizarding government, which caused a large amount of damage including the destruction of all time-turners. The pureblood extremists were known as Death Eaters, and were lead by Tom Riddle (aka, Lord Voldemort). The Death Eaters were defeated by the Order of the Phoenix, lead by the late Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort was killed in the battle, and all other Death Eaters were killed or captured. / The Wizengamot is the highest body of the UK wizarding world. It constitutes both the UK wizarding world’s parliament and highest court. The Wizengamot appoints the Ministry of Magic, which governs the wizarding world. The Wizengamot is elected by witches and wizards on a regular basis.
Motion: THW enforce a quota of muggleborns for elections to the Wizengamot
Final: Infoslide: Federal Political Career: Barack Obama: US Senator for Illinois from January 3rd 2005 to November 16th 2008. Donald Trump: ... / Nuclear Wars Started Based on Twitter Mentions: Barack Obama: None. Donald Trump: None... yet.
Motion: THW require those seeking election to the Office of President of the United States of America to have served a minimum of five years as national elected position or statewide executive office

Birmingham ESL Novice (13 November in Birmingham, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Katrin Fallman (CA), Milla Huuskonen (CA)

R1: Infoslide: A universal basic income is a sum of money that every citizen receives.
Motion: THW, for all citizens, replace current benefit systems with an unconditional universal basic income
R2: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate there exists a "truth pill" that prevents people from holding back their genuine opinion or actively lying about issues when speaking. This excludes matters of national security.
Motion: THW require politicians to use the truth pill prior to speaking in public
R3: THBT when multinational companies do business in Western states, these states should enforce their environmental standards at all stages of production
R4: TH regrets the institution of marriage
Final: Infoslide: This is Lithuania: (the following images: http://www.mapsland.com/maps/europe/lithuania/large-location-map-of-lithuania-preview.jpg https://www.travelblog.org/Maps/map-of-Lithuania-lh.gif) / Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of 2,9 million people, a member of both NATO and the EU. / Lithuania reintroduced conscription somewhat suddenly in 2015 and made the policy permanent in 2016. Men of ages 19-26 are conscripted for 9 months of military service.
Motion: TH regrets Lithuania reintroducing conscription

Cambridge IV (18-19 November 2016 in Cambridge, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Karin Merckens (CA), Thomas Simpson (CA), Veenu Goswami (CA)

R1: THW abolish all government schemes that provide grants, tax-breaks or loans at preferential terms to home buyers
R2: THBT indigenous groups in parliamentary democracies should form independent political parties instead of encouraging their members to vote for, and run on behalf of, existing parties
R3: THBT governments should make available a publicly searchable database containing the income, wealth and taxes paid by all citizens
R4: THW prohibit the use of predictive algorithms in criminal trials
R5: TH, as Israel, opposes a Iran nuclear deal
Open Quarters: THBT states should focus on negotiating bilateral trade agreements over large, regional agreements such as the TPP and RCEP
ESL Semis: Infoslide: The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an economic union currently consisting of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. It involves the free movement of capital, labour, goods and services, provides for common regulations across a range of industries and there are plans for creating a common currency.
Motion: THBT membership of the EAEU is in the interests of Central Asian states
Novice Final: THW allow individuals to sue the government when the government has failed to provide a basic standard of living
Open Semis: THBT Pro-choice politicians should reject the position that abortion is legitimate but regrettable
ESL Final:
Open Final:

Cicero Tournament (19 November 2016 in Tilburg, Netherlands)

CA Team: Jos Buijvoets (CA), Josse van Proosdij (CA), Marike Breed (CA), Wieger Maris (CA), Ybo Buruma (CA)

R1: THW allow the use of doping in professional cycling
R2: THW let the citizens of a municipality choose their mayor
R3: THW ban foreign financing of mosques in the Netherlands
R4: THBT the government of the Netherlands should unconditionally sign the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement
R5: THW stop using the CITO-toets (and every other way of central examination on primary schools)
Semi: TH supports the existence of Grindr
Proam Final: THW allow duelling to the death
Final: TH, as the state of California, would separate itself from the United States of America if Trump implements the 'Muslim Registry'

Maastricht Novice (19 November 2016 in Maastricht, Netherlands)

CA Team: Srdjan Miletic (CA), Jelte Schievels (DCA), Lucy Lester (DCA)

R1: THW not eat meat
R2: TH supports WikiLeaks's decision to release Hillary Clinton's e-mails
R3: THW rather live in a world where make up did not exist
R4: THW legalise child labour in developing countries
Final: Infoslide: There is a button. If pressed, nuclear weapons no longer function. This would be immediately detected by owners of said weapons. If you do not press the button immediately, it will disappear.
Motion: THW press the button

Joensuu Mini (19-20 November 2016 in Joensuu, Finland)

CA Team: Annabelle van Beusekom (CA), Milla Huuskonen (CA), Sara Halonen (DCA)

R1: THW make the use of anonymous CVs* compulsory
* applications not revealing applicant's name, ethnicity, gender & age
R2: TH as the EU would create a common European military force
R3: THBT European newspapers should disproportionately report positive stories of refugees integrating into society
R4: THW prefer to live in a world without religious beliefs
Final: Infoslide: Autonomous military robots are a technology under development. They are capable of acting without human control, as specified by their programming. Laws for who is legally accountable for the actions of such robots have not been set yet.
Motion: THW hold programmers of autonomous military robots accountable for the war crimes the robot commits

Cambridge Women’s (20 November 2016 in Cambridge, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Bionda Merckens (CA), Evan Lynyak (CA), Gigi Gil (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA)

R1: TH prefers secular governments that exclude all religion from public spaces to those that allow all religions in public
R2: THBT nations should invest in regional human rights institutions at the expense of global institutions (such as the ICC)
R3: TH regrets the rise of choice feminism
R4: THBT opposition parties in Latin America should seek incremental transitions of power rather than the recall or overthrow of ruling parties
Open Semis: Infoslide: A Birth lottery system is a system in which prospective parents do not sire their own genetic child, but rather receive a fertilized egg. The fertilized eggs will be the result of a random pairing of genetic material from two people of the existing reproductive pool.
Motion: Assuming the technology exists and is enforceable, TH supports a universally applied birth lottery system
Open Final: Infoslide: The alt right is a subsection of conservative political ideology that rejects many elements of mainstream conservatism, such as free market economics, and often relies on nativist and anti-establishment arguments.
Motion: THBT social media platforms (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) should censor alt right content

Cork IV (25-26 November 2016 in Cork, Ireland)

CA Team: Aodhan Peelo (CA), Gigi Gil (CA), Christopher Costigan (DCA), Nishith Hegde (DCA)

R1: THBT teachers should contradict curriculum that they believe will be harmful to society
R2: THBT feminists should actively adopt stereotypically "male" traits (such as being assertive, emotionally distant, "man-spreading" etc.)
R3: THW never offer a reduced sentence in return for information relating to other crimes
R4: TH, as the Catholic Church, W sell all wealth (including, but not limited to, art, property, and religious artefacts) to the highest bidder and donate the profit to the alleviation of poverty
R5: THW give the African Union passport to all citizens of African Union member states
Quarters: THW prefer a world in which everyone believed in the afterlife to one in which no-one did
Semis: THBT states should use subliminal messaging to secretly push liberal values upon their citizens
Novice Final: THBT feminists should oppose drag
Open Final: THB the time has come for US citizens to form armed militias in opposition to the state

Tilbury House IV (25-27 November 2016 in Cologne, Germany)

CA Team: Duncan Crowe (CA), Johan Båge (CA), Melda Eren (CA)

R1: Infoslide: A plaintiff (claimant, pursuer) in a civil case is often entitled to damages if they win the case. Third parties, in most jurisdictions, cannot sue on another‘s behalf. If they could buy the right to sue they would be able to do so and would gain an entitlement to whatever legal remedy the court offers.
Motion: THW allow plaintiffs to sell to third parties their right to sue
R2: TH regrets the prominence given to celebrity endorsements of politicians and political parties
R3: THW apply an environmental tax to cheap mass-produced clothing
R4: Infoslide: WestWorld is a live action simulation world where visitors live out a Wild West adventure experience in a world populated by realistic humanlike androids. These androids inhabit various stereotyped roles e.g; bartender, farmer, prostitute but with realistic simulated personalities. Visitors can explore the world through scripted adventures. Visitors are allowed to choose whether to explore the world as a hero or, if they prefer, as a purely self-interested, hedonistic villain. Androids harmed in the world exhibit realistic emotional responses. Pleasures experienced in the world are very real. Advocates for the park say it allows you to explore your true self. The decision of what pathway to take is signified by their choice of hat in the induction process: white for hero, black for villain.
Motion: TH, as a female visitor to WestWorld, would choose to wear a black hat
R5: Infoslide: Vernacular schools are schools which teach primarily in a language of a minority group other than the official, national language (e.g. Chinese and Indian language schools in Malaysia).
Motion: THBT developing nations with ethnically diverse populations should prohibit vernacular schools
Semis: THBT NATO should create a 'safe zone' in rebel-held territory within Syria
Final: TH regrets the decision of Clinton supporters in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 US election to frame the Trump victory as the result of misogyny and racism and not opposition to the political establishment and/or neoliberalism

Newcastle IV (26-27 November 2016 in Newcastle, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Bethany Garry (CA), Daniel Noble Stairs (CA), Mackenzie Tse (DCA)

R1: THBT NGO's should not provide humanitarian aid to conflict areas until those areas are stabilised
R2: Infoslide: "Off the Field" conduct means the actions and behaviour of a player when they are not in the field of play e.g. in their private life or during the offseason. In American sports, The Hall of Fame is the highest award that a sportsperson can achieve. Five years after retirement; a player becomes eligible to be voted into the Hall. The Panel of Voters are journalists and reporters who tend to be white. At present they are unable to vote based on a player’s off the field conduct, and must make decisions based on their sporting performance.
Motion: THBT sports Halls of Fame should consider a player’s off the field behaviour when deciding to induct them
R3: THBT feminist activist groups should create separate communities and settlements inhabited only by women
R4: Infoslide: RuPaul's Drag Race is a reality television show in which drag queens compete against each other for a cash prize and the title of 'America's Next Drag Superstar' The show is at least partially scripted, and often seems to select a particular drag queen as the season's 'villain'. It has been criticised for using language many consider to be slurs, and later dropped the criticised segment. The show has grown to be very popular, and is in its eighth season, with many of the show's breakout stars achieving commercial success. Its host, RuPaul, is a drag queen of colour who found mainstream fame in the 90s.
Motion: TH regrets RuPaul's Drag Race
R5: Infoslide: Recently, third parties, including rich individuals and wealthy individuals, have invested in civil damages suits, providing the resources for the legal case in exchange for control of the case and a proportion of the settlement. If the case is lost, they absorb the costs.
Motion: TH supports the act of third parties investing in damages lawsuits in exchange for a share of the settlement
Semis: Infoslide: Desirable Autonomies for Technological Applications or DATA's List is a list of rights that would be afforded to powerful artificial intelligence based upon demonstrating sufficient sentience. The list is limited to 1) right to life, 2) right to privacy (i.e. to withhold information), and 3) right to autonomous decisions.
Motion: TH supports the giving of DATA's List to AI
Novice Final: THW legalise prostitution
Open Final: THW remove public commemorations to individuals whose legacy is based upon divisive history, e.g. Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin

Exeter Pro-Am (27 November 2016 in Exeter, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Freddie Marshall (CA), Rosalie Butcher (CA)

R1: THBT school subsidies for music should prefer popular, contemporary music over classical music
R2: THW guarantee the amnesty of retired dictators
R3: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fswH63x5QC8
Motion: TH regrets Theresa May’s comments on the election of Donald Trump
R4: THBT LGBT+ organisations should focus most of their money and organisation to help the most needed places abroad
Final: Infoslide: A Designer baby is a baby whose genetic make-up has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure that a particular gene is present.
Motion: Beyond basic defects, THW legalise designer babies

December

Lund IV (2-4 December 2016 in Lund, Sweden)

CA Team: Matti Bryder (CA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: THW ban all advertising of pharmaceutical and medical products to the public
R2: In areas with high foreign language populations, THW use second language lessons in schools to teach the most commonly spoken language in that area (e.g. in areas with high Turkish populations in Germany, one would teach Turkish in classes currently focused on learning English as a second language)
R3: Infoslide: A free trade zone is an area where barriers to trade are removed. This typically means no tariffs on trade, a ban on states supporting domestic industry over international and some degree of common regulation.
Motion: THBT African states should create an all-Africa free trade zone
R4: THBT that all museums should offer to return all exhibits to their country of origin
R5: TH, as Sweden, would pay countries near conflict zones to settle refugees rather than accepting new refugees in Sweden
Quarters: THW allow medical practitioners not to perform specific treatments or procedures for religious reasons
Semis: THW grant total self-governance to indigenous communities, e.g. the Inuit in Alaska or the Saami in Sweden
Novice Final: THBT the states should enforce contracts signed before marriage that agree to punish infidelity
Open Final: THBT nuclear weapons have made the world a safer place

John Smith Memorial Mace Welsh Leg (3 December 2016 in Cardiff, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Bailey Reid (CA), Lucy Murphy (CA)

R1: THW Require all citizens to give a year’s national service
R2: Infoslide: Kamikaze fighters are combatants who willingly and knowingly sacrifice themselves in war. EG. Japanese pilots who crashed into allied ships that helped destroy the 13th fleet.
Motion: THBT Kamikaze fighters are legitimate
R3: THBT Teachers should allocate their time to students based on effort, EG Charter schools
R4: TH regrets the narrative of the police force being institutionally racist
Final: TH supports Trump's policy of closer Russia-US ties

Leiden Novice (3 December 2016 in Leiden, Netherlands)

CA Team: Daniel Bramble (CA), Jelte Schievels (CA), Simone Landman (CA), Ybo Buruma (CA)

R1: THW ban the publication of polls in election times
R2: THW require football clubs to be majority owned by their fanbases
R3: THW oblige all religious institutions to open up all positions to women
Semis:
Final:

Sheffield IV (3 December 2016 in Sheffield, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Srishti Krishnamoorthy-Cavell (CA), Tim Squirrell (CA), Katy Hatter (DCA)

R1: TH regrets the existence of religious political parties
R2: Infoslide: Blue skies research is scientific research in domains where “real world” applications are not immediately apparent. It has been defined as “research without a goal” and “curiosity driven research”.
Motion: THBT the state should not fund blue skies research
R3: Infoslide: BDSM is a variety of sexual practices involving bondage, discipline, domination and submission, and sadomasochism. BDSM has historically existed primarily in secluded or underground communities, however it has increasingly emerged as visible in mainstream popular culture. Well-known examples of portrayals of BDSM include Fifty Shades of Grey, Rihanna’s S&M, and Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty trilogy.
Motion: TH supports the popularisation of BDSM
R4: Infoslide: For the purpose of this debate, “Human Shield” is a term describing the deliberate placement of non-combatants in or around combat targets to gain an advantage over enemy units. Prominent examples include: shooting missiles from within cities to limit the enemy’s force response, locating military bases underneath civil infrastructure, such as hospitals, drawing the enemy to guerrilla fighting next to urban centers, etc.
Motion: THBT using Human Shield tactics, by the weaker side, is legitimate in asymmetrical wars
Semis: Infoslide: Effective altruism is a philosophy, and social movement that attempts to apply evidence and reason to determining the most effective ways to improve the world. Effective altruism often has a focus on lives saved per pound, based on numerical, target based goals. For example- EA says it better to save 300 people’s eyesight through cataract operations, than provide one guide dog in the UK.
Motion: THBT individuals should only fund charities that follow effective altruism
Final: THW prohibit the media from reporting on the mental illness of those accused of crimes

Southampton Open (3 December 2016 in Southampton, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Eleanor Angwin (CA), Raluca Vacaru (CA), Toby Tricks (CA)

R1: THBT that football clubs should play no role in disciplining their fans
R2: THBT Hollywood studios should write significantly more women in the roles of villains
R3: Infoslide: Since the financial crisis, over £200bn of fines has been imposed on the world's 20 largest banks, with over £100bn imposed by the US regulator alone. Much of this money goes directly to the state levelling the fine, with some going directly towards compensating victims of misdeeds. Some banks, particularly in Europe, have struggled to build up their capital as required by the regulator due to the scale of these fines; RBS, for instance, recently failed the Bank of England stress test, in large part due to the losses caused by large fines for mortgage mis-selling and PPI. Many cases with multi-billion pound potential fines are still outstanding today for the world's largest banks.
Motion: TH regrets the extremely large fines imposed on financial institutions after the financial crisis
R4: Infoslide: There is a killer flu that the whole of the UK’s population is infected with. The UK has been successfully quarantined by other countries, such that no-one has the killer flu outside of the UK. There is only one cure for this disease, and without it death is inevitable; the whole country was infected within a few days, and it is expected that everyone will die in about 2 months without the cure. The UK government has enough of the cure to save 10% of the country’s population. High ranking figures in the government, the emergency services and the army have already been given the cure; it should be assumed that the government will be able to deliver the cure to whom it chooses, given this.
Motion: THBT the UK government should seek to allocate the cure on the basis of social merit (eg lack of a criminal record, charitable giving, volunteering)
Final: Infoslide: Big Brother is a reality TV show where contestants are locked in a house and isolated from the entire world with no ability to communicate (e.g. phones or hearing news). The actions of the contestants are filmed and streamed 24/7, with the highlights then broadcast on TV in an hour long episode each night. Each week, the contestants participate in themed weekly challenges. At the end of each week, the public votes negatively to evict one member of the house. The contestant with the most votes must leave the house. In the final, the public vote positively for which of the final four contestants they want to win.
Motion: THW place the top ten candidates for US President in the Big Brother House, and declare the contest victor President

Centrale Open (9-10 December 2016 in Paris, France)

CA Team: Harish Natarajan (CA), Sella Nevo (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA)

R1: THBT states should ban the positive depictions of former oppressive leaders
R2: THBT when allocating resources to their children, poor families should allocate most of their resources to support the most talented child in the family
R3: Infoslide: An Artificial Intelligence machine (such as a robot) passes the “Extended Turing Test” if through extended conversation a human being cannot distinguish between the machine and an actual human.
Motion: THW grant human rights to any machine that passes the “Extended Turing Test”
R4: THBT African-American parents should teach their children to distrust and avoid contact with the police
R5: THW bail out failing established newspapers
Semis: THW use the inquisitorial system in the criminal justice system (as opposed to the adversarial one)
Novice Final: THW oppose human immortality
Open Final: THBT the Democratic Party should take on a much more centre-leftist position and support a mass redistribution of wealth agenda

SSE Riga IV (9-11 December 2016 in Riga, Latvia)

CA Team: Johan Båge (CA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Monica Forman (CA), Rasmuss Filips Geks (CA)

R1: THBT publicly funded universities should be required to reduce enrolment in degree programs within their university that have statistically poor employment outcomes
R2: THBT search engines should deprioritise search or autocomplete results with sexist, racist or otherwise offensive content
R3: TH regrets the promotion of religion in countries formerly ruled by communist regimes in Eastern Europe
R4: THBT the US should abandon all military support for and impose economic sanctions on the Philippines
R5: THBT the governments of Brazil and Peru should contact uncontacted Amazonian tribes
Partial Quarters: THBT governments in the developing world should limit migration to megacities
Semis: THBT Italy should have voted ‘si’ in last week’s referendum on constitutional reform
Novice Final: TH supports the use of referendums when deciding whether to permit same sex marriage
Open Final: TH supports the demolition of makeshift refugee camps on the borders between European countries e.g. The Calais Jungle in France, The Idomeni Camp in Greece

Birmingham IV (10-11 December 2016 in Birmingham, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA), Rebecca Meredith (CA)

R1: TH regrets Disney's use of indigenous characters and settings in their films
R2: THBT pro-remain political parties and campaign groups should launch a class action suit against prominent members of the Leave campaign for Fraud
R3: Infoslide: The One-China policy refers to the practice whereby countries seeking diplomatic relations with The People's Republic of China (PRC, Mainland China) must break official relations with The Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan). This means that countries observing the One-China policy do not officially recognise Taiwanese claims of independence
Motion: THBT the Trump administration should abandon the One-China policy
R4: In post conflict societies, THW grant amnesty to perpetrators of crimes rather than seeking prosecutions
R5: THW make membership of Trade Unions compulsory
Quarters: THW ban organisations from promoting abstinence
Semis: Infoslide: The city of Mosul, which is predominantly Sunni, is currently the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. / There is currently a joint US-backed offensive against Mosul on three fronts. These are fought by the Kurdish Peshmerga, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the People’s Mobilization Forces (PMF). / The PMF is a Shia militia which is backed by Iran and Hezbollah. It controls significant strategic positions and villages outside of Mosul. / Turkey and the Iraqi government have asked the PMF to not enter Mosul.
Motion: TH regrets the inclusion of the People's Mobilization Forces in the war against the Islamic State
Final: THBT Eastern European states should destroy monuments from their Soviet Union period

Kharkiv Open (17-18 December 2016 in Kharkiv, Ukraine)

CA Team: Kit Mercer (CA), Sella Nevo (CA), Eliot Pallot (DCA)

R1: THBT doctors should be allowed to lie to their patients in order to create or augment a placebo effect
R2: Infoside: Despite governmental distribution and subsidy of rice and wheat in India, there are still over 100 million individuals suffering from hunger.
Motion: THBT India should allow individuals suffering from hunger to sue the government for failing to provide them with food
R3: Infoside: Religious hospitals are official, medically trained hospitals, which give both standard treatments and “religious treatment” such as prayers and other rituals. Medical procedures are done only if they don’t clash with religious law, and decisions are made through religious consultation.
Motion: THW legalize religious hospitals
R4: TH, as the US electoral college, would refuse to vote Donald Trump into office and instead vote in a moderate Republican
R5: THW only provide state pension to those mentally or physically unable to work
Semis: Infoslide: Pink Pistols is a homosexual activist group that aims to support and encourage gun ownership by LGBT+ individuals in the United States of America. They have over 7,000 active members across 33 different states, and are rapidly growing. Their motto is "Pick on someone your own caliber".

Motion: TH regrets the existence of the Pink Pistols movement

Final: TH, as Ukraine, regrets its decision to destroy its nuclear arsenal and join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

NCH IV (17-18 December 2016 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Joe Roussos (CA), Katie Heard (CA), Thomas Simpson (CA)

R1: THBT governments should adopt a dramatic reduction in working hours as a key policy goal
R2: THW ban universities from patenting technology they develop
R3: TH prefers a hard Brexit
R4: Infoslide: Earning to give involves deliberately pursuing the highest-earning career possible for you, for the purpose of donating a significant portion of earned income, typically because of a belief in effective altruism. Effective altruism is a philosophy that applies evidence and reason to determining the most effective ways to improve the world, e.g. choosing between charities on the basis of their impact per dollar spent.
Motion: THW earn to give
R5: THBT the left needs to reclaim nationalism
Semis: Infoslide: Your lifelong aspiration is to climb Mt Doom. You have invested significant effort in achieving this goal. Before climbing Mt Doom you are warned that it is extremely dangerous: there is a very high risk of death, and there are no rescue teams as the mountain is so dangerous. You only have one chance to climb. On your climb, you discover a mountaineer who was injured in a rock fall. No one else is scheduled to climb in the near future. If you abort your climb and help him, you judge there is a 1/3 chance he will survive.
Motion: THW keep climbing
Final: Infoslide: Go Set a Watchman was announced by publishers as a previously undiscovered sequel of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, but it is now thought to be an early draft. In Mockingbird, the main character Atticus Finch is seen as a hero standing against the racism of the South by defending a black man falsely accused of rape. In Watchman, he appears as a supporter of segregation but nevertheless a supporter of due process. Before the publication of Watchman, Harper Lee had previously said she would not publish another novel. At the time of its approval for publication, Lee was "in a wheelchair in an assisted living centre, nearly deaf and blind, with a uniformed guard posted at the door" and her visitors "restricted to those on an approved list".
Motion: TH regrets the publication of Go Set a Watchman

Dutch Debating Winter School (22-23 December 2016 in Tilburg, Netherlands)

CA Team: Bas Tönissen (CA), Daan Welling (CA), Duncan Crowe (CA), Milla Huuskonen (CA), Nastia Grishkova (CA), Raluca Vacaru (CA)

R1: TH prefers the draft (conscription by lottery) to aggressive recruitment of volunteers as a means of enrolling people in the army
R2: THW stop using broad economic sanctions as a tool for foreign policy
R3: In Western liberal democracies, THW prefer that news media were required to state a political bias rather than having an industry norm of neutrality
R4: THR the rise of "Choice Feminism" which claims individual women may legitimately choose to participate in structures considered to be oppressive e.g. wearing makeup, wearing the veil, Sheryl Sandberg telling women in the tech industry to lean in and 'act like men'
R5: THBT democracies should extend voting rights to migrant workers
Semis: Infoslide: The Netherlands have an inquisitorial justice system (i.e. no jury). There is currently a draft law under consideration of the Dutch senate that gives victims and the bereaved an unlimited right to be heard in criminal proceedings. This means the victim can now not only speak about the crime and its impact in court, but also about the evidence, the way the proceedings were carried out, and about the suitable punishment.
Motion: THW pass the draft law
Final: Infoslide: Mind uploading is the process of scanning a person’s brain and uploading the copy to a supercomputer. The computer perfectly simulates the person whose mind has been scanned - it exhibits the same memories, reactions, thoughts, and feelings, to the extent that it thinks it is the person that it simulates. The simulations live in digital environments that can be set and manipulated by external agents.
Motion: Assuming the technology exists, THW allow interrogation by torture on mind-uploaded simulations of suspects in serious crime cases

Dutch WUDC (27 December 2016 to 4 January 2017 in the Hague, Netherlands)

CA Team: Karin Merckens (CA), Syed Saddiq (CA), Hyewon Rho (DCA), Jodie O'Neill (DCA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (DCA), Omer Nevo (DCA), Veenu Goswami (DCA), Yashodhan Nair (DCA), Ingrid Rodriguez (ACA)

R1: THBT post-genocidal regimes should destroy all places of extermination (for example, death camps)
R2: THW allow members of the armed forces to form labour unions
R3: THBT sports leagues should significantly tax and redistribute from wealthier teams to poorer teams
R4: In areas with rapidly rising property prices, THW suspend all restrictions on property development that are not health and safety requirements (for example, environmental zoning regulations, building height restrictions, and regulations on the appearance of buildings)
R5: Infoslide: The Netherlands has a political system with many political parties in which no one party typically gets a majority of the vote. Seats in the parliament are allocated in proportion to the number of votes received by each party on a national level (‘proportional representation’). The government is formed by the coalition of parties that has a majority in the parliament.
Motion: THBT the Netherlands should allow citizens to purchase additional votes from the government at a cost proportional to their wealth (for example, one additional vote for 1% of wealth)
R6: THBT the world would be a better place if women from privileged backgrounds turned down any benefits arising from affirmative actions programs
R7: THBT South Korea should produce nuclear weapons
R8: TH regrets the glamorization of start-up culture that encourages people to start own companies rather than pursue traditional career paths
R9: THW temporarily and significantly relax minimum labour standards in times of unusually high unemployment, including workplace health and safety standards, minimum wage, working hour restrictions etc.
Open Partial Double Octos: THBT countries close to conflict zones should only grant long-term asylum to refugees who agree to one year of military service
ESL Quarters: THBT the U.S. should provide significant campaign funding for federal and state congressmen and senators who score highly in bipartisan metrics*
* Scores derived from instances of voting with the other party, co-sponsoring bills, etc., calculated by independent bodies
Open Octos: THW advocacy for religious belief in public places
ESL Semis: TH, as the Pope, would abolish the requirement for clerical celibacy
EFL Semis: THBT the primary language of instruction for school education in developing countries should be English
Open Semis: TH, as the Chinese Communist Party, will allow fair and competitive elections for local elections (i.e. mayors)
EFL Final: THBT the European left should promote a hard left agenda, including the nationalisation of major industry, very high tax rates on wealthy, and expansion of the welfare states
ESL Final: THW force all news organisations to operate as a non-profit
Open Final: THW apply universal jurisdiction to crimes against the environment

2017

January

Glasgow Pro-Am (14 January 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Douglas Jack (CA), Finia Kuhlmann (CA)

R1: THW introduce universal basic income
R2: THBT European mainstream parties should appeal to populist voters in the 2017 elections
R3: THW introduce porn into sex ed classes
R4: TH, as Turkey, would prioritise relations with Russia over the West
Final: THBT Western Governments should support refugees in maintaining their home culture instead of assimilating into the host culture

York IV (14 January 2017 in York, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Kez Exley (CA), Owen Mooney (CA), Ethan Silver (DCA)

R1: Infoslide: 'Tied aid' is a bilateral aid paid from developed world nations to the developing world. It consists of lump sum payments which can only be spent by the recipient country on goods and services from the donor country. 'Tied aid' can also require political or economic concessions to the donor country or require refusal of offers from other donors. 58% of bilateral aid is currently 'tied'.
Motion: TH, as the democratic leader of a developing nation, would refuse to accept 'tied aid'
R2: THB in the right to bear arms for self defence
R3:
R4:
Semis:
Final:

LSESU Pro-Am (14 January 2017 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Jamie Jackson (CA), Radko Nedyalkov (CA), Ruby Holmes (CA)

R1: THW remove all limits on how many terms elected politicians can serve in mature democracies
R2: THW allow convicts to convert minor sentences (e.g. 6 months or less in prison; fines) to corporal punishment
R3: Infoslide: New Atheists (e.g., Richard Dawkins) advocate that religious beliefs and superstitions are incompatible with science and should not be tolerated but should be actively criticized, and exposed by rational challenge wherever its influence arises in government, education and politics
Motion: TH regrets the rise of New Atheism
R4: THBT international financial institutions (e.g. the World Bank, IMF) should not make economic liberalisation a condition of loans or aid for developing countries
Final:

Inner Temple IV (20-21 January 2017 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Mackenzie Tse (CA), Steven Ramesh Rajavinothan (CA), Teck Wei Tan (CA)

R1: THBT leaders of groups that used violence should not take up significant government positions following the conflict
R2: TH regrets the norm that encourages and expects young people to attend university
R3: THW make people feel subconsciously guilty for not contributing significantly to alleviate suffering in the world
R4: Infoslide: Athletics has been plagued by doping allegations and issues, leading to a fall in popularity. However, in the last two Olympics Games (in London and Rio de Janeiro respectively) the Great Britain Athletics team has been very successful and has had no doping allegations or issues. Lord Sebastian Coe is the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations and the Chairman of the British Olympic Association. / For the purposes of debate, please take the following as true: Lord Sebastian Coe has found evidence that numerous British athletes who have competed in the British and/or Rio Olympics games took performance-enhancing drugs. Some of these athletes won medals at one or both of these Olympics. Lord Coe knows for certain that: 1. he is the only person who has knowledge of this evidence; 2. if he were to destroy this evidence, that no other evidence relating to the British athletes who competed at the London and/or Rio Olympic Games would ever be found; and 3. no British athletes are currently using, or will use at the next Olympic games, performance-enhancing drugs.
Motion: TH, as Lord Coe, would destroy rather than release the evidence
Open Semis: Infoslide: Eternity Pills, once consumed, irreversibly stop the ageing process and theoretically allow individuals to live forever. They do not prevent death from trauma or disease.
Motion: TH prefers a world in which Eternity Pills exist
Novice Final: TH supports President Obama's decision to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning
Open Final: TH supports a norm where adult children take in their elderly parents, even in cases where their parents have the financial means to support themselves

Nottingham Trent Open (20-22 January 2017 in Nottingham, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Becky Montacute (CA), Katrin Fallman (CA), Saskia Neibig (CA)

R1: Infoslide: The living wage is the hourly wage required by a full-timer worker to live above the poverty line.
Motion: THW make the minimum wage the Living Wage
R2: Infoslide: Currently, in competitive team sports, men and women compete separately in categories of their biological sex.
Motion: THW remove sex categories in all competitive team sports, and instead mandate that all teams are comprised of equal numbers of players from each biological sex category
R3: TH, as the Labour party, would abandon support for freedom of movement
R4: Infoslide: Mandatory minimum sentences are a minimum of punishment a judge has to decide on for a certain crime, regardless of the circumstances under which this crime was committed.
Motion: THW abolish mandatory minimum sentences
Semis: THW only pay paternity/maternity leave to families in which both parents take at least a certain amount of leave
Final: Infoslide: Mandated power-sharing is a system in which parties compete within their own ethnic groups and the winning parties for each side must form a coalition. If either party resigns, a new election must be called. Eg: Northern Ireland. / Integrationism is a system in which when seeking election, a candidate must win a minimum amount of support across all groups (eg: 30%) as well as an overall majority Eg: Nigeria
Motion: In post-conflict societies, TH prefers mandated power-sharing to integrationist constitutions

Aberdeen Open (21 January 2017 in Aberdeen, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Beckie Jean (CA), Jack Stanley (CA), Penny Sadeghi (CA)

R1: THW abolish trial by jury
R2: THW mandate that characters from minority identity groups in TV/film be played by characters from those groups
R3: Infoslide: The West Bank in Palestine is controlled by Fatah, led by President Abbas. Internationally Fatah are seen as the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authorities, negotiations primarily occur via Abbas. / The Gaza Strip in Palestine is controlled by Hamas. Hamas are viewed as a terrorist organisation by much of the West including the USA and EU. Hamas are often aggressive towards Israel, and use political violence against opposition groups and political parties including against Fatah in the 2007 civil war. / President Abbas has previously blamed lack of progress towards peace with Israel on Hamas' aggression.
Motion: THBT The West should intervene in Gaza to overthrow Hamas
R4: THW abolish national curricula
Final: If offered in negotiations, TH as the UK government, would allow UK nationals to purchase associate EU membership

Trinity Women’s Open (26 January 2017 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Caitríona Ní Bhriain (CA), Sophie Corke (CA), Niamh Egleston (DCA)

R1: THBT terror suspects should be granted media anonymity in the immediate aftermath of an attack
R2: TH, as the EU, would aggressively increase promotion and funding of minority languages in their member states
R3: Infoslide: In Catholicism, the Sacrament of Penance is the method by which Catholics may privately confess their sins and have them forgiven by a priest. / The intent of this sacrament is to provide healing for the soul as well as to regain the grace of God, lost by sin. A perfect act of contrition removes the eternal punishment associated with sin - including mortal sins - for example murder, theft, and perjury. / Priests are bound to the Seal of the Confessional i.e. absolute secrecy about any sins revealed in confession.The spiritual penalty for a priest who breaks the Seal of the Confessional is automatic excommunication from the church. / In 1992, the vicar of a mafia-dominated parish in Palermo, aroused a storm of criticism by revealing that a young mafioso had confessed to him that he took part in five massacres. The Seal of the Confessional is currently protected in various jurisdictions, including but not limited to Ireland, the USA, and Italy.
Motion: THW compel priests to report to state authorities crimes admitted during confession
Semis: Infoslide: Unit 731 was a Japanese research facility in occupied China during WWII in which prisoners and civilians were used as human guinea pigs in a range of experiments, involving cruelty and intentional infliction of suffering and disease. Some of these led to important scientific discoveries. / The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-72) examined the natural progression of untreated syphilis among African-American men. Patients were not informed of their disease status and researchers knowingly failed to treat them even after penicillin became the standard treatment for the disease.
Motion: THW prefer a world in which research findings based on unethical research procedure were never put to use.
Final: Infoslide: Strong artificial intelligence (AI) is an artificial intelligence construct that has mental capabilities and functions that mimic the human brain. Autonomous artificial intelligence is technology which is programmed to be able to make decisions without human intervention. / A number of states, including but not limited to the USA, Israel, the UK, Russia, and China, are investing heavily in the development of weapons which make use of autonomous artificial intelligence, such as missiles which can identify and attack targets and ships which can hunt for enemy submarines over thousands of miles.
Motion: TH supports the categorisation of the military use of autonomous AI as a war crime

Trinity IV (27-28 January 2017 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Gigi Gil (CA), Hannah Beresford (CA), Michael Coleman (CA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA)

R1: THW force all companies to be 100% owned by their workers
R2: THBT the British government should pay reparations to Northern Irish Catholics
R3: THBT the use of erotic capital by women does more harm than good
R4: Infoslide: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. In recent days, Donald Trump has signed an executive order committing to withdrawing the United States from the TPP.
Motion: THBT China should join the TPP
R5: THBT post-colonial states should commemorate their war dead who died fighting for their former coloniser
Novice Final: THB in God
Open Quarter: Infoslide:
Motion: THB the Israeli Government should grant the right of return to Palestinians, rather than partition the country into two separate states of Israel and Palestine
ESL Final: THBT leaders of the American Left (e.g. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren) should publicly promote collective acts of nonviolent civil disobedience aimed at disrupting the Trump administration, e.g. sit ins, selective sabotage if state construction projects, strike action by government contractors etc
Semis: THB religions should discourage their adherents from attempting to justify faith rationally
Open Final: THB the Mainstream European left should pursue a hard left agenda

Warwick IV (28 January 2017 in Coventry, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Clare Robinson (CA), Darion Hotan (CA), Martin Devenney (CA)

R1: Infoslide: On 1 June 2015 Dylann Roof murdered 9 people in a church in Charlestown, South Carolina. A federal court has sentenced Dylann Roof to death.
Motion: TH regrets the death penalty for Dylann Roof
R2: Infoslide: Radical Honesty is the belief that people should overwhelmingly favour honesty in social interactions. This broadly includes the belief that we shouldn’t lie to protect people’s emotions (white lies): “you look fantastic in that dress” or “no, mum, your chilli tastes amazing” This does not necessitate telling the truth in very extreme cases, e.g. telling an axe murderer where a child is hiding.
Motion: TH supports a norm of radical honesty
R3: Infoslide: The Justice against the Sponsors of Terrorism Act was passed in October 2016. It allows the families of the victims of terror acts to sue nations (e.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia) that are they deem sponsors of the terrorist organisation involved in their family member’s death.
Motion: THW allow family members of terror victims to sue states that sponsor those attacks
R4: THW allow Police Departments to profit from confiscated goods
Semis: Infoslide: Ethiopia has two major ethnic groups, the Oromo (Christian) and the Amhara (Muslim). The Oromo currently control the Government. Since 2015, the Amhara have been protesting against the Government's treatment of their region, with elements pushing for independence. / The Government has declared a state of emergency and restricted international access to these demonstrations; however, there are allegations of human rights abuses. The Government has repeatedly refused to admit international observers.
Motion: THW force Ethiopia to accept international observers
Novice Final: THW implement a maximum wage
Final: THBT humanitarian NGOs should allow doctors in conflict zones to refuse to treat known members of terrorist organisations

February

Bristol Pro-Am (4 February 2017 in Bristol, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Bailey Reid (CA), Nick Zervoudis (CA), Sophia Rodriguez (CA)

R1: THW ban the screening and production of films depicting current or recent conflicts
R2: THW allow workers to sell their rights in exchange for higher pay (e.g. right to form or join a trade union, health and safety protections, right to maternity/paternity leave)
R3: Infoslide: A prenuptial, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup or prenupt, is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other. The content of a prenuptial agreement can vary widely, but commonly includes provisions for division of property and spousal support in the event of divorce or breakup of marriage. They may also include terms for the forfeiture of assets as a result of divorce on the grounds of adultery; further conditions of guardianship may be included as well. It should not be confused with the historic marriage settlement which was concerned not primarily with the effects of divorce but with the establishment and maintaining of dynastic families.
Motion: THW require all couples entering into a civil partnership or marriage to sign a prenuptial agreement
R4: Infoslide: Multiculturalism refers to the existence of multiple cultural traditions within a single country, usually considered in terms of the culture associated with an aboriginal ethnic group and foreigner ethnic groups. This can happen when a jurisdiction is created or expanded by amalgamating areas with two or more different cultures (e.g. French Canada and English Canada) or through immigration from different jurisdictions around the world (e.g. United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and many other countries). / Multicultural ideologies and policies vary widely, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to policies of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group to which they belong. / Multiculturalism that promotes maintaining the distinctiveness of multiple cultures is often contrasted to other settlement policies such as social integration, cultural assimilation and racial segregation. Multiculturalism has been described as a "salad bowl" and "cultural mosaic".
Motion: THBT governments should prioritise policies focused on assimilation over policies of multiculturalism (e.g. large state school infrastructure over lots of small schools focused entirely around religion, ethnicity, gender)
Final: Infoslide: 'Braindrain' is a slang term for a significant emigration of educated or talented individuals. A brain drain can result from turmoil within a nation, from there being better professional opportunities in other countries or from people seeking a better standard of living. / Common causes of a brain drain include: Political instability, poor quality of life, limited access to health care and a dearth of economic opportunity prompt skilled and talented workers to leave source countries for places that offer better living conditions and greater opportunities.
Motion: THBT citizens who pursue further or higher education should be required to return back to their home country for a period of time following their graduation THBT citizens who pursue further or higher education should be required to return back to their home country for a period of time following their graduation

Queen Mary IV (4 February 2017 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Harish Natarajan (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA), Srishti Krishnamoorthy-Cavell (CA), Surya Kumaravel (DCA)

R1: THW not allow children to participate in religious activities or become members of religious organisations
R2: TH welcomes the rise of overtly biased media
R3: THBT developing nations should distribute, as a dividend to citizens, income derived from natural resource extraction
R4: TH regrets the characterization of soldiers as heroes
Final: Infoslide: Respectability politics or the politics of respectability refers to attempts by marginalized groups to police their own members and show their social values as being continuous, and compatible, with mainstream values rather than challenging the mainstream for what they see as its failure to accept difference
Motion:

Northumbria IV (4-5 February 2017 in Newcastle, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Katy Hatter (CA), Owen Mooney (CA), Chloe Romanis (CA), James Cowling (DCA)

R1: THBT when creating films 'Based on a True Story', the writers should never change any of the facts
R2: THS UK aid funding of liberal empowerment media (eg, feminist, pro lgbt, pro democracy) in developing nations
R3: TH regrets the 'Save Melania' narrative
R4: THBT technology companies (e.g. Apple, Amazon) should never share information belonging to their customers with the police, except when compelled by court order
Semis: Infoslide: Following the start of the Syrian civil war, Western states, led bt the US supplied military aid to the rebel Free Syrian Army. The coalition has also launched airstrikes against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria but did not intervene militarily against the Assad regime.
Motion: TH regrets the decision by the West not to intervene against the Assad regime
Final:

Irish National Law Debates / Galway Open (10-11 February 2017 in Galway, Ireland)

CA Team: Hannah Beresford (CA), Kelly Doherty (CA), Tim Squirrel (CA), Sarah Ní Sheónín (CA)

R1: Given that it is possible, THW abolish internet anonymity
R2: THW allow major medical charities (e.g. Cancer Research, Irish Heart Foundation) to sue organisations and media outlets that provide inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading medical information
R3: THBT the US should militarily intervene in the Philippines
R4: TH regrets the rise of the sharing economy
R5: TH supports the existence of sex and relationship sections* in popular media / *defined as agony aunt and sex/relationship advice/tips sections in newspapers, magazines and websites
Open Semis: THW teach children to question and undermine authority
Proam Final: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, the Neolithic Revolution refers to a period of rapid transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to farming. This transition occurred worldwide between 10,000 BC and 2000 BC. Farming and the raising of livestock tied people to land for cultivation and grazing grounds, and this transition gave rise to permanent settlements.
Motion: TH regrets the Neolithic Revolution
Open Final:

LSE Open (11-12 February 2017 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Kit Mercer (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA)

R1: THW require sperm / egg donors to make their identities available to children born as a result of their donation
R2: THW implement a global tax on wealth
R3: Infoslide:
Motion: THBT Athletico Bilbao should abandon their Basque-only recruitment policy
R4: Infoslide:
Motion: THW allow citizens to sue to their governments for failure to implement R2P in other countries, in contexts where they had the ability to do so
R5: TH regrets the UK Government's decision to invite Donald Trump on a state visit to the UK
ESL Semis:
Open Semis:
ESL Final: THW give the power to make decisions over criminal justice (e.g.: what actions to make illegal, limits/guidelines on length and type of sentences) from legislatures to an independent body of experts
Open Final: THBT history curriculums should portray in an overwhelmingly negative light all celebrated historical figures responsible for racially motivated violence. E.g. Winston Churchill, Oliver Cromwell, Charles De Gaulle

Swansea Open (11 February 2017 in Swansea, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Lucy Murphy (CA), Jack Stanley (CA)

R1: TH regrets the resignation of David Cameron as PM of the UK
R2: THBT religious leaders (eg; Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope) shouldn't comment on political matters (eg; National elections, International relations, UN policies etc.)
R3: Infoslide: There are currently 28 member states in the EU. To join the EU a country must be accepted individually by each member state. Turkey entered negotiations to gain membership in 2005. The Turkish Foreign minister has expressed a desire for a final answer from the European Heads of States.
Motion: THBT EU member states should end all negotiations with Turkey regarding EU membership, and deny membership
R4: Infoslide: 'Special Classification' is increased sentencing for a crime committed against a police officer. Eg; Assaulting a police officer carries a higher sentence than assaulting a citizen In some states in America the death of a police officer can result in the death penalty.
Motion: THW remove the 'Special Classification' for killing/harming a police officer
Final: TH regrets the rise and dominance of aspirational narratives in western politics

Ota Open (18 February 2017 in Espoo, Finland)

CA Team: Sara Halonen (CA), Ben Shaw (CA)

R1: Infoslide:
Motion: TH supports demeny voting
R2: Infoslide:
Motion: TH, as the EU, would issue a directive to ban emission vehicles
R3: Infoslide:
Motion: THS the policy of taking away the children of Mafia families
R4: THBT feminists should produce pornography aimed (though not necessarily exclusively) at heterosexual men
Novice Final: Assuming technology exists, THW allow individuals to remove memories of their choice
Open Final: THBT major news media outlets should seek to recruit individuals who openly support Donald Trump

Manchester IV (18-19 February 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Emma Lucas (CA), Raffy Marshall (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: THBT countries with overcrowded prison systems should conduct large-scale releases of offenders on minor sentences
R2: Infoslide: Natalism is the promotion of parenthood. Natalist policies typically seek to create financial and social incentives for individuals to reproduce (for example granting tax breaks or priority access to services to parents or spending heavily on childcare provision).
Motion: TH supports natalist policies
R3: TH supports collective strike action by migrants against anti-immigrant policies
R4: TH, as the IMF, the ECB, and the World Bank would remove all international financial assistance to Greece and redirect the financial resources to cash payments directly to the poorest 10% of the global population
R5: TH supports the extrajudicial killing by police of suspected leaders of mafia organisations
Open Quarters: TH, as an attractive educated woman, would choose to marry for money rather than pursue a career
ESL and Proam Finals: THBT the opposition to populist leaders (e.g. Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders, Frauke Petry) should cease employing comparisons to the rise of Hitler
Open Semis: Infoslide: It is not a criminal offence for an asylum seeker to pay a smuggler, if this is their only way to reach safety and apply for asylum. / Smuggling (i.e. directly or indirectly helping a non-EU citizen to enter or live in an EU country) is illegal and punishable with prison. / Smuggling becomes human trafficking and fraud if migrants never give their informed consent to cross a border. Human trafficking is illegal. / Recklessness, manslaughter or murder is separate from smuggling and is also illegal.
Motion: THBT the EU should decriminalise people smuggling
Open Final: THBT militaries in new democracies should act as guardians of secularism

Leiden Open (25-26 February 2017 in Leiden, Netherlands)

CA Team: Joshua Bailey (CA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Bethany Garry (CA), Gigi Gil (CA)

R1: THBT American news media should cease to invite major Trump surrogates (e.g. Kellyane Conway, Sean Spicer) to comment on news events
R2: This house supports the creation of all-Jewish universities in Europe
R3: This house regrets the social perception that ADHD is an illness, as opposed to a personality trait
R4:
R5:
Open Semis: Infoslide: On November 2016, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to cut oil production by 4.5 % (1.2m barrels a day). This is the first time OPEC has agreed to cut production since 2008. The cut came into effect in January. Brent crude oil has increased from $45 a barrel to $55 since November.
Motion: THBT the rise in oil prices does more harm than good
Novice Final: Infoslide: You are a 25 year old playwright and consider yourself to be part of counterculture, you distance yourself from the mainstream. You have written a play called ‘Patriarchy is the opium of the people’ that portrays sexism by means of strong provocation. You haven’t been able to get the play on any stage and have not had another big break as an artist. Steven von Trier, an accomplished director, has recently offered you a substantial amount of money to use your script. He will take out the provocation and will add a romantic love story. You will still be credited as the writer.
Motion: THW sell the script
Open Final: In countries with frequent coalition governments, THBT mainstream parties should refuse to include far left parties in coalitions, e.g. Socialist Party ('SP') in the Netherlands, Die Linke ('The Left') in Germany

March

Budapest Open (3-5 March 2017 in Budapest, Hungary)

CA Team: Floris Holstege (CA), Rebecca Irvine (CA), Dan Lahav (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: THW allow local communities to vote to reduce the amount of policing present within their districts
R2: THBT China should remove its restrictions on rural to urban migration
R3: Infoslide: Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory is when an individual has an extraordinary ability to recall their past experiences and events in great detail.
Motion: TH prefers a world in which everyone has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory
R4: Infoslide: Womens' gun rights organisations are feminist activist groups that seek to promote female gun ownership. / Examples of their activities include: organising shooting classes, encouraging their members to socialise, and publicly portraying female gun owners positively. They currently exist in many nations where private gun ownership is legalised.
Motion: Given that private gun ownership is legal, TH supports the existence of womens' gun rights organisations
R5: THBT African countries should adopt English as the principal language of instruction in schools
Open Quarters: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, in countries that have capital punishment, an executioner duty is equivalent to jury duty, but for the part of the execution - i.e. a civic duty of a randomly selected group of people to perform the execution of an individual. For example, if a state has approved death by firing squad, an executioner duty in that state would be randomly selecting a group of individuals to serve as the squad.
Motion: In countries that have the death penalty, THW implement an Executioner Duty
Open Semis: THW allow individuals to sue religious organizations for compensation for the harmful effects of choices made as a result of adherence to religious doctrine
Novice Final: TH opposes the dominant narrative in popular culture that there exists a soulmate for everyone
Open Final: THBT it is the moral imperative of liberals within Eastern Europe to stay within their home country, rather than emigrate to more progressive countries

Lancaster IV (4-5 March 2017 in Lancaster, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Rory Flynn (CA), Muhammad Asadullah Khan (CA), Dan Roberts (CA)

R1: TH, as a feminist organization, would not put men in positions of leadership
R2: Infoslide: The Site C hydroelectric dam will see more than 5,000 hectares of land flooded in North-East British Columbia, Canada. The flooded land is part of the traditional territories of indigenous peoples in the region, used as burial grounds, hunting grounds, and places to conduct ceremonies. The project will eventually provide electricity for about 450,000 homes and help the province address a 40% increase in demand for power forecast over the next two decades. The project is also expected to generate some 43,000 jobs.
Motion: THW give the affected indigenous peoples a veto over the construction of the Site C hydroelectric dam
R3: THBT nations should hold the Catholic Church financially liable for Catholic HIV/Aids patients in areas where the church has strongly campaigned against condom use
R4: Infoslide: The Free Syrian Army is a faction in the Syrian Civil War. Thus far, their aims have centred around deposing the Assad government. They have secondary aims of achieving more political representation as well as preventing continued atrocities perpetrated by the government.
Motion: TH, as the Free Syrian Army, would give up its demand for Assad to step down
R5: THW ban all youth wings of political parties in developing democracies
Open Semis: TH, as the US, would re-impose sanctions on Myanmar
Pro-am Final: In a world in which soulmates exist, THW prefer not to know who their soulmate is
Open Final: TH supports the ruling of the Indian Supreme Court to bar campaigns based on identity politics

UCD LawSoc Women’s Open (4-5 March 2017 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Dee Courtney (CA), Gigi Gil (CA), Srishti Krishnamoorthy-Cavell (CA), Clíodhna Ní Chéileachair (CA)

R1:
R2:
R3:
R4:
R5:
Semis:
Final:

Liverpool IV (11 March 2017 in Liverpool, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Lucia Arce (CA), Bethany Garry (CA), Lucy Murphy (CA)

R1: Infoslide: Bahasa Indonesia is the official national language of Indonesia, but over 300 local languages are widely spoken. Bahasa Indonesia (and only Bahasa Indonesia) is the compulsorily language of educational instruction at all levels of education. While it is used widely for communication, over 80% of the population speaks other languages as their mother tongue. 8/10 students entering primary school will be taught in a language which they are not most – or not at all – familiar with. About two hours a week are devoted to ‘local studies’.
Motion: THW make local languages the primary language of instruction in schools
R2: THW abolish 24hour news media channels
R3: Infoslide: Celtic and Rangers are two football teams in the city of Glasgow. Celtic is associated with Glasgow’s Catholic community and Rangers with its Protestant community. Clashes between teams and their supporters are heavily sectarian in nature, with games being a significant flashpoint of sectarian conflict, and are a contributing cause to the city’s reputation for violence.
Motion: THW integrate Celtic and Rangers into a single team
R4: THW keep oil prices artificially high
Semis: Infoslide: A “border poll” is a referendum in Northern Ireland on whether the nation should remain in the United Kingdom or join the Republic of Ireland. A border poll has been held once before in 1973, voting in favour of remaining in the UK. A majority (56.2%) of Northern Irish citizens support the holding of another border poll.
Motion: THBT the Northern Irish assembly should hold a border poll
Proam Final: THBT the most important consideration when awarding scientific Nobel Prizes should always be its practical contribution to society
Open Final: Infoslide: Alexander the Great was a king and military commander in the 4th Century BCE. Considered the most effective military leader of all time, he had conquered the largest empire of the ancient world by the age of 30. There is historical evidence he was both romantically and sexually involved with men throughout his adolescence and adulthood. He was married twice, to two different women, and had at least six children. Ancient Greek society had no concept of a homosexual identity.
Motion: THW describe Alexander the Great as gay in history books

UCL Clifford Chance IV (11-12 March 2017 in London, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Katherine Dunbar (CA), Jamie Jackson (CA), Eliot Pallot (CA), Janko Djordjevic (DCA)

R1: THW compulsorily purchase art works of national importance
R2: Infoslide: Polls in Serbia suggest that 55.2 % of population do not think there was a genocide in Srebrenica.
Motion: THBT Serbian government should organize mandatory school trips to Srebrenica
R3: THW compel all pharmaceutical companies to become non-profits
R4: THBT Democrats should use obstructionist measures to delay and prevent all policy pursual by the Republican party in the Senate and Congress (e.g. by filibustering and defying parliamentary conventions by opposing and delaying things such as cabinet appointments)
R5: THBT two-state solution proponents in Israel should abandon their stance on an independent Palestinian government and focus solely on full integration of Palestinians in Israel
Open Semis: Infoslide: Alphabet is multinational conglomerate. It's largest subsidiary is Google, which is the umbrella company for Alphabet's Internet-related businesses. These include products and services long associated with Google, such as the Android operating system, YouTube and Google Search.
Motion: THW break up Alphabet inc
ESL Final: Infoslide: Immediate democracy is a method in which citizens can change their vote at any time. The number of MPs given to each party is allocated on a daily basis and represents the current support percentage of the population. In this system there are no elections, but the number of MPs from each party can change every day.
Motion: THW implement an immediate democracy
Open Final: Infoslide: Nozick's experience machine is a hypothetical device that removes all feelings and experiences except pleasure when a person plugs in. Plugging in cannot be undone.
Motion: THW plug into Nozick's experience machine

Tampere Debate Cup (18 March 2017 in Tampere, Finland)

CA Team: Eleanor Angwin (CA), Joona Suhonen (CA), Laura Paatelainen (DCA)

R1: THW ban non-state media from reporting terrorist attacks
R2: Infoslide: Starting from 2015, the Japanese government has harshly cut down the higher education of humanities and social sciences and focused on practical education for the needs of in industry. The policy has included abolishing entire programs and on the other hand giving plenty of resources to engineering, law and economics. Local academics have disagreed with the policy, buy universities are in most cases forced to comply as they rely on state funding.
Motion: In stagnant economies, THW not provide any state funding for the higher education of humanities and arts
R3: THBT Hollywood studios should write significantly more women in the roles of villains
R4: THBT South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapon
Final: Infoslide: You are a young man living in the Galilee 2,000 years ago. You are smart and charismatic. You are capable of collecting and leading a fold of followers. People believe you are the son of God and can do miracles such as healing and food replication.
Motion: TH, as the said man, would use its influence to disseminate socially progressive values supported by faith

Tilburg Women’s Open (24-26 March 2017 in Tilburg, Netherlands)

CA Team: Dee Courtney (CA), Gigi Gil (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7o4oMKbStE
Motion: TH regrets the mainstream media's personalised criticism of Donald Trump's wife and family
R2: Infoslide: A ''Hamsterdam'' is an area within a city where the use, sale and purchase of drugs is decriminalised
Motion: THW create Hamsterdams in areas with high rates of drug-related crime (e.g. Chicago and Los Angeles)
R3: Infoslide: Non-romantic co-parenting is the decision to live and raise a child together with a stranger (often selected through matching websites), as opposed to traditional families, which typically involve a romantic interest.
Motion: TH supports the promotion of non-romantic co-parenting over romantic co-parenting
R4: THBT any acquisition of wealth above a comfortable standard of living is immoral
R5: TH supports tiger schooling
R6: THW never negotiate with terrorists
Final: TH supports the rise of left-wing populism in Europe

Cardiff Open (25-26 March 2017 in Cardiff, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Nathan Chalk (CA), Luke Kosky (CA), Raluca Vacaru (CA)

R1: THBT all companies should be at least 75% owned by their workforce, in equal shares
R2: Infoslide: Roxxxy, the first humanoid ‘sex-bot’, was developed in 2010. Although, no ‘Sex-bots’ have been sold, the infrastructure and the technology exist to create a sexbot with synthetic skin, capable of learning their owner’s wants and desires. These sexbots are not just used for sex but are also capable of simulating affection.
Motion: THW ban the sale and ownership of sexbots
R3: Infoslide: PewDiePie (Swedish gaming vlogger Felix Kjellberg) is the most subscribed-to channel (53 million subscribers) on YouTube, making millions of dollars every year. His videos are mostly gameplay videos, but also include some vlogs. He has been accused of anti-semitism on multiple occasions. Most recently, he posted a video claiming to be testing a theory that he could pay very little for a pair of freelancers to say and do extreme things. He asks the freelancers to unfurl a banner reading “Death to all Jews” as they laugh about it on camera. He appears to be horrified when they actually carry out the act. Youtube currently demonetises videos that contain offensive material (and other things) on a case-by-case basis, but allows the creator to earn money from the rest of their videos deemed clean.
Motion: TH, as YouTube, would demonetise all of PewDiePie’s videos
R4: Infoslide: A pardon is a government decision to allow a person who has been convicted of a crime to be free and absolved of that conviction, as if never convicted. In most jurisdictions, there is no need to admit guilt to accept this pardon.
Motion: In Western Liberal Democracies, THW remove the executive’s power to grant pardons
Pro-Am Final: Infoslide: Individuals are often required to disclose information of criminal history for example when applying for jobs, schooling, and tenancies. This is separate to any requirements under the Sexual Offenders Register or other disclosure requirements.
Motion: THW not require individuals to disclose their criminal record, except when dealing with vulnerable individuals (e.g. schools)
Final: Infoslide: Respectability politics refers to attempts by marginalized groups to show their social values as being compatible with mainstream values rather than challenging the mainstream for what they see as its failure to accept the inherent difference between them.
Motion: THBT marginalized groups should abandon respectability politics

Maynooth Open (25-26 March 2017 in Maynooth, Ireland)

CA Team: Méabh McMahon (CA), Sheraz Qureshi (CA), Sam Browne (DCA), Rory O’Sullivan (DCA)

R1: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, “outsourcing” refers to when multinationals close down manufacturing plants in the United States, and relocate to regions in which environmental and labour legislation is more relaxed
Motion: THBT the US should impose tariffs on the products of companies that shut down manufacturing plants and outsource jobs.
R2: THW make it a wasteland (Open Motion)
R3: THW make holocaust denial a crime
R4: Infoslide: Transnational criminal gangs engage in international crime, including but not limited to: trafficking human beings, and smuggling drugs and illegal weapons.
Motion: THBT the USA should assassinate the leaders of transnational criminal gangs, regardless of country they are located in
R5: Infoslide: A European, non-Muslim, progressive female politician has been asked to give a speech at a European Mosque. When she arrives, she is informed that she will be required to wear a headscarf, and that the attendees will be segregated by gender with men at the front and women at the rear.
Motion: THB that when presented with this scenario, non-Muslim, progressive female politicians should refuse to speak at the event
Open Semis: Infoslide: ‘Mother and baby homes’ were an institution ran by the Catholic Church in Ireland until 1970’s. Unmarried mothers were forced into these homes, performed unpaid labour, and had their newborn children forcibly taken from them, to be sold for adoption if possible. At a former mother and baby home named Tuam, the remains of over 700 children were uncovered in a septic tank. They died as a result of neglect from the nuns. / On her deathbed, a nun who was active in running a mother and baby home apologises, and sincerely pleads you for forgiveness. You are alone with her, and no-one will ever know what you tell her.
Motion: TH, as a survivor of the mother and baby home, would not forgive the nun
Novice Final: Infoslide: Ireland has been historically neutral, including during the Second World War. It is not a member of NATO, and solely contributes troops to the UN on a peacekeeping and humanitarian basis.
Motion: THW end Irish neutrality
Grand Final: Open Motion

April

Glasgow Ancients (7-8 April 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Kez Exley (CA), Nish Hegde (CA), Eoin MacLachlan (CA)

R1: Infoslide: An eternity clause is an element of a constitution, such as the status of the state as a democracy, which cannot be amended through any means.
Motion: TH supports the use of Eternity Clauses
R2: THBT the feminist movement should focus campaigns on the harms of gender roles to all genders, as opposed to the relative disadvantage of women, transgender and non-binary individuals in comparison to men
R3: Infoslide: Moral relativism accepts context as a relevant factor in morality, such as specific sets of "cultural" or "religious" values. For example, the 1993 Bangkok Declaration, signed by Asian countries, subscribes to a set of human rights based on "Asian values", prioritising economic development over social freedom. The 1990 Cairo Declaration, signed by Muslim-majority countries establish guidelines for human rights based on "Islamic values". Moral relativism is often contrasted with moral universalism, which is the idea that moral ethics applies equally to all individuals regardless of distinguishing features such as culture, identity, nationality, etc, the most prominent example of which is the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Motion: TH supports moral relativism
R4: Infoslide: In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU. This vote was not repeated in Scotland, which strongly expressed a preference to remain, and which has been used as a justification by the Scottish National Party to campaign for a second referendum on Scottish independence. / The UK's only land border with an EU country is with the Republic of Ireland. This may result in some form of border controls along the border between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. / Irish nationalism is the belief that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should be united into a single sovereign state.
Motion: TH, as a nationalist politician from the Republic of Ireland, would campaign for Scottish independence
R5: TH opposes research into the genetics of sexual orientation (e.g. the search for a "gay gene")
Open Semis: In post genocide states, THW prioritise teaching pre-conflict history above teaching the history of the conflict
Proam Final: Infoslide: In December 2012, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recieved a sizable donation from Coca-Cola. The New York chapter of the organisation joined industry leaders in lobbying against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed restrictions on the sale of sugary drinks. Minority neighbourhoods in New York suffer disproportionately from the impacts of obesity. The NAACP is the 'oldest and boldest' liberation organisation for African Americans.
Motion: THBT the NAACP should refuse donations from large corporations that do not actively further African American liberation
Open Final: Infoslide: In many jurisdictions, some corporations and other legal entities are considered 'persons' with protected rights, responsibilities, and standing to sue, or be sued, in court. This is known as legal or corporate personhood.
Motion: THW grant legal personhood to major ecological entities (eg. the Amazon rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef etc.)

PEP IV (7-9 April 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia)

CA Team: Monica Forman (CA), Ilija Ivanisevic (CA), Etsuko Lim (CA), Alex Moise (CA), Stefan Siridzanski (CA)

R1: THW fully subsidize gender reassignment surgery for pubescent teenagers regardless of parental consent
R2: Infoslide: All theaters in Israel receive huge governmental subsidies. Theater companies are required to tour the entire country.
Motion: THBT Israel should fine actors who refuse to perform in settlements
R3: Infoslide: China’s ‘Social Credit System’ intends to use data to measure each citizen’s pro- or anti social behaviour (as decided by the Chinese government). China intends to use it to reward and sanction its citizens.
Motion: THBT the U.S. should hack China’s ‘Social Credit System’ in order to disrupt it
R4: Infoslide: Republika Srpska is an entity in Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, while the rest of Bosnia is populated mostly by ethnic Bosniaks and Croats. The majority of Republika Srpska’s population wants to secede.
Motion: THBT Republika Srpska should be an independent state
R5: THBT Mexico should allow neighbourhoods and cities in North Mexico to form armed militias in order to combat drug cartels
Semis: THW impose criminal laws to crimes committed by users of avatars in virtual worlds (such as ‘Second Life’)
Final: Infoslide: The EU backed customs union is a unified trade space for Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and self-proclaimed state of Kosovo* (sic!)
Motion: TH supports the EU backed Western Balkans Customs Union, even at the price of terminating the free trade agreement with Russia and joining the EU sanctions on Russia

Aber Open (8 April 2017 in Aberystwyth, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Rosalie Butcher (CA), Craig McDonald (CA)

R1: Infoslide: This debate is set in "Attack on Titan universe" - The majority of planet earth is occupied by Titans. Titans are man-killing giants. Humanity has been able to preserve themselves by taking all known survivors into a city surrounded by a wall system. People in the outer rung are working-class agricultural workers. The Titans have just broken through the outer wall of the city. The head of state can deploy soldiers to plug up the wall and fight the titans that have entered. It is unclear whether or not this will be successful. (+ graphic infoslide demonstrating the wall system)
Motion: TH, as the Heads of State, would take military action to plug up the wall
R2: Infoslide: For the purpose of this debate; there exists one all-powerful, all-loving and all-seeing God.
Motion: TH, as God, would create humanity to not feel extreme emotions
R3: Infoslide: Debating Meta Motions are motions about the glorious game of British Parliamentary Debating. They talk about specific aspects of the game and their strengths. They tend to be set by hilarious and insightfully bad CAs of the Aberystwyth Open. / A regional institution in debating is when several societies who are geographically close to one another share resources with each other. Most of the time, but not always, regional institutions will have their own democratic structures. For example, NAMDA is an alliance between Northern and Midlands debating societies in the UK with a democratic structure. ULU is an alliance between all London institutions without one.
Motion: THW aggressively encourage debating societies to create regional institutions
R4: Infoslide: "Service-me" tokens are government tokens that allow you to purchase state-provided goods and services. How many tokens people receive is decided by the government. Tokens are allocated once a year and are the only way people can access state-provided goods and services. The amount of government funding a service receives is tied to the amount of tokens it collects.
Motion: TH supports the use of "Service-me" tokens in Western Liberal Democracies
Final: Infoslide: You are in an alley. All of a sudden, you are hit by an unknown power that grants you invisibility for 1 minute. After this happens, Vladmir Putin walks down the alley.
Motion: Given the power of invisibility, THW kick Putin in the balls

Estonian Open (8-9 April 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia)

CA Team: Kallina Basli (CA), Muhammad Asadullah Khan (CA), Daan Welling (CA)

R1: TH opposes the use of taxes explicitly designed to promote behavioral changes in citizens (ex. additional taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, non-eco friendly products)
R2: Infoslide: The Johnson Amendment is a US law. It states that tax-exempt entities like churches and charitable organisations are unable to directly or indirectly participate in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate. Specifically, ministers are restricted from endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit. If they do, they risk losing their tax-exempt status.
Motion: THW repeal the Johnson Amendment
R3: TH regrets the influence Tinder has on dating
R4: TH does NOT welcome the increase in usage of robots and automatisation of labour
R5: THBT women in highly gender-unequal democracies should form independent political parties instead of voting for, and running on behalf of , existing parties
Semis: Infoslide: A multi-tier EU is an idea floated around in policy-making circles that, when implemented, would allow member states to choose differing levels of adherence of EU laws and regulations in exchange for increased access to the common market and the Euro.
Motion: TH supports a “multi-tier EU”
Novice Final: THBT conscription is a war crime
Open Final: TH supports US airstrikes on Syrian military targets

Glasgow Women’s (9 April 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Lucy Murphy (CA), Hannah Tyndall (CA)

R1: TH regrets the societal expectation to go to university
R2: In post conflict societies, THW recruit rebel soldiers into the army
R3: TH prefers the use of government subsidies to economically inefficient businesses over additional education funding in deprived areas
Semis: TH regrets the rise of sports based around female sexuality eg pole fitness, zumba and cheerleading
Final: When a dominant political party consistently achieves majorities with weak opposition, THW break up that dominant political party eg South African ANC and the UK conservative party

Stockholm Mini (21-22 April 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden)

CA Team: Jesper Eriksson (CA), Ruta Gabalina (CA)

R1: THW ban the advertising of cosmetics (e.g. make-up, hair-styling products, perfume)
R2: TH regrets the decision of the organizers of Almedalen Week to allow the participation of the Nordic Resistance Movement
R3: TH supports an increased US military presence around the Korean peninsula and in South Korea
Final: Infoslide: You are a historian working in the dusty archives of the Catholic Church, deep in the vaults of the Vatican. To your astonishment, you suddenly stumble upon irrefutable evidence that Biblical texts are not derived from divine inspiration, but were written by high-ranking members of the Church in a deliberate attempt to attract more followers. Additionally, all historical evidence for the existence of Jesus and other important religious figures has been planted by archaeology experts paid and subsequently silenced by the Church. The Catholic Church is built upon a hoax, and the only people that know are those at the very top of the Church hierarchy! The circumstances under which you find the evidence makes you certain that if you do not reveal the truth to the world, it will stay secret forever. The nature of the evidence makes you sure that if you choose to reveal it, it will not be doubted.
Motion: TH, as the historian, would reveal the truth to the world

Erasmus Rotterdam Open (21-23 April 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands)

CA Team: Roel Becker (CA), Michael Tai (CA), Milla Huuskonen (DCA), Ilija Ivanisevic (DCA), Emma van der Horst (DCA), Brian Wong (DCA)

R1: Infoslide: Streaming is separating pupils in schools by academic ability.
Motion: TH supports academic streaming
R2: THBT religious leaders should not publicly comment on political issues
R3: TH supports Baltic States implementing mandatory conscription
R4: A machine has been invented that allows for the simulation of life in absolute poverty, THW require all citizens reaching the age of 18 to temporarily plug into the machine
R5: Infoslide: Pop feminism refers to a popularized form of feminism, in contrast to academic feminism or feminist political activism. Pop feminism celebrates female empowerment and feminist identity through media including but not limited to pop music, advertising, fashion and social media campaigns. / Examples of pop feminism include various songs and performances by Beyoncé, or VOGUE India's "My Choice" campaign."
Motion: TH regrets the rise of pop feminism
Open Quarters: THBT liberal politicians should prioritize empathetically engaging with alt-right concerns rather than condemning exclusionary rhetoric
Open Semis: Given the opportunity by the Feminist movement, THBT the Trans Movement should disaffiliate from the LGBT+ Movement and affiliate actively with the Feminist Movement
Novice Final: THBT criminal justice policy should be outsourced to technocrats instead of elected representatives
Open Final: TH regrets the dominance of the narrative of pushing yourself to your limits

Hull Open (22 April 2017 in Hull, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Gavin O’Leary (CA), Aidan Patrick (CA), Susanna Vahtramäe (CA)

R1: TH prefers the creation of new popular fictional characters with underrepresented identity characteristics (e.g. female, non-white, queer) over the recasting of existing characters to have those characteristics
R2: THW allow MPs and Lords to be sued over defamatory statements made during proceedings of parliament (debates, committee hearings etc.)
R3: THBT post revolutionary states should reject the jurisdiction of international courts, such as the ICC, in trials over former leaders and senior officials
R4: THBT STEM subjects should be the main focus of curricula in secondary schools
Final: THS Western intelligence agencies installing secret "backdoors" into public encryption networks

St Andrews Open (22-23 April 2017 in St Andrews, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Rory Flynn (CA), Floris Holstege (CA), Kit Mercer (CA)

R1: THBT liberal democracies should enshrine legally actionable socio-economic rights
R2: THBT student unions should not take stances on political issues that do not speak directly to the student experience
R3: You are a top female athlete who plays a sport in which leagues are separated by gender. TH, as that athlete, would refuse offers to play in the men's league
R4: THW allow NGOs to hire private army contractors
R5:
Semis:
Final:

University of Latvia Open (22-23 April 2017 in Riga, Latvia)

CA Team: Rasmuss Filips Geks (CA), Karolina Partyga (CA)

R1: Infoslide: Commission is a sum of money that is paid to an employee upon completion of a task, usually selling a certain amount of goods or services. It can be paid as a percentage of the sale or as a flat dollar amount based on sales volume (e.g. service industry, call center salesman, stock brokers, real estate brokers).
Motion: THW ban the use of commission as a compensation for employees
R2: Infoslide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml5qULGjbno
Motion: TH regrets the extensive comic coverage of Donald Trump
R3: THBT developing countries should hold the Catholic church financially liable for the medical expenses of AIDS victims in areas where the church campaigns against condom use
R4: Infoslide: In the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program, sponsors apply to resettle specific refugees in Canada, and the sponsors pay for all of the basic expenses for the refugees when they arrive (including rent, food, transportation, etc.) for one year or until the refugees become self-sufficient, whichever comes first.
Motion: THBT states should implement private sponsorship system for refugees
R5: THW allow prisoners to make substantial payments for improved conditions during incarceration
Semis: Infoslide: The first round of the 2017 French presidential election is being today. Should no candidate win a majority (more than 50%), a run-off election between the top two candidates will be held on 7 May 2017. / Info slide also consits of basic information about the five major candidates and the most recent polls result.
Motion: THBT liberal-left in today’s election should vote for Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Final: TH welcomes the end of Western hegemony

Oxford Women’s Open (28-29 April 2017 in Oxford, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Sophie Large (CA), Etsuko Lim (CA), Lisa Schallenberg (CA)

R1: Infoslide: It is 2040. Up to 60% of jobs in many industries, such as transport, manufacturing, and retail, have been automated. The trend of automation is projected to continue.
Motion: THW impose human quotas in heavily automated industries
R2: Infoslide: Rumspringa is an Amish rite of passage, in which adolescents are encouraged to experiment and explore the world, including breaking many church rules and regulations. At the end of this period, the vast majority of Amish teenagers choose to return to their communities and be baptised.
Motion: THW enforce Rumspringa on isolated religious communities
R3: Infoslide: In the Myanmese by-elections held in April 2016, the National League for Democracy (NLD) retained support in Yangon strongholds, but its popularity has weakened in ethnic minority areas. Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticised for her silence over the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar.
Motion: TH, as a member of an ethnic minority in Myanmar, would vote for an ethnic political party (e.g. the Arakan National Party or the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy) over Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
R4: Assuming the technology existed, THW allow those convicted of crimes to voluntarily undergo ‘personality therapy’ in exchange for sentence reductions or release
R5: TH regrets the ideological dominance of the Left in the feminist movement
Semis: TH, as China, would aggressively assert its territorial claim over the South China Sea (e.g. by rapidly building more underwater platforms or sending more Chinese vessels and warships into the area).
Final: Assuming it existed, TH supports the existence of a stateless territory for individuals who choose to live there

Turku Mini (29 April 2017 in Turku, Finland)

CA Team: Kaisa Hyry (CA), Craig McDonald (CA)

R1: Infoslide: Risk assessment tools assess the likelihood of recidivism – repeat offending or breaking the rules of probation or parole – using statistical probabilities based on factors such as age, employment history and prior criminal record. They are used in nearly all states in the U.S. in some stage of the criminal justice process. Risk assessment tools' recommendations are advisory – judges can disregard them.
Motion: THW prohibit the use of risk assessment tools in criminal sentencing
R2: THBT Western Intelligence Agencies should rig elections in countries where the results of the elections threaten democracy
R3: THBT comedians should not use racist, sexist, or derogatory terms, even for the purposes of satire
R4: Infoslide: Respectability politics or the politics of respectability refers to attempts by marginalized groups to police their own members and show their social values as being continuous, and compatible, with mainstream values rather than challenging the mainstream for what they see as its failure to accept difference.
Motion: TH regrets respectability politics
Final: THW give the five veto bearing seats on the UN security council to the countries that take in the largest number of refugees

May

Lisbon Debating School (5-7 May 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal)

CA Team: Rebecca Irvine (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA), Daan Welling (CA)

R1: THW give high school students a democratic vote over the running of their schools (e.g. setting of the curriculum,, determining school rules)
R2: THW fully decriminalise sex work instead of partially decriminalise sex work (i.e. penalties for buyers, but not for sellers)
R3: THBT the state should collect all charitable donations and redistribute to charities based on their effectiveness
R4: THBT former colonial powers should not intervene militarily in their former colonies
Final: THBT the media should not report on the background of those accused of crimes (e.g. ethnicity, religion, mental health)

Maastricht Open (5-7 May 2017 in Maastricht, Netherlands)

CA Team: Monica Forman (CA), Jure Heredih (CA), Daniel Noble Stairs (CA)

R1: THW cut welfare benefits for chronically unemployed men who refuse to undergo career retraining for jobs that have been deemed 'femine' work (e.g. teaching, nursing, dentist assistance, cleaning, etc.)
R2: TH regrets the decision of Germany and The Netherlands to block Turkish campaign rallies aimed at drumming up support among the Turkish diaspora for Erdogan's referendum
R3: Infoslide: Fearless Girl statue was installed in Wall Street without permission, March 8 2017. (+ picture of the statue)
Motion: THW remove the 'fearless girl'
R4: THW allow individuals and companies to invest into civil lawsuits in exchange for a share of the financial award.
R5: Infoslide: A financial endowment is the pool of donations to universities which they use for the purpose of running the university, building buildings, scholarships, prize money and grants. For example Harvard endowment is currently 35.2 billion dollars.
Motion: THW redistribute US college endowments among all colleges
Novice Final: TH prefers a world in which individuals can permanently and irreversibly emotionally detach themselves from someone else
Open Semis: Assuming the technology exists, THW NOT allow parents to clone their deceased children
Open Final: Infoslide: You are the commander of an Israeli submarine on the Persian Gulf. It is the day after Israel was annihilated in a surprise Iranian nuclear attack.
Motion: THW not use Israel’s second strike capabilities

Paris Open (12-13 May 2017 in Paris, France)

CA Team: Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Dan Lahav (CA), Sophie Large (CA)

R1: THBT Pope Francis should Support allowing the ordination of women to the priesthood
R2: THBT France should introduce significant financial incentives for companies and individuals, currently based in Paris, to relocate to other French cities
R3: TH supports ppular culture that portrays the primary cause of the subprime crisis as the greed of bankers, rather than as a failure of a complex system
R4: Infoslide: Resident Evil is a machine with the capacity to show humans whether, and under what circumstances, they would deviate from moral behaviour. The machine is a simulator generating (increasingly) intense experiences aimed to test whether the individual connected would break and kill, steal, betray their friends, etc. While connected the experiences feel real, and results are publicly accessible after.
Motion: TH prefers a world in which the Resident Evil test exists and is taken by all
R5: THW allow jury nullification* (*an acquittal of a defendant on the grounds of the jury finding the law that the defendant has been charged with breaking unjust in general or in this particular case, even though the members of the jury believe the defendant to be guilty of the charges.)
Open Semis:
ESL Final: TH supports state attempts to help their citizens find and sustain love (e.g. subsidizing subscriptions to matching agencies such as match.com, significant funding for research on what makes a relationship last, creating courses on how to woo and keep a spouse)
Open Final:

Helsinki Open (12-14 May 2017 in Helsinki, Finland)

CA Team: Duncan Crowe (CA), Emma Lucas (CA), Alex Moise (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: THBT governments should not assist in rebuilding areas that are prone to natural disasters
R2: Infoslide: Under a "suspended sentence" a judge can choose to not automatically apply the standard penalty for a crime, provided the convicted criminal is subject to monitoring by probation services. If they reoffend during a stipulated period the part of the sentence which was suspended becomes active.
Motion: THBT Western Liberal Democracies should not allow judges to suspend sentences
R3: Infoslide: In 2011 the Egyptian people overthrew the military regime which had ruled the country since 1953. In the elections which followed the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist political party, was victorious and formed the largest party in the legislature and won the Presidency. / In 2013 following a period of sustained unrest the military overthrew the government in a military coup. They carried out a Presidential election in 2014 which ratified the status of General Al-Sisi as President which is widely believed to have been fraudulent. / Egypt receives $1.3b in military aid from the USA every year as part of the Camp David Accords.
Motion: THBT the US should withhold military aid to Egypt until the regime holds free and fair elections
R4: THBT feminists should not use rhetoric about women being more empathetic or caring than men as part of their advocacy (e.g. "Women are good leaders because they are more compassionate")
R5: Infoslide: EU Structural Funds are money given to governments or projects in member states, with the aim to reduce regional disparities in income, wealth and opportunities
Motion: THBT the EU should suspend the payment of structural funds to states which fail to maintain EU admission standards on political and civil rights
Open Quarters: THW ban countries with poor records of human and political rights from participating and hosting the Eurovision Song Contest
Open Semis: THW prefer to live in a world where people had full control over their emotions (for example, being able to turn love, hate, or fear on/off at will)
Novice Final: THBT technology companies should actively resist attempts by the state to use their technology to gather intelligence
Open Final: Infoslide: A truth and reconciliation process is a courtroom style process in which participants are granted amnesty in return for an earnest apology to victims and provision of frank on the record testimony about experiences and motivations. Counselling is provided as standard in contemporary TRCs.
Motion: THW grant an amnesty to citizens who fought for ISIS who return home, in exchange for their participation in a Truth and Reconciliation Process

Deree Invitational (19-21 May 2017 in Athens, Greece)

CA Team: Athanasios Christakos (CA), Peter Paraskevopoulos (CA)

R1: THBT the Greek State should provide subsidies for Syrian language schools. (i.e. Classes in Levantine Arabic)
R2: THBT we should disregard shame
R3: THW replace all forms of government welfare with a universal basic income
R4: THBT civilians are a legitimate target in warfare
R5: THW provide convicted anti-social personality criminals with virtual killing grounds as an incentive for proper behavior
Semis:
Final:

Vienna IV (19-21 2017 in Vienna, Austria)

CA Team: Duncan Crowe (CA), Yair Har-Oz (CA), Melanie Sindelar (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: THW ban religious prison rehabilitation programmes
R2: Infoslide: Morals clauses are clauses in employment contracts which reserve the right to sever the contract if the employee engages in "morally inappropriate" conduct in their private lives, including their conduct on social media. These are frequently found in contracts for sports and entertainment personalities, but occasionally are also found in contracts for CEOs and other employees in more conventional businesses.
Motion: THBT 'Morals Clauses' should not be allowed in contracts
R3: Infoslide: Embedded journalists are attached to military units in a combat zone to allow them to report from otherwise dangerous areas. Journalists not attached to such units would normally report from designated safe areas away from the front line e.g. "The Green Zone" in Baghdad. Their continued participation in such schemes is regulated and subject to the withdrawal of credentials by the government.
Motion: THW ban embedded journalism
R4: THBT social movements and advocacy groups should reject the support, financial or otherwise, from organisations including politicians and governments which do not share their predominant values
R5: Infoslide: China currently provides support for North Korea in the form of such things as financial and military aid and trade on favourable term for natural resources (particularly coal) as well as political support.
Motion: TH, as China, would cease support of the North Korean regime until they give up their nuclear programme
Open Semis: Infoslide: Anne Frank was a Jewish Dutch girl who hid in an attic in Amsterdam with her family and several other families, until her eventual capture by the Nazis. / She kept a personal diary starting a year before she went into hiding, until her discovery. / The diary was very personal, and besides describing her thoughts about living in hiding, included discussions of her sexual awakening, and of her self-image, among other things. She did not conceive of it becoming public. / After the war the diary was published posthumously by her father Otto Frank after the diary was found by the owner of the house in which they hid. / It has become one of the most widely recognized pieces of holocaust literature
Motion: It is 1945. TH, as Otto Frank, would choose not to publish Anne Frank's diary
Novice Final: THW create a unifies history school curriculum for the European Union
Open Final: Infoslide: "New age religions" are Westernised versions of Eastern religions which focus heavily on 'spirituality' rather than traditional laws and texts. They frequently identify with the same label as the traditional religion e.g. "Buddhism".
Motion: TH regrets the emergence of New Age Religions

Zagreb Open (19-21 May 2017 in Zagreb, Croatia)

CA Team: Manos Moschopoulos (CA), Michael Shapira (CA)

R1:
R2:
R3:
R4:
R5:
Semis:
Final:

June

Amsterdam Open (2-4 June 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands)

CA Team: Roel Becker (CA), Sharmila Parmanand (CA), Nick Zervoudis (CA)

R1: THBT the United States should set up and fund an independent (federal) news channel
R2: Infoslide: 'Sharing economies' allow individuals and groups to make money from underused assets. In this way, physical assets are shared as services. For example, a car owner may allow someone to rent out her vehicle while she is not using it, or a condo owner may rent out his condo while he’s on vacation. / Some examples of the sharing economy include: / • Hospitality and Dining: CouchSurfing, Airbnb, Feastly, LeftoverSwap / • Automotive and Transportation: RelayRides, Hitch, Uber, Lyft, Getaround, Sidecar / • Retail and Consumer Goods: Neighborgoods, SnapGoods, Poshmark, Tradesy / • Media and Entertainment: Amazon Family Library, Wix, Spotify, SoundCloud, Earbits
Motion: TH regrets the rise of the sharing economy
R3: Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, a 'cap and trade' system means that each participating country will be given a quota they are obliged to fulfil (cap). States are be able to pay other countries to take up some (or all of) the obligation to fulfil that quota (trade).
Motion: THBT the EU should implement a cap & trade system for refugees
R4: Infoslide: For the purpose of this debate, "decline of authorative criticism" refers to the phenomenon that critics of art and entertainment lose audience and authority, while the voice of ordinary people (for example through forums) is articulated more clearly and found more important.
Motion: TH regrets the decline of authorative criticism
Round 5: THBT Asian countries should pivot away from partnerships with the US and seek closer ties with China
Proam Final: THW set a narrow maximum difference between the highest and lowest wage within its borders (e.g. if the limit is EUR 10,000, if the lowest wage is EUR 20,000, then the highest cannot be more than e.g. EUR 30,000)
Open Semis: Infoslide: A megacity is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of ten million people. / As of 2017, there are 37 megacities in existence. The largest of these are the metropolitan areas of Tokyo and Greater Jakarta, each of these having a population of over 30 million inhabitants, with 38.8 million and 31.5 million respectively. / The UN predicts there will be 41 megacities by 2030
Motion: TH regrets the rise of megacities in the developing world
Open Final: THBT the Left should focus on using class as its central organising principle, rather than other aspects of identity

Bristol Open (3 June 2017 in Bristol, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Lucía Arce (CA), Raluca Vacaru (CA), Teck Wei Tan (CA)

R1: TH supports the frequent use of gender-blind and race-blind casting for characters in media
R2: As part of welfare programs, THW try to raise the marriage rate amongst people in poverty
R3: Infoslide: Currently in Mexico, two of the most powerful cartels are Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, who often erupt into conflict over territory. Los Zetas are considered by the US government to be "the most advanced, efficient, violent, ruthless and dangerous cartel". They are known for their use of brutal tactics, especially beheadings, kidnappings, and mass executions. The Sinaloa Cartel also dabbles in violence, but has traditionally taken a more "entrepreneurial" approach, only targeting civilians when necessary to make profit; and using bribery and targeted assassinations rather than indiscriminate violence. They are currently the largest drug exporters in the country, controlling 40-60% of the market.
Motion: TH, as the Mexican government, would adopt measures that enable the Sinaloa Cartel to monopolise the drug market. Can include but are not limited to: specifically targeting their enemy cartels, selective arrests, only policing certain zones, renouncing the headhunt on their current leaders
R4: Infoslide: A remittance is a transfer of money by a migrant worker to an individual in their home country. Mandatory remittances are laws stipulating that a proportion of a migrant worker's pay has to be transferred back to their home country. This can take different forms: for example, a portion of the wage is not paid directly to workers, but paid into commercial bank accounts in their name in the country of origin. Workers must return to their country of origin to confirm their identity in person, upon which they can collect the balance. Pay can also be deferred in the form of checks to be cashed in their home country only. Alternatively, migrant workers can be obliged to pay a percentage of their earnings into a deportation fund, but can claim their contribution in full with interest only when returning home.
Motion: THW repeal all laws requiring mandatory remittances
Final: Infoslide: Hacktivism is the act of hacking, or breaking into a computer system or network, for a politically or socially motivated purpose.
Motion: TH regrets the rise of Hacktivism

Scottish Invitational (3-4 June 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Duncan Crowe (CA), David McCreath (CA)

R1: THW prefer that major media outlets aimed to be balanced and objective rather than representing different worldviews and agendas
R2: THW pardon whistle-blowers via referendum
R3: TH regrets the dominant social norm in favour of lifelong monogamy
R4: THW allow the “Cultural Defence” in all criminal proceedings
R5: TH supports the 'pivot to Asia' strategy
Final: THBT the Baltic states should ban Russian state-backed TV channels

SSE Riga Debate Academy (9-11 June 2017 in Riga, Latvia)

CA Team: Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Dan Lahav (CA), Gustaf Lundgren (CA), Michael Shapira (CA), Stefan Siridzanski (CA)

R1: THW allow the use of torture to extract information from terrorists
R2: THW prioritise those who live healthy lifestyles when allocating scarce medical resources
R3: THBT social movements should prioritise the courts rather than the legislature to advance social change
R4: THW require sharing economy companies to give a majority of their shares to their service providers
Final: THBT EU countries should combine their intelligence agencies into one unified European Intelligence Agency

Trinity Open (16-17 June 2017 in Dublin, Ireland)

CA Team: Rory Flynn (CA), Owen Mooney (CA), Orla Ní Dhubhshláine (CA), Lorna Staines (CA)

R1:
R2:
R3:
R4:
Semis:
Final:

Delft Open (17-18 June 2017 in Delft, Netherlands)

CA Team: Bionda Merckens (CA), Harish Natarajan (CA), Albert Santoso (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA), Daan Welling (CA)

R1: TH supports acts of civil disobedience and sabotage* aimed at combating climate change (*examples include illegal protests or vandalism of deforestation machinery)
R2: Infoslide: A literary canon refers to the classification of reputable works by experts as work of great literary value and societal importance.
Motion: TH opposes the classification of literary works as belonging to a “literary canon”
R3: THBT South East Asian countries should grant China the long term right to develop and run underdeveloped land
R4: THBT it is legitimate for the President of the United States to put 'America First'* (*'America First' is broadly a foreign and international economic policy doctrine that prioritises the material interest of the United States over all others)
R5: THW actively promote conservative academics in disproportionately liberal and left-wing dominated humanities and social sciences departments
Proam and Novice Final: THW abolish prison sentences for all juvenile offenders
Semis: Infoslide: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have placed sanctions on Qatar for the stated reason that Qatar financially supported extremist organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar disputes this rationale.
Motion: THBT the West should join Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt in severing political and economic ties with Qatar
Final: Infoslide: A Social Credit System combines a wide variety of indicators to produce a rating that reflects your usefulness to society. / Indicators include, but are not limited to: propensity to give to charity, law-abidingness, holding a socially beneficial job, and civic and political engagement (e.g. voting). / The indicators are controlled for socio-economic status. For instance, a nurse who voted would likely be deemed more useful than a corporate lawyer who goes on three holidays a year and gives nothing to charity. A higher Social Credit score gets expanded access to public services such as welfare, hospitals and schools. This System would still guarantee all citizens a social safety net.
Motion: THW introduce a Social Credit System in liberal democracies

Newcastle Mixed Doubles (17-18 June 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom)

CA Team: Lucía Arce (CA), Daniel Bramble (CA), Michael Dunn Goekjian (CA), Gigi Gil (CA)

R1: THBT individual feminist women should reject acts of chivalry (e.g. Buying drinks for them, holding the door open, 'ladies first', etc.)
R2: THW punish attempted and committed crimes equally
R3: Infoslide: Petrobras is the Brazilian national oil company. It is 54% owned by the Brazilian state, and is the 58th most valuable company in the world. Over the last couple of years, Petrobras has been embroiled in 'Operation Carwash', a scandal where billions of dollars of the company's profits were used by many of the country's leading politicians for corrupt purposes.
Motion: THBT Brazil should fully privatise Petrobras
R4: THW subsidise banks to disproportionately direct loans to historically disadvantaged communities and individuals
Semis: Infoslide: China is the primary backer of North Korea, providing it with military and diplomatic support, trade and aid.
Motion: THBT China should cease all support for the North Korean regime
Final: TH regrets the increasing demonization of the rich

Berlin IV (23-25 June 2017 in Berlin, Germany)

CA Team: Yair Har-Oz (CA), Rebecca Irvine (CA), Sophie Large (CA), Paul Smith (CA), Annabelle van Beusekom (CA)

R1: THW allow the use of entrapment by police officers
R2: Infoslide: A tasteless, odourless, and undetectable chemical compound has been invented that causes all those continually exposed to it to feel perpetually and artificially content with their lives. There are no side-effects. The compound can be distributed through the air, with a 100% success rate.
Motion: THBT governments should secretly distribute this compound to their populations
R3: THW remove minors from households strongly associated with organised crime
R4: TH regrets corporations' use of feminism in marketing
R5: THW make all individual tax returns publicly accessible
Semis: THBT Brexit will be good for the European Union
Final: TH prefers a world where there is only one religion

Cork Open (24-25 June 2017 in Cork, Ireland)

CA Team: Clare Ní Cheallaigh (CA), Eoin O’Gorman (CA), Thomas Simpson (CA), Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA)

R1: In school districts in the US where the majority of people speak Spanish as their first language, THW make Spanish the primary language of instruction in schools
R2: THBT Western liberal democracies should attempt to interfere with the elections of other states
R3: Infoslide: Sinn Féin took seven seats in the recent UK general election. These candidates will not take their seats in Westminster because of the party's abstentionist policy, in protest of British rule in Northern Ireland and of the requirement that MP's take an oath to the Queen.
Motion: THBT Sinn Féin should take their seats in Westminster
R4: THBT the UK should attempt to set up a CANZUK* agreement guaranteeing free movement of goods, services, capital and labour (*Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom)
R5: TH regrets the culture of fearing death
Semis: THBT states should create special economic zones in cities, where all economic activities (except the purchase of goods and services) are carried out by women
Final: TH supports the use of forced population transfers that create separate ethnically homogenous states as a solution to prolonged ethnic conflict

Madrid BP Summer (30 June-2 July 2017 in Madrid, Spain)

CA Team: Olivia Sundberg Diez (CA), Iago González (DCA), Paco Valiente (DCA)

R1: Infoslide: In the 1980s, the world's most powerful drug dealer, Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, "El Patrón", offered to pay off Colombia's external debt of about $9,000 million in exchange for not being extradited to the US and continuing to be able to run his cocaine monopoly. The Colombian government refused his offer and began its war against drugs.
Motion: TH, as the Colombian government, would have accepted Escobar's offer
R2: THBT university campuses should censor offensive art and speech
R3: Infoslide: You are a scientist and one night, while you are working late, you discover irrefutable proof that God does not exist. Nobody else has this information, and you do not believe it will be discovered again.
Motion: THW destroy the proof
R4: THBT men should consistently call out and correct chauvinistic claims by colleagues and co-workers
R5: THBT natural resources should remain in national (public or private) control
R6: Infoslide: A recent study shows that 33% of women and 35% of men have been unfaithful. There is a rising number of apps and websites, such as Ashley Madison, SecondLove, Gleeden or Romance Secreto, with the purpose of promoting and facilitating infidelity.
Motion: THW prefer a world without apps or websites aimed at promoting and facilitating infidelity
Quarters: THW indefinitely prolong prison sentences for violent criminals until they are deemed to be rehabilitated by a panel of experts
Semis: THBT European Union states should unify and coordinate their school history curriculum
Final: Infoslide:
Motion: TH regrets the introduction of the US embargo against Cuba in 1958

July

BBU Open (7-9 July 2017 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

CA Team: Daniel Berman (CA), Duncan Crowe (CA), Monica Forman (CA), Daan Welling (CA), Andreea Iordachescu (ACA)

R1: THW give authority over medical decisions regarding children to doctors rather than parents
R2: Infoslide: Definition: Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to the victim's data and threatens to publish or delete it until a ransom is paid.
Motion: THW ban the payment of ransoms to ransomware
R3: TH supports the creation of armed self-defense organisations by African-Americans in the United States
R4: THBT the EU should accept Saudi Arabia’s offer to cut down all economic and political ties with Qatar
R5: THBT those who are NOT members of an identity group should not play a significant role in public discourse concerning that group
Semis: TH regrets the overwhelming representation in popular culture of autistic characters as highly intelligent or genius (e.g. “Rain Man”, “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Mr. Robot”)
Final: TH regrets the trials held by Jewish Holocaust survivors, residing in the displaced persons camps in Europe right after the Second World War, against fellow Jewish residents suspected of collaborating with the Nazis (Members of the Judenrat, Kapos, those in charge of blocks in death camps, etc.)

Serbian Summer Debate Camp (14-19 July 2017 in Niš, Serbia)

CA Team: Duncan Crowe (CA), Melda Eren (CA), Helena Ivanov (CA), Radko Nedyalkov (CA), Jovan Petronijevic (CA)

R1: TH regrets the indoctrination of children into religions
R2: TH supports limits being set on rent increases in cities with high population density
R3: THW allow those harmed in politically motivated violence to sue public figures for use of extremist rhetoric which contributed to the action
R4: THBT the West should accept a Russian-initiated peace deal on Syria in which Assad retains power
R5: THBT the US Democrats should fight the next elections on a left wing platform e.g. supporting such policies as a substantial increase in the minimum wage, free college tuition and universal healthcare
Semis: TH regrets the institution of marriage
Final: THBT socialist political parties in Eastern Europe, including former communist parties, should explicitly and consistently denounce the communist past and its ideology

Template IV (X-Y Month 2017 in city, country)

CA Team: