Debate Motions 2013-2014

2013

September

Red Sea Open, Eilat, Israel, September 8-12

• R1: THW ban the circumcision of males under the age of 18.
• R2: THBT Germany should grant asylum to Edward Snowden.
• R3: THBT the jury in all medical malpractice trials should consist solely of medical professionals.
• R4: TH supports the creation of a new country, open to all where the only functions of the government are to provide security and to protect property rights.
• R5: TH Supports the actions of the Gulabi Gang. (Infoslide: The Gulabi Gang “the Pink gang” are a collection of women in North India that wear pink saris and engage in violent, non-lethal acts of vigilantism. They target men who they have reason to believe have gone unpunished for acts of violence against women.)
• R6: TH, upon discovering irrefutable proof that God does NOT exist, would use a fail safe system to destroy the proof and hide it from any human’s knowledge.
• Semi Final:  THBT the discovery of a means of stopping the aging process would be a bad thing for society. (Clarifying information: For this debate ‘stopping the aging process’ means that bodies would stop aging after the age of 35; it does NOT mean that people would stop dying of things unrelated to the process of aging).
• Final: TH, as the Israeli Debating League, would refuse to accept a debating society from Ariel as a member. (Clarifying information: Ariel is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.)

DDG Masters Cup, Wartburg, Germany, September 27-29 (translated)

• R1: THBT the world has become better through Facebook
• R2: THW impose the Working Time Act on politicians as well
• R3: THW relentlessly impose cyberwars on dictatorships
• R4: THW create an age limit for public appearances
• R5: TH (as debate couple) would encourage its kids to debate competitively
• R6: THW reinstitute the Gold Standard
• Final: THW, as the CDU, pursue a minority government in the Bundestag

October

Gutenberg Cup, Mainz, Germany, October 5-6 (translated)

• R1: Should the Gauls end their resistance to the Romans?
• R2: Should we create a common sanctuary/reservation for hipsters, zombies, former FDP politicians and stranded aliens?
• R3: Should sex become olympic?
• Semi: Should the long-term unemployed be reemployed for energy production?
• Final: Should Sauron become US president?

Edinburgh Cup, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 5-6

• R1: THW boycott the Russian Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi
• R2: THBT British national curricula should portray a unanimously and graphically negative account of the impact of British colonialism on its foreign subjects
• R3: THBT Rockstar Games should make the lead protagonist of the next instalment of the GTA series female
• R4: TH supports aggressive Palestinian protest (such as property destruction) in illegal Israeli settlements
• R5: THB President Obama should grant Chelsea Manning a presidential pardon
• Semi-final: THW restrict the press from all speculation and reporting on the mental health of criminals and suspected criminals
• Final: THB that feminists should adopt the cause of anti-capitalism

EBS Open, Wiesbaden, Germany, October 11-13

• R1: THW make EU voting compulsory.
• R2: You are a 19 year old boy who just finished his Abitur. As this boy, THW join the Bundeswehr
• R3: THW ban private Universities.
• R4: THW grant all ethnic Germans a full right of return
• Final: THW place pictures of poverty on all luxury goods

Roosevelt Academy Open, Middelburg, the Netherlands, October 11-12

• R1: THW no longer arrest or prosecute individual members of drug gangs operating in highly violent areas if gang leaders agree to halt all turf wars
• R2: THW suspend all regulation regarding environmental protection laws and policies during prolonged periods of economic recession
• R3:  Infoslide: The SGP is a Christian Orthodox party in The Netherlands which consistently holds seats in parliament. They propose policies and laws in accordance with Biblical teaching. They are in favour of traditional gender roles. Article 10 of their Statement of Principles hold that women aren‘t eligible for political office. Women are unable to submit themselves to election lists for the SGP or take political office within the party. In 2004 there was a legal challenge against the SGP by women‘s rights movements who claimed that Article 10 is illegal under Dutch law. This case reached the European Court of Human Right (ECHR) in 2012 in „The Netherlands vs. The SGP“ where the judges ruled in favour of The Netherlands and forced the SGP to allow women to run as candidates both within their party and for national office. Motion: TH regrets that in the case of SGP vs. The Netherlands the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of The Netherlands (forcing the SGP to allow women to take office within the party)
• R4: THBT the International Criminal Court should hire private military contractors to arrest individuals who refuse to surrender after an indictment
• R5: TH Welcomes the rise of online news media at the expense of traditional journalism
• Novice Final: THBT schools should instill unrealistically high expectations in students from lower-socio economic backgrounds
• Semi Final: Infoslide: Pink-washing refers to the Israeli government actively promoting LBGT issues in Israel to detract from human rights issues in the Palestine Territories. Many commentators believe it is one of the main reasons for the government’s financial and vocal support of LBGT projects such as Pride marches in Tel Aviv and other financial support.  Many members of the international LBGT movement fear that this policy may be damaging to LBGT issues. Motion: THBT the Israeli LBGT-movement should oppose pink-washing
• Final: THBT "I was just following orders" is a legitimate defence in cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity

Open de Debates de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, October 12-13 (translated)

• R1: THW close the military academy
• R2: THBT it is better for Egypt to get secular authoritarian leadership than a democratic government
• R3: TH, being a single woman, would sleep with their boss if they knew it would lead to a career rise
• R4: TH regrets the Portuguese decolonisation
• Final: In light of the right to representative democracy, TH defends the fact that independent candidates compete

Simpsons Open, Limerick, Ireland, October 19

• Round 1: THB there are no good wars with the following exceptions: the American Revolution, World War 2 and the Star Wars Trilogy.
• Round 2: TH, deep down, secretly longs for a cold hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalise criminals and rule you like a king.

• Round 3: THBT it can trust the President of Cuba.
• Round 4: THBT God has no place within these walls - just like facts have no place within organised religion.
• Final : TH can't seriously want to ban alcohol. It tastes great, makes women appear more attractive and makes a person virtually invulnerable to alcohol.

SOAS IV, London, England, October 19-20

• R1: THW ban anyone with a criminal record worth 2+ years in prison from running for political office
• R2: THBT city-states are a better political unit than nation-states
• R3: THW ban conversion therapy to "cure" homosexuality (assuming the therapy has a 10% chance of success)
• R4: Info defintions: Lethal Autonomous Robots are weapons systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further human intervention. Motion: THBT no further research should be done on the creation of Lethal Autonomous Robots
• R5: THBT copyright should expire on the death of the author/artist
• Open Quarter: Info: You are Malala. A recognisable member from the Taliban with a gun enters your house with the intention to kill you. He trips and drops his gun. You pick it up. Motion: TH, as Malala, would kill him
• Open Semis: TH supports the reclamation of the word “slut”
• ESL Final: THBT the European Union should prioritise unemployment over further austerity measures
• Open Final: THBT it is legitimate to kill civilians to reach military objectives

UCD Novice Cup, Dublin, Ireland, October 24

• R1: THW only imprison criminals who pose a continuing threat to society
• R2: THW boycott the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
• R3: THB the state should fund free access to museums, art exhibitions and other cultural attractions for social welfare recipients
• Semi: THBT countries should ensure that their militaries are roughly proportionally representative of the diversity of religion, income & race of their populations and that they should, where necessary, use conscription to achieve this
• Final: Context: in July 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine published this cover.The story focused on the background of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving man accused of committing the Boston marathon bombings. It included quotes from his friends and sports coach, referred to him by his nickname and emphasised how similar he was to any ordinary American teenager. Motion: THBT Rolling Stone should not have portrayed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a sympathetic manner

UCD Vice President’s Cup, Dublin, Ireland, October 25-26

• R1: THW,  assuming it was technologically possible, replace all human soldiers on the battlefield with robots
• R2: THW create quotas for male workers in female-dominated professions such as teaching and nursing
• R3: THBT that the EU should impose sanctions on Hungary if the Jobbik party takes office after the upcoming national election (infoslide provided)
• R4: THW support the use of violent protest
• R5: THBT the Black rights movement should promote black superiority (infoslide provided)
• Semi: TH, as the ICC, would never bring cases against incumbent heads of states (infoslide provided)
• Final: THW ban all religions from actively seeking to convert non-believers 

Imperial Open, London, England, October 26

• R1: THW ban unpaid internships
• R2: THW boycott the FIFA World Cup in Qatar
• R3: TH, as the Roman Catholic Church, would excommunicate political leaders who fail to advocate nuclear disarmament
• R4: THW construct brothels on military bases
• Final: THB schools in the USA should teach rap lyrics as part of their core English literature curricula

Dutch Masters, Breukelen, the Netherlands, October 26 (translated)

• R1: THBT governments should make children’s vaccinations obligatory
• R2: THBT former colonising countries should pay substantial reparations to the countries they colonised
• R3: THBT the state should financially incentivise higher-educated citizens to have children before their 25th birthday
• Final: THBT members of parliament should be appointed by lottery

NAMDA Novice Cup, Hull, England, October 26

• R1: In countries with a state alternative, THW ban private healthcare.
• R2: THW replace income tax with a wealth tax.
• R3: THW abolish all immigration restrictions other than those required for national security.
• R4: THW ban the production and consumption of pornography.
• Semis: THW make conscription a war crime.
• Final: THW ban the slaughter and consumption of non-human animals

Strathclyde Presidents Cup, Strathclyde, Scotland, October 26

• R1: THBT party nominees for UK general elections should be selected through open primaries.
• R2: THBT the feminist movement should support monogamy.
• R3: TH: supports the integration of armed rebel groups into the DRC army.
• R4: THBT the entire UK housing stock should be owned by the state.
• Final: TH: as Nick Clegg (with the benefit of hindsight) would not have joined a coalition with the Conservatives in 2010.

SDA Novice Competition, London, October 27

• R1: THW allow those convicted of non-violent, -sexual, -serious crimes to serve sentences in the military, rather than prison
• R2: THBT Facebook and other social media should not host images off beheadings and acts of brutal violence on their sites
• R3: THW prohibit tourism to countries with a poor record of protecting human rights
• R4: TH regrets the existence of "men in power" or "men’s rights" groups
• Final: THBT the beauty industry has done more harm than good

Turku Open, Turku, Finland, October 25-27

• R1: THW make welfare payments conditional on recipients engaging in full-time community service
• R2: THW forcibly remove the children of Roma parents who refuse to integrate
• R3: THBT professional football clubs should be forced to field the majority of players from their local community
• R4: THBT Syria would be better off if Assad won the civil war
• R5 THW replace parliamentary elections with a lottery system
• Semis: THBT the Spanish Central Government should allow Catalonia a referendum for independence
• Final: TH supports the falsification of historical textbooks in order to teach moral outcomes

Middle Man tournament, Belgrade, Serbia, October 26-27 (translated)

• R1: THW not allow players born outside of the state to play for the national teams of that state
• R2: THW remove all sanctions against Iran
• R3: Granted that technology exist, THW not use technology to get superpowers
• R4: THW use public referendum to decide whether to give amnesty to whistleblowers
• R5: THW only subsidise art that is understandable to average voter
• R6: THBT its legitimate for women to use sex as a tool for advancing in life
• Semis: The year is 1389, THW not go to Kosovo
• Final:  THBT revolution is inevitable

November

SDA Open, Sofia, Bulgaria, November 1-3 

• R1: THBT same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children
• R2: THW ban smoking
• R3: THW resolve the Syrian refugee crisis
• R4: THB in the market economy
• Quarter: THW remove unemployment benefits
• Semi: THB in international military intervention in foreign countries
• Final: THB in the student protests

Durham IV, Durham, England, November 2-3

• R1 THBT in criminal court cases the jury should be comprised of individuals from the same racial and socio-economic background as the defendant
• R2: THW give the public the power to pardon whistleblowers through a referendum
• R3: THBT that the International Criminal Court should not issue indictments against individuals involved in ongoing conflicts
• R4: Infoslide: Mars One is a (real) reality TV show that will send willing participants to Mars by 2023 with no possibility of return. Their journey will be completely televised worldwide. Motion: THW not allow individuals to opt into a one-way mission to Mars with the Mars One Project.  
• R5: THBT energy security is a legitimate reason for military action
• Novice Final: THW hold parents criminally liable for the repeat offences of their children
• Semi: THW pay drug addicts to be permanently sterilised
• Final: TH regrets the creation of a moral and legal distinction between the use of chemical weapons and conventional weapons

Welsh Novices, Cardiff, Wales, November 2

• R1: THW Legalise licensed brothels
• R2: THW, as the EU, suspend the membership of any nation that elects extremist parties
• R3:  Info: Many British schools choose to enter their students into examinations multiple times, taking only their strongest result as their grade for their qualifications. Motion: THW ban all resit exams
• R4: Info: Info: The Russian state systematically oppresses its LGBTQI+ community: Homosexual couples can be prosecuted for displaying their sexuality and the police often refuse to prevent violence towards LGBTQI+ people. Motion: TH, as a heterosexual winter Olympian, would not attend the Sochi Winter Olympics
• Final: Info: Last Summer, it was revealed that the USA's National Security Agency and Britain's GCHQ have been monitoring the online activities of their citizens on an enormous scale. Motion: THBT the police should have unrestricted access to the personal online data of everybody, including email, web history and private content on social media

Debatijada Open, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 8-10

• R1 THBT parents should not tell their adopted children that they are adopted
• R2 THBT every student living in the EU should spend one year studying in the country other than the one he or she is born or is a national of.
• R3 THW show only movies that pass the bechdel test (with info)
• R4 THBT animal suffering should not be an obstacle for satisfying societal needs.
• Final: THW ban political parties that use ethnicity as basis for their political agenda

Vienna Freshers, Vienna, Austria, November 8-9

• R1: THW not publicly fund universities
• R2: THBT individuals with bad personal lifestyles (that influence their health) should pay more for their health insurance
• R3: In the European Union, asylum seekers can only apply for asylum in the country they first enter. They cannot reapply nor be reallocated to another EU country. Motion: THBT the EU should divide up asylum seekers amongst its member states proportional to member states' GDP per cap
• R4: Info: In Saudi Arabia women are banned from driving cars. Motion: THBT women activists in Saudi Arabia should not drive cars in their protest against the ban
• Semi: THBT individuals should pass a parenting test before having children
• Final: TH supports the US continuing its surveillance practices on global political leaders

Oxford IV, Oxford, England, November 8-9

• R1: THW provide mobile teachers for the compulsory education of the children of travelling communities (e.g. Roma and Irish Traveller)
• R2: THBT developed economies should collectively agree to impose radically redistributive tax codes
• R3: THW ban the gender testing of athletes in sports
• R4: THW require major polluters to open their borders to environmental refugees
• R5: THBT national war memorials should commemorate the casualties on all sides of the conflict
• Novice Final: THBT when courts sentence offenders, they should give considerable weight to the views of the victims
• Quarter: THW, as a liberal democracy, restrict coverage of small-scale terrorist attacks
• ESL Semi: THBT political parties should adopt non-hierarchical organisational structures
• Semi: THBT identity-based social movements should not include in their movements allies who are not part of the identity group in question
• ESL Final: THBT liberal democracies should cut all economic and military ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Final: THBT the United States should dissolve its offensive military capabilities

UK Debate Challenge, Nottingham, England, November 9-10

• R1: THBT feminists should oppose restrictions on the wearing of the burkha and the hijab
• R2: THW remove all non-military sanctions on Iran
• R3: TH regrets the portrayal of the developing world in the fundraising campaigns of charitable organisations
• R4: THBT state schools should instil in children the belief that anyone can succeed through hard work, regardless of their background
• R5: THBT artists from dominant cultural majorities should not seek to portray minority cultures
• Novice Final: You are a government employee who has found evidence that your state is carrying out actions you personally believe to be gravely immoral. You have no cause to believe these actions are illegal. Motion: THW leak the evidence directly to the press
• Semi: THW abolish private property
• Final: THBT The US should end the War on Terror

Bogwall, Edinburgh, Scotland, November 15

• R1: THBT the (same-sex couples) Marriage Bill 2013 should remove the right of religious institutions to refuse to perform same-sex marriages
• R2: THBT past colonial empires should pay reparations to their former colonies who are still classed as developing
• R3: THBT feminist political activists should form a separate political party based on feminist ideology, rather than joining existing parties
• R4: THW Pay Additional Benefits to Families on Welfare Whose Children are Excelling in School
• Semi: THBT America should refuse to engage with any attempts to end cyber warfare
• Final: Info: You are Sherlock Holmes, pursuing your arch nemesis, Moriarty. Moriarty is an elusive criminal mastermind with a global network. This network is responsible for countless murders, extortions and a number of other large-scale criminal acts. You have captured Moriarty’s henchman and have enough evidence to convict him of a number of charges, including murder. Before you take him to the police, the henchman offers to give you vital information about Moriarty’s plans and whereabouts which MAY lead you to finally catch him and foil his plans for evil- in exchange for letting the henchman go free. Your deductive reasoning tells you that this is not a trap. Motion: TH, as Sherlock Holmes, Would accept the henchman’s offer.

Cambridge IV, Cambridge, England, November 15-16

• R1: THW give primates (e.g. monkeys) and cetaceans (e.g. dolphins) the same rights to life, freedom from physical harm, and freedom of movement as humans.
• R2: THBT developed countries should set maximum rents for residential properties in large urban centres.
• R3: THBT, despite the expressed wishes of the Pakistani government, the United States should continue to target the leaders of Tehrik-i-Talibani (Pakistani Taliban).
• R4: THW break up banks, like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and HSBC, that are deemed ’too big to fail’.
• R5: THW ban religious charities from engaging in proselytisation
• Quarter: THB Republican and Democratic parties should select House, Senate, Pres candidates by vote of leaders rather than primaries
• ESL Semi: THW prevent those who deny climate change from seeking political office
• Semi: Instead of creating a Jewish state in the British Mandate of Palestine, with the benefit of hindsight THW have created a Jewish State in Germany
• ESL Final: THBT it should be the policy of the United States to conduct all of its military interventions unilaterally
• Final: THBT it is in the West's interests for Assad to decisively win the Syrian civil war

Schwarzwald Cup, Freiburg, Germany, November 16-17 (translated)

• R1: THW ban all polls (predicting election results)
• R2: TH rejects any policy that punishes families for having more than one child
• R3: THW subsidise sex workers visits for severely handicapped persons
• R4: THW always execute those sentenced to death publicly
• Semi: As a homosexual person in a very homophobic country, THW emigrate
• Final: THBT too many high school graduates study (go on to university)

John Smith Memorial Mace, England leg, London, England, November 23-24

• R1: THW ban the advertising of financial products that entail an obligation of consumer debt
• R2: THBT domestically, Margaret Thatcher’s premiership did more harm than good
• R3: THW allow pro-immigration charities to sue politicians and media outlets that defame ’immigrants’
• R4: THW tax earnings over £1million by 75% but allow individuals to decide how the government spends the additional revenue generated by this income
• Semi: TH welcomes the decline of US-led humanitarian interventions without international consensus
• Final: THBT all main political parties should implement a cross party political scheme to use all-women shortlists to get more women into parliament until gender parity is reached

Cicero Toernooi, Tilburg, the Netherlands, November 23 (translated)

• R1: THW remove all restrictions on euthanasia (such as “hopeless and unbearable” suffering)
• R2: THW abolish the right to remain silent (verschoningsrecht) for clergy
• R3: THW impose strong political and economic sanctions on tax havens
• R4: TH, as parents, would raise its children non-gendered
• R5: THW, as the US, continue to gather information about non-citizens on a large scale
• Semi: THW replace all income taxes with consumption taxes that become proportionally higher as the purchased goods become less essential
• Pro-Am Final: THW not admit immigrants who actively (strongly?) oppose the norms of the host society
• Final: TH would create a substantial salary for those who take on caretaker roles for family, friends or neighbours (DK vervangt het mantelzorgcompliment door een substantieel salaris)

Tübingen Herbst Debatten, Tübingen, Germany, November 23-24 (translated)

• R1: Should private kindergartens and schools be abolished?
• R2: Should participants in the Olympics be allowed to publicly express their political opinions?
• R3: Should the morning after pill be available without doctor’s recipe?
• Final: Should Edward Snowden get asylum in Germany?

Zeit Debatte Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany, November 22-24 (translated)

• R1: THW make purchasing sexual services punishable by law. Info: Adults over 18 are allowed to prostitute themselves, get social security and sue for compensations. Bans can be imposed against prostitution in specific areas or at specific times. Pimping is not illegal as long as the work environment offered is suitable and the prostitute is not exploited
• R2: THBT religion is redundant.
• R3: THW return artworks stolen or expropriated by the Nazis, without regard to property rights, laws and statutes of limitation that might block such a return (info and here)
• R4: THW go on a treasure hunt
• R5: THW ban temp agency contracting (Leiharbeit, Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, Zeitarbeit, Mitarbeiterüberlassung oder Personalleasing)  
• Semi: THW spread asylum seekers over EU countries on the basis of their relative population sizes
• Final: THW abolish the federalist system in Germany

Yorkshire Novices, Sheffield, England, November 23-24

• R1: THBT it is legitimate for environmental campaign groups to use ecoterrorism to achieve their goals
• R2: TH regrets the annual commemoration of past wars
• R3: Info slide: 'Total Surveillance' is government surveillance of every citizen at all times, in every location Motion: THW implement total surveillance
• R4: THBT artists, entertainers, and musicians should not comment on politics outside of their artistic creations
• Semi: THBT Western liberal democracies have a duty to militarily intervene in conflicts where large scale human rights abuses are occurring
• Final: THW fabricate and publicise evidence that high ranking religious figures that claim homosexuality to be a sin engage in homosexual acts

IDAS Tournament, Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 29-December 1

• R1: THW impose a tax on men to reduce the gender pay gap
• R2: THBT EU nations should stop cooperating with the USA on intelligence matters
• R3: THW not watch pornography
• R4: THW pay reparations to European Roma
• R5: THBT all corporations should become cooperatives owned and operated by the workers
• R6: THB the dead are the property of the state
• Quarter: THW not tax "bitcoin" transactions
• Semi: THW apply universal jurisdiction to crimes against the environment
• Final: THB that the recent Geneva agreement with Iran will fail

UCU Open, Utrecht, Netherlands, November 29-30

• R1: THW, assuming it were feasible to enforce, support a global inheritance tax of 100% on all cash and assets beyond the first €5000 (and substantial taxes on high-value gifts during one's lifetime)
• R2: THBT the citizens of countries under military occupation of a western liberal democracy should be granted the right to vote in the elections of that occupying state!
• R3: THW give men more paid parental leave than women and force them to take it
• R4: THW allow people (including companies) to give the police money in exchange for new or increased efforts in a specified area of legitimate law enforcement
• R5: THW place a sin tax to low-brow entertainment in order to subsidize high-brow art
• Semi: THW appoint a group of relevant charities (e.g. Environmental charities) to cast votes in general elections on behalf of future citizens
• Final: You are a dutch person. THBT you should campaign against Zwarte Piet and should routinely condemn it as a racist institution

Iron Man tournament, Münster, Germany, November 29 (translated)

• R1: THBT our legal system should neither regulate nor judge behaviour that takes place solely in virtual online worlds like “Second Life” and leave the making of rules to their manufacturers
• R2: THBT China should prioritise social justice over economic growth
• R3: THW allow businesses to pay employees who agree not to have children more in wages
• R4: THW allow sodomie (intercourse with animals)
• Final: A ship sinks at the high seas. Three sailors and the cabin boy survive in a lifeboat. There is no land in sight and the men are exhausted.  To stay alive, the sailors kill and eat the cabin boy against his will. Days later, the lifeboat is found and brought to land. The sailors survived thanks to the reinforcement brought by eating the cabin boy. The authorities hear of the tale and the sailors are brought before a court where a jury will give a verdict. Motion: TH, as the jury, would vote against a conviction

Nikolausturnier, Münster, Germany, November 30 (translated)

• R1: THW convicted criminals the options to choose corporal punishments over imprisonment
• R2: You are a young, liberal, Turkish man in Turkey. Motion: THBT the ban on Islamic veils in public buildings should be abolished
• R3: It is Christmas. In otherwise pristine snow, the trackmarks of Santa Claus’ sleigh are visible. A policeman is walking around the field to savour the Christmas spirit and suddenly discovers a small booklet. It is Santa Claus’ list with no less than a complete list of all transgressions of everyone on the planet. The policeman immediately recognises the potential power of such a list. In the back of the booklet is Santa Claus’ address. Motion: THW destroy the list.
• Final: THW introduce a 30-hour work week

SSE Riga IV, Riga, Latvia, November 30-December 1

• R1: Infoslide: "sin tax" is a tax on the consumption of products that governments are reluctant to ban, but understand to be harmful Motion: THW introduce a sin tax on all meat products
• R2: THBT governments should not provide rebuilding funds to citizens above the poverty line in known natural disaster areas
• R3: THW establish an easily performed procedure for individuals to delete the entirety of their internet and social media footprint
• R4: TH supports the Ukrainian government’s decision to make a trade deal with Russia rather than seek integration with the EU
• R5: THW return all ill-gotten artworks and valuable historical artefacts to the communities of their origin
• Semi: THBT violent protest is a legitimate strategy in democratic societies
• Novice Final: THW not give jail time to criminals who do not pose an ongoing violent threat to society
• Final: TH support unlimited human body enhancement in all areas of life

Cork Invitational, Cork, Ireland, November 28

• R1: THBT foreign visitors to Islamic countries should dress and act according to local sensibilities in public even if not obliged to by law
• R2: THW never allow prisons to force-feed detainees on hunger strike
• R3: TH supports targeted advertising based on gender
• Final: THBT suicide bombing is a legitimate tactic of warfare

Cork IV, Cork, Ireland, November 29-30

• R1: THBT once artists earn enough to constitute a comfortable wage, they have a duty to make their work freely available
• R2: THBT Libya should repeal its ban on senior members of the Gaddaffi Regime (military and civil) from holding positions in government
• R3: THW force violent offenders to undergo the Ludovico technique
• R4: THBT developing countries should use policies such as permits to restrict rural to urban migration
• R5: THW allow Pro-Life organisations to pay women currently considering having an abortion to carry the pregnancy to term
• Semi and Novice Final: TH supports the actions of Anonymous and other such vigilante groups
• Final: Assuming you would not be found out, in the event of a terrorist attack on US soil, committed by Islamist extremists THW fabricate evidence that attack was committed by dominant ethnic and socio-economic group, e.g. white Anglo-Saxons

Bristol ProAM, Bristol, England, November 30

• R1: THW not allow governments to electronically intercept communications without a warrant
• R2: THW prevent the media from publishing any personal details (such as race or social class) of criminals and suspects
• R3: TH, as the USA, would destroy its stockpile of smallpox
• R4: In proportion to under 30s population, THW reserve seats in parliament for 18-30 year olds
• Semi: THW, as David Icke, dedicate the rest of its life to exposing the lizard people. (Info)
• Final: THBT western liberal democracies should use any effective means at their disposal to uphold the human rights of women

Newcastle IV, Newcastle, England, November 30

• R1: THW allow individuals to sell their non-vital organs
• R2: THW legalise online child chat simulations
• R3: THW apply the same standards to the sale of mass surveillance technology as it does to the sale of arms
• R4: THS affirmative action policies targeted at women in business
• Final: THBT Miley Cyrus is bad for feminism

Schroeter Cup, Berlin, Germany, November 30 (translated)

• R1: THW set one common minimum wage
• R2: THW ban circumcision of minors
• R3: THW ban pornography and would make it taboo (verb tabuisieren)
• R4: THW only allow European firms to sell weapons in the EU
• Final: THW create a film rating for movies that do not pass the Bechdel-Test

December

English Cup, Herzliya, Israel, December 1

• R1: THW classify all organized crime as terrorist organizations
• R2: THBT the education system should promote expectations according to the students’ realistic potential, ability and social status
• R3: This house would hire police personnel in proportion to society’s demography
• Semi: THW, as a western liberal democracy, legalize paid surrogacy
• Final: This house, as China, would legalize gay marriage

Lund IV, Lund, Sweden, December 6-7

• R1: THBT Facebook, Google+,and other social media platforms should remove all content produced by extremist political parties.
• R2: TH welcomes the presence of gender-neutral schools (+Infoslide)
• R3: THBT is in China’s interest to shoot down foreign military aircrafts that violate the ADIZ (+Info slide).
• R4: Assuming that the death penalty is in use, THW make all executions public.
• SF: THBT the EU should materially support anti-Russian political movements in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union
• Novice Final: THBT Schools should raise the expectations of children beyond what they can realistically achieve.
• Grand Final: TH supports armed vigilante groups in high crime areas.

Warsaw Open, Warsaw, Poland, December 6-8

• R1: THW eject national sports teams from international competitions if their fans or players are found to have committed racist or fascist acts during matches
• R2: THBT in developed countries the minimum wage should guarantee a middle class lifestyle
• R3: THW stop all research into differences between the male and female brain
• R4: THBT Pope Francis should openly endorse radical left political parties and candidates
• Semi: THW only hold gay pride parades with the consent of the local community
• Final: THW immediately lift all sanctions on Iran

Centrale IV, Paris, France, December 6-7

• R1: THW Allow athletes to compete in the gender category they self identify with
• R2: THBT Hamid Karzai should sign the Bilateral Security Agreement
• R3: This house would allow the Roma to settle in autonomous communities
• R4: This house believes that developing countries should ban the entry of foreign supermarkets chains [added by me] into their markets
• R5: Given that a trade off is required, THBT history education in post-conflict societies should focus on cohesion at the cost of truth
• Final: TH supports FEMEN

Sheffield IV, Sheffield, England, December 7

• R1: THW aggressively fund art in public places, which depicts struggles on which there is no consensus and of which there are continuing consequences
• R2: THW cut off development aid to countries which willfully neglect to combat terrorism within their own borders
• R3: THW freeze membership of sporting federations of nations that boycott sporting competitions (events, matches, tournaments etc.) for political reasons.
• R4: THW end the prosecution of Troubles-related killings in Northern Ireland
• Final: TH, as the United States, does not regret the dropping of the atomic bomb.

Moscow Open, Moscow, Russia, December 6-7

• R1: THW ban the fur industry
• R2: TH as Ukraine would join Russia led economic bloc rather than the EU free trade account
• R3: THW in the countries that have laws prohibiting discriminatory and hateful language against various groups based on certain characteristics they have, grant overweight people the same protection like other vulnerable groups
• R4: THW require police to wear miniature video cameras at all times whilst on duty
• R5: THBT decisions to allocate funding to scientific research programs should be taken solely by a group of professional scientists
• Semi-finals: TH, as a Russian woman, would rather live in the Soviet Union
• Final: THBT Western Liberal Democracies should boycott the Russian Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi

John Smith Memorial Mace Welsh leg, Aberystwyth, Wales, December 7

• R1: THW legalise euthanasia
• R2: THW provide financial incentives to individuals leading a vegetarian lifestyle
• R3: THBT FIFA should reallocate the 2022 World Cup from Qatar to a country with a superior human rights record
• R4: THBT major Hollywood studios should increase the number of lead roles for female villains substantially in their blockbuster films
• Final: THBT the media should fabricate and publish positive economic stories during prolonged periods of economic recession

Tournament of Champions, Bucharest, Romania, December 7-9

• R1: This House would legalize the use of baby-boxes all around the EU
• R2: THBT a world in which there is no more sexual instinct and reproduction is only in vitro and through similar technologies is a better world
• R3: This House would grant immediate EU admission to regions like Scotland or Catalonia who choose to declare independence from countries that are already in the EU
• R4: THW eliminate any legal or ethical limitations from the field of genetic research on improving the human body.
• Final: THBT Romania should strengthen its relationship with China, even if that impacts its relationship with the EU

BGU IV, Beer Sheva, Israel, December 13

• R1: THBT Times Magazine should have chosen Miley Cyrus to be person of the year
• R2: TH, as the US, would abandon the Israeli-Palestinian Cause
• R3: THW wage war using only games fought via computers
• R4: THBT governments should not regulate the use of any new currency
• R5: In memory of Nelson Mandela: The year is 1985, THS Paul Simon in breaking the cultural boycott of Apartheid South Africa (for the making of the future Graceland album in collaboration with black musicians)
• Final: THBT Pope Francis as the head of the Catholic Church will end up causing more harm than good

Tilbury House IV, Cologne (Köln), Germany, December 13-15

• R1: THW forcibly relocate indigenous peoples where their presence prevents the extraction/utilization of valuable resources
• R2: TH supports private ownership of 3D printers
• R3: TH regrets the branding of Burka Avenger as a feminist icon
• R4: TH, as Pope Francis, would allow women to become priests
• R5: THB, in times of economic crisis, economic bodies should (strategically) withhold information that may damage market confidence
• Final: TH welcomes the rise of art, music and film that celebrates lack of economic wealth

Streitkultur Cup, Tübingen, Germany, December 14 (translated)

• R1: Do we need a third vote (Die Drittstimme)
• R2: Should natural disasters and extreme weather in the future be named after politicians that are against combatting climate change?
• R3: Should the state treat all religions equally?
• Final: Should Germany boycott the Sochi Olympics?

Leiden Novice Tournament, Leiden, the Netherlands, December 14

• R1: THW stop streaming children in secondary schools based on intelligence
• R2: THW make parents legally responsible for their children's crimes
• R3: This house believes that governments should never pay ransoms
• Final: THW ban all media (such as music, films and videogames) which glorify misogyny

KCL IV, London, England, December 14

• R1: THBT foster children should be placed into families with similar backgrounds (race, religion, etc)
• R2: THBT politicians should not have public profiles on twitter and other social networking sites
• R3: You are an immigrant (asylum seeker?) from a non-Western country. You are offered full and immediate citizenship of the EU and the US. The offers are the only two that you have and are mutually exclusive. You do not know where you will live in either union. Your native and only language is spoken in neither. Motion: THW opt for the EU
• R4: TH supports soldier-run free schools
• Semi: THBT the US should overturn its blanket ban on negotiating with terrorists
• Final: As an atheist, THW proselytise

Jerusalem Open, Jerusalem, Israel, December 19

• R1: THBT women's rights organizations should advocate for the legalization of multiple partner marriages
• R2: TH, as the Palestinian people, would support the one state solution in favor of the two state solution
• R3: THW not accept refugees in times of economic crisis
• R4: THBT that the widespread prevailance of Internet porn is a net good
• Final: TH, as a constitutional democracy, would remove Freedom of Religion from the constitution

Tournament without a name (Macedonian-Greek exchange tournament), Skopje, Macedonia, December 19-21

• Round 1: THW ban international adoption
• Round 2: THW organise Alternative Olympics to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in order to protest anti-LGBT laws in Russia
• Round 3: THBT Pope Francis I should openly endorse radical left political parties and candidates
• Finals: THW ban re-election of politicians that did not fulfil their promises

Birmingham IV, Birmingham, England, December 20-22

• R1: THW financially compensate children who fail to achieve employable grades at school
• R2: THW establish quotas for immigrants on national sports teams
• R3: THB the European Union should lower the entry requirements and fast-track accession procedures for the Ukraine and other nations in the Caucasus
• R4: THB the USA should withdraw from its defensive pact with Japan in the East China Sea
• R5: THBT lack of Intent should not be considered a legitimate defence in hate speech trials
• Semi: THBT governments should take public steps to disrupt and discredit the use of cryptocurrencies (e.g. Bitcoin)
• Final: THBT South Africans should engage in a frank and critical discussion of the life achievements and legacy of Nelson Mandela, rather than continue to uncritically revere him

Decemberac (beginners tournament), Belgrade, Serbia, December 21-22 (translated)

• R1: THW include children with special needs into regular school classes
• R2: TH, as a former communist state, would remove the monuments of the former regime
• R3: THBT holding the Olympics is not worth it for the host country
• R4: THBT sanctions are a good way of implementing democracy
• R5: THW not undress (with an info slide)
• Semi: In today’s world, THW choose a craft rather than the university education
• Final: THW not read fairy tales to children

WUDC 2014, Chennai, India, December 28, 2013 - January 4, 2014

• R1: THBT the United States of America should fund moderate Madrassas (schools of Islamic study) throughout the Islamic world
• R2: THW allow first-time offenders to, with the consent of the victims, pay compensation to them in place of a prison sentence
• R3: TH regrets the rise of a 'hookup culture' (one which accepts and encourages casual sexual encounters focused on physical pleasure, without necessarily including emotional bonding)
• R4: THBT developing countries should ban members of political dynasties from standing for elected office
• R5: Infoslide: - A number of countries are currently negotiating to establish the world's largest free trade area by comprehensively liberalising trade in the Asia-Pacific region. This proposed agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), would include the following countries: United States, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Mexico, Chile, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zeland, Peru and Brunei. China is NOT included in these negotiations. Motion: THBT the Trans-Pacific Partnership is in the interests of the small and medium-sized negotiating countries.
• R6: THW make the receipt of welfare payments to raise children conditional on the use of long-term, but reversible, contraception
• R7: Info slide: Generally, government agencies, responsible for regulating drugs (for example the Food and Drug Administration, or the European Medicines Agency) rewuire that a new drug pass two different tests before being approved for public use. These seperate tests asses whether a drug is: First, "safe", does the drug pose an unacceptable health risk? Second, "effective", does the drug do what it claims to do? Motion: THBT government agencies that regulate drugs should only test whether a drug is safe, not whether it is effective, before approving it for public use.
• R8: THBT NATO should unconditionally offer membership to the states of the former Soviet Union, excluding Russia
• R9: TH regrets the commodification of indigenous cultures
• EFL Semis: THBT the gay rights movement should abandon the claim that sexuality is not a choice
• EFL Final: THBT multinational companies should be liable for human rights abuses that occur anywhere in their supply chain
• ESL Quarters: THW remove all copyright protection for material deemed to be morally objectionable
• ESL Semis: THBT Pope Francis should publicly encourage Catholics to support radically redistributive government policies
• ESL Final: THW allow countries to pay other countries to settle asylum-seekers who reach their borders
• Open Partial Double Octos: THW abolish gated communities in the developing world
• Open Octos: THBT Japan should shame its soldiers who participated in WWII, including those who did not commit war crimes themselves
• Open Quarters: THW auction off the long-term right to govern bankrupt cities for profit
• Open Semis: THBT women should reject practices that alter the appearance of their genitalia, such as waxing and labiaplasty
• Open Final: THBT India should adopt aggressive free market policies.

2014

January

Zeit Debatte Dresden, Dresden, Germany, January 10-12 (translated)

• R1: THW make graduates of state universities, who become stay-at-home “parents” (Hausfrauen oder Hausmänner), retrospectively pay their study fees (normally free).
• R2: THW offer immigrants who cannot claim welfare benefits in Germany a loan for “livelihood/existence costs” that they would have to repay after five years
• R3: THBT parents should monitor the electronic communications of their children, for example by installing spyware, requiring their children to give them their passwords, or reading browser histories  
• R4: THW provide strong financial support to families who decide to bring a foetus with Down syndrom to term and raise it by themselves
• R5: THBT attacks on military targets, in which many civilian victims can be expected, are legitimate
• Semi: THW allow people to insure themselves against fines
• Final: TH, as an athlete with sight on a medal at the Olympic Games in Sotchi, would publicly promote LGBT rights during the Games

Nottingham Trent Open, Nottingham, England, January 11-12

• R1: THW require that government ministers be highly qualified and experienced experts in their policy areas
• R2: THBT the EU should lift its ban on exporting sedatives used in lethal injections to the USA
• R3: THBT the Conservative Party should form an electoral pact with the UK Independence Party for the 2015 general election
• R4: THBT hacking is a legitimate form of protest against large corporations
• Semi: THBT all states should adopt the Flemish system of university admissions
• Final: THBT the British education system should aim to give students from all backgrounds a high level of familiarity with the cultural knowledge prized by white, upper and middle class elites

London Pro-Am IV, London, England, January 18

• R1: If the tech to do so were available, THW allow disabled parents to ensure their children are born with their disabilities
• R2: TH, as the Pope and the Vatican council, would liquidate all the Vatican's assets and distribute them to charity
• R3: THW create a scheme to aggressively encourage university graduates to marry and reproduce
• R4: TH regrets the 'fat pride' movement
• Final:

Irish Times Debates Round 2, Ireland, January 18-

• Heat 1: TH condemns the actions of Edward Snowden
• Heat 2: THW remove all restrictions on freedom of speech
• Heat?

Paris V, French Debating Association Tournament preliminaries, Paris, January 23 - March 5

• C1: THW always choose style over substance
• C2: THBT bad government comes from too much government
• B1: THBT the bare necessities are enough
• B2: THBT we should fear Google
• A1: THW stop state funding of the arts
• B3: THBT privacy is an illusion
• B4: THW not have children
• D1: THBT work is overrated
• D2: THB in free speech
• A2: THW "Live as if you were to die tomorrow"
• A3: THW use force to make peace
• C3: THBT men have become the tools of their tools
• D3: THBT parents are corrupted by children
• A4: THBT science will save us
• B5: THBT anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening
• C4: THW emigrate
• D4: THBT imagination is better than knowledge
• C5: THW tell the whole truth
• D5: THBT whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority it is time to pause and reflect

Rotterdam BP Toernooi, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, January 25 (translated)

• R1: THW force pregnant minors to have an abortion or give their child up for adoption
• R2: THW introduce trial by jury
• R3: THBT Mexican state should create a list of known members of drug cartels and outlaw everyone on it
• R4: Info: ruling parties VVD and PvdA hold 79 of 150 votes in Parliament (second chamber), but only 30 of 75 seats in the Senate (first chamber) the CDA holds only 13 seats in the current Parliament, but has 11 seats in the Senate, giving the ruling coalition a majority if they support it. Motion: THBT CDA should vote with the ruling coalition if proposed laws satisfy the Senate criteria of redelijkheid (reasonableness, judiciousness, fairness) and samenhang (congruence with other laws) (addendum: instead of for other political criteria)
• Semi: THW split up banks until none are “too big to fail”  
• Final: THW only drill for gas in areas where the population has consented through a local referendum (inspired by recent opposition to gas drilling in Groningen)

Brabants Debattoernooi, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, January 25 (translated)

• R1: We should be able to fire (Rabobank) Board members that were responsible for fraud, without a severance bonus.
• R2: Bitcoins should become the official currency in the Netherlands
• R3: Health insurances should be allowed to refuse medicines on the basis of their costs
• R4: The availability/sales of pyrotechnics/fireworks should be limited (This article and this one give appropriate background info)
• Semi 1: Assad should win
• Semi 2: Dutch athletes should boycott the Sochi Winter Olympics
• Final: People in Groningen should stop complaining (probably referring to gas drilling in the province)

Trinity IV, Dublin, Ireland, January 24-25

• R1: THBT feminists should condemn the practice of monogamy
• R2: THBT resource-rich developing nations should severely restrict the extraction and sale of natural resources
• R3: THBT Japanese leaders are legitimate in visiting the Yasukuni Shrine 
• R4: THB the NAACP should not seek a post-racial society
• Quarter: THB the Irish state should pay reparations to all female citizens who lived during the period in which Magdalene Laundries were operational
• Semi: THW teach children to question authority, even if it undermines discipline in the classroom
• Final: TH rejects the legitimacy of the state

York IV, York, England, January 25

• R1: THW create drug provison centres to provide all adults with unlimited quantities of free heroin and cocaine, exclusively for on site consumption.
• R2: In a world in which the Z-gene exists, THW require that mutants be constantly monitored by the state from birth.
• R3: THBT the Labour Party should end its affiliation with trade unions.
• R4: THBT schools should attempt to indoctrinate school children with the belief that they are personally culpable for death, poverty and abject misery in the developing world.
• Semi: THBT the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army should offer to end the Syrian Civil War and share power in a short term transitional government led by Bashar al-Assad
• Final: THBT comedians who cross the line of public offence do more harm than good

February

Warwick IV, Warwick, England, February 1

• R1: THW require those claiming Job Seekers' Allowance to undertake community service
• R2: TH supports public funding of blasphemous art
• R3: THW abolish academic journals and make all academic research freely available to the public online
• R4: TH supports the formation of vigilante groups in high crime areas of Mexico
• Semi: Infoslide: United States Presidents issue executive orders to help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage the operations within the federal government itself. Executive orders have the full force of law when they take authority from a power granted directly to the Executive by the Constitution, or are made in pursuance of certain Acts of Congress that explicitly delegate to the President some degree of discretionary power. For the purposes of this debate, the executive order in question can be assumed to be constitutional. e.g. in 2012, President Obama issued an executive order suspending the deportation of illegal immigrants who had served in the military or graduated from college. This effectively enforced the DREAM Act, whose passage through Congress had stalled. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld this as constitutional Motion: THBT Barack Obama should issue an executive order suspending all state bans on gay marriage
• Final: TH, as a wealthy individual, rather than paying the full rate of tax, would avoid taxation in order to donate to charity, according to his/her own moral preferences

Dutch Mace, Maastricht, Netherlands, February 8

• R1: THW allow companies to pay higher wages to employees who agree not to have children during their term of employment.
• R2: THW only give out scholarships on the basis of academic potential.
• R3: Infoslide: Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means. Motion: THB the West should make use of its imperialist power.
• Final: Hypothetical: A machine has been invented that, when connected to a human, allows that human to experience the sexual experiences of their choosing. These experiences are indistinguishable from reality. This machine is cheap enough for private ownership and no hard to program than a microwave. In shoirt, this machine would enable everybody to 'get it on'. Motion: THW ban such a machine.

Lancaster IV, Lancaster, England, February 8

• R1: THBT schools should prioritise the teaching of modern literature over classical literature.
• R2: THBT the west should give substantial extra non-conditional aid packages to countries that have large illegal narcotics exports.
• R3: TH, as Edward Snowden, regrets publishing the NSA files.
• R4: THBT celebrities should be banned from making political statements.
• Final: TH, as a scientist who has developed a compound which when ingested causes a person to become bisexual, would infect the global water supply with the compound.

John Smith Memorial Mace Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 8

• R1: THW allow employees to sign a contract to give up their right to have children in exchange for a higher salary
• R2: THBT developing nations should no longer sell land to foreign companies
• R3: THW make the weight of votes proportional to a person’s expected remain lifespan
• R4: TH supports the use of violent protest to topple oppressive regimes
• R5: THW restrict CEOs from annually earning more than 12 times the salary of his or her lowest-paid employee
• Semi: TH, as the Catholic Church, would vote in the Pope through a referendum amongst all Church-going Catholics when electing a new Pope, rather than amongst Cardinals
• Final: Context: The living wage in the United Kingdom is approximately 15,000 pounds per annum. Motion: THBT the State should pay to each and every citizen 15,000 pounds per year unconditionally

Reading No-Notes Open, Reading, England, February 9

• R1: THW Prevent men from running for elected office for a period of two terms.
• R2: THW Ban any and all participation in faith healing.
• R3: THW Allow and enforce prenuptial agreements that punish infidelity.
• R4: TH, as the Conservative party, would condemn the portrayal of Romanians and Bulgarians in the tabloids
• Final: Infoslide: A rogue dictatorship has launched a nuclear attack on an unaffiliated nation. You are unsure as to whether the dictatorship possesses any further nuclear weapons. Motion: This House Believes that NATO Should Launch a Retaliatory Nuclear Strike.

Irish National Law Debates, Galway, Ireland, February 14-15

• R1: THW directly elect public representatives by random lottery
• R2: THW remove all restrictions on sexual activities between mutually consenting adults
• R3: THW abolish trial by jury in criminal cases
• R4: THBT former colonial powers should not be involved in peacekeeping and nation-building in their former colonies
• R5: THW choose to believe in a god or gods
• Semi: THBT when awarding artistic achievement, all aspects of the artist's personal lives should be ignored
• Final: THBT the use of violence to advance the cause of disenfranchised sexual minorities and women in Russia is legitimate

Bonapartiaans Debattoernooi, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, February 15 (translated)

• R1: THW allow adoption agencies to guarantee to biological parents that their child will not be adopted by a same-sex couple
• R2: THW allow euthanasia for patients suffering from dementia (and therefore legally incapable) who have signed an advance directive (request for euthanasia) Info
• R3: THW provide all citizens a basic income at the poverty line without setting any requirements
• R4: THW require all schools that teach religion to discuss militant atheism at an equal footing with all major religions.
• R5: THW make the exploitation of brothels a state monopoly
• Quarter: THW choose its Prime Minister through direct elections
• Semi: THW liberate slaves in Mauritania with a military intervention
• Novice final: THW split Belgium into separate parts
• Final: THW take Dutch citizenship away from any criminal with a double nationality and would extradite these criminals to the other country they hold citizenship of

LSE Open, London, England, February 15-16

• R1: THBT Governments should not assist in the rebuilding of disaster prone areas
• R2: TH regrets the existence of critic or professionally determined film awards, including the Academy Awards, Palme D'Or, and Sight and Sound's Top 10
• R3: THBT it is the West's interest for long term Brent Crude Oil prices to fall below US$60 per barrel. Info
• R4: THBT the LGBT movement should abandon the claim that sexuality is not a choice
• R5: THB European Football leagues should aggressively redistribute income from successful to less successful domestic clubs
• Open Quarter: THW criminalise its citizens from fighting in foreign conflicts
• ESL Semi: THBT the states of the Western Balkans should ban positive depictions of indicted or convicted war criminals
• Open Semi: THB that majority liberal supreme courts should actively misapply constitutions in order to advance progressive rights
• ESL Final: THW financially incentivise interracial and interfaith marriage
• Open Final: TH regrets Jiyas use of the Burka (info video)

Irish Times Debates Semis, Ireland, February 15-21

• Semi A: THW commemorate the First World War
• Semi B: THW condemn the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
• Semi C: THBT the Constitution of Ireland has served the country well
• Semi D: THW introduce Mandatory Organ Donation

Tornadu, Braga, Portugal, February 21-23 (translated)

• R1:TH applauds the social pressure on teenage girls to initiate promiscuous sexual activity;
• R2: THW create a small network of public schools accessible only to students with outstanding academic backgrounds
• R3: When father of a fetus favours abortion and this is not carried out, THW allow him to  excuse himself from any responsibility for the child;
• R4: THW reduce VAT tax on goods and services provided for by small businesses in order to combat the black (parallel) economy
• R5: THB in the primacy of serving others as opposed to seeking one’s own happiness
• Quarter (partial): THBT the LGBT movement should stop using the concept of “gay pride”
• Semi: THBT the international community has a duty to protect human rights, if necessary by military means, even in violation of the principle of national sovereignty
• Final: THBT young Portuguese should recognize the existence of a generational struggle (with divergent and conflicting interests between generations) and prepare to win

Leiden Open, Leiden, Netherlands, February 22-23

• 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: TH, as a critic, would advise the public not to consume works of music, film and art produced by artists that you deem morally reprehensible, regardless of the artistic merit of their work
• R3: There have been successful experiments with citizens actively involved in the rehabilitation process of ex-convicts by, for example, hosting them in their house, or building supportive relationships with them. In these programmes, the state ensured adequate financial and professional assistance. The participation in these programmes by citizens and ex-convicts has always been voluntary. Motion: THW randomly select citizens to actively assist in the rehabilitation process of ex-convicts, and make participation mandatory for those citizens
• R4: THBT the state should make funding for political parties proportionate to the number of members from low-income brackets in those parties
• R5: THW nationalise prostitution
• Semi: Some academic and cultural institutions have a practice of awarding prizes that recognise the achievements of members of minority groups. For example, “Muslim Student Achievement Award” or “African American Writer of the Year”. Motion:THB it is legitimate for states to deny residence or asylum to immigrants who openly contradict their predominant values
• Novice Final: Some awards in literature, theater, film, sports, etc. are granted only to people from specific minorities (NAACP awards) Motion: TH as a nominee of such an award would not accept it.
• Final: THBT the Catholic church should make absolution for those who have committed a crime conditional upon them handing themselves into the police.

Manchester IV, Manchester, England, February 22-23

• R1: THBT US media should not report any details about school shootings beyond the fact that they happened
• R2: THBT all international peacekeeping operations in Africa should be carried out solely by African troops.
• R3: Info slide - Menstrual activism is a movement which seeks to examine social attitudes towards menstruation through artistic performances such as wearing menstrual blood. Motion: TH supports menstrual activism.
• R4:THW ban holocaust denial
• Open Quarters: Info slide: There are segregated economic zones in Riyadh where only women are allowed to work. This means that normal rules that apply to women's daily activity can be relaxed i.e. they enjoy greater economic rights in these zones. Motion: TH supports the creation of women only economic zones in Saudi Arabia
• ESL Final: THW support a strict disciplinarian education system, as long as it makes students perform better
• Semi Final: THB African-American civil rights organisations should condemn capitalism
• Novice Final: TH regrets the use of nationalism by colonial liberation movements (e.g. the Indian National Congress, Sinn Fein).
• Final: The technology exists to allow people to selectively erase their memories without any physical side effects. Motion: THW allow individuals to selectively erase their own memories

Irish Times Final, Dublin, Ireland, February 28

• THBT the Irish Political System has served the People well

March

Budapest Open, Budapest, Hungary, February 28 - March 2

• R1: THW prohibit religious organizations from speaking out against homosexuality
• R2: THBT states should take active measures to limit the spread of American pop culture
• R3: THBT it is in Russia's interest to annex the Crimea
• R4: THBT the Black Rights Movement should oppose the appropriation of the Confederate flag by black public figures. (Info slide: Kanye West recently released a clothing line which featured the Confederate flag. The Confederate flag was the flag used by the pro-slavery southern US states in the American Civil War. The American Civil War was a conflict over the use of black slaves. The flag is still used by various groups, including white supremacists in the US.)
• R5: THBT developing countries should support commercial surrogacy (Info slide: Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries a child for another person or couple)
• Semi: TH opposes the sympathetic and humanizing portrayal of Nazi soldiers in popular media
• Final: THW suspend elections in countries with very high levels of government debt

Glasgow Ancients. Glasgow, Scotland, March 1-2

• R1: THW compel doctors to report suspected cases of domestic abuse to the police
• R2: THBT football associations should require clubs to be majority owned by their fans
• R3: THW legalise entrapment
• R4: THBT the EU should give automatic membership to states that have seceded from current member states
• R5: THW not afford religious identity the same level of anti-discrimination protection as inborn traits (such as race, gender and sexuality)
• Semi: THBT that the UN Security Council should sanction companies that buy 'booty futures' from rebel movements
• Final: TH supports the rise of online communities that aggressively police ideological purity within the feminist movement

Glasgow Women’s, Glasgow, Scotland, March 3

• R1: THW abolish trial by jury
• R2: Info slide: At present, UK broadcasters (TV, radio) and the UK press (newspapers) are regulated differently. Broadcasters are required to remain impartial when reporting on political matters, especially in the lead up to elections and referenda. The press, however, is free to be partisan, and newspapers often back candidates, advocate for political parties and hire politicians as columnists. Motion: THW allow UK broadcasters to be politically partisan in the reporting of current events
• R3: THW allow parents to remove their children from specific classes at school (such as sports, religious studies, sex education and science) on moral, religious or political grounds
• R4: THW never subject international treaties to popular referenda
• Final: Info slide: The disposition matrix, or 'kill list', is a complex grid of suspected terrorists to be traced and then extrajudicially targeted in drone strikes or captured and interrogated. This list includes US citizens and foreign nationals with links to international terrorism. Motion: TH supports Barack Obama's 'Kill List'

Marburger Geschichte Turnier (History Tournament), Marburg, Germany, March 1-2 (translated)

• R1.: It is 5 July 1914. THW, as the German Reich, issue the Austrian-Hungarian empire a “blank check” on how to deal with the conflict with Serbia
• R2.: It is the end of the year 1862. THW, as Abraham Lincoln,  give up on the demand to abolish slavery, provided it would help end the Civil War
• R3: It is February of the year 44 before Christ. THW, as Brutus, join the conspiracy group of Cassius that aims to murder Caesar
• R4.: It is the beginning of 1961. THW, as the USA, seek a mutual neutrality pact with Cuba.
• Semi: It is the fall of 1923. THW, as the Western allied forced, let Germany repay ful reparations.
• Final: It is 1990 shortly before German reunification. THW, as the Bundesrepublik Deutschland, select the DDR anthem “Auferstanden aus Ruinen” (Risen from Ruins) as the new national anthem for a reunited Germany  

Nottingham Open, Nottingham, England, March 1-2

• R1: THW ban the screening and production of films depicting current or recent conflicts
• R2: Info: •Iraq’s government offers its citizens a cash reward of around £10,000 for each foreign militant killed from Al-Qaeda or other insurgent jihadist groups.Motion: TH supports the Iraqi Government’s policy of paying citizens rewards to kill jihadist insurgents
• R3:TH regrets the rise and dominance of social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) in Western Liberal Democracies.
• R4: Info: A charter city involves a developing country giving a long term lease on a small area of land to a developed country. The developed country will build and govern a new city for a pre-determined period of time. Motion: THBT developing countries should establish Charter Cities
• Semi: THBT the ICC should hire mercenaries to capture indicted individuals and put them on trial at The Hague
• Final: THBT convicted criminals should be allowed to raise their children in prison

Helsinki Mini, Helsinki, Finland, March 1

• R1: THBT feminists should endorse conscripting women in the Finnish army rather than abolishing conscription
• R2: TH as Russia supports partitioning Ukraine
• R3: THW ban male circumcision

Tallaight IV, Dublin, Ireland, March 1

• R1: THW legalise simulated child pornography
• R2: THW, when casting minority characters (e.g. racial minorities, LGBTs, people with disabilities etc.) would only cast actors from that same minority
• R3: TH, when testing life-extending treatments for terminally ill patients, would not use control groups
• R4: THBT Pakistan should not engage in peace talks with the Taliban
• Final: You are a scientist working at CERN. Working alone one night, you make an accidental breakthrough in your research that will allow humanity to travel through time. You are alone in the lab and the odds of someone else making the same accidental breakthrough are non-existent. Motion: THW destroy its research

UL Open, Limerick, Ireland, March 7-9

• R1: THW legalise all drugs
• R2: THW ban all political parties
• R3: THB that in times of war, the state should conscript a military by means of a draft lottery
• R4: THW abolish the welfare state
• R5: THW open all borders
• Semi: TH regrets the demise of the Soviet Union
• Final: THB in the virtue of a disproportionate response

Vienna IV, Vienna, Austria, March 7-9

• R1: THBT NGOs/charities should not accept donations from organizations that contradict their aims
• R2: In situations where it's not possible to achieve both aims and the decision lies with the doctor, THBT doctors should prioritize prolonging life over the quality of that life
• R3: THBT that Vienna should devote Ottakring to immigrants from Eastern Europe (i.e.: An Eastern European 'Chinatown') Context: Ottakring is a neighbourhood with a high percentage of immigrants, particularly from former Yugoslavia.
• R4: THBT the US and the EU should support a Russian annexation of Crimea in exchange for an otherwise independent Ukraine
• R5: Info: the “Thirst Games” is a reality tv show in which contestants compete against each other and battle to the death. The games continue until only one contestant remains alive and that person wins fame, glory and riches. Motion: Assuming participants have consented freely and in full knowledge of the risks and possible consequences, THW allow its citizens to participate in the “Thirst Games”
• R6: TH supports nations marketing themselves as destinations for ‘good time tourism’ (for the purpose of this debate, good time tourism refers to every form of tourism that satisfies human desires and is generally forbidden in the West (prostitution, drugs)  
• Quarter: Given a machine that can predict a person's life 95% accurately, THW not use it
• Semi: THBT media aimed at children should reject the "happily ever after" model and show a more realistic picture
• Final: THBT no state, in any situation, has the right to demand, encourage or promote its citizen to fight or die for their country

Leeds Open, Leeds, England, March 8-9

• R1: THW legally require the consent of artists for the resale and use of their art
• R2: TH supports The RMT's decision to strike (in protest at ticket office closures)
• R3: THBT the US and EU should apply economic sanctions to Russia unless there is a full withdrawal of troops from territorial Ukraine.
• R4: THW replace all means-tested benefits with a Universal Basic Income
• R5: THW abolish Oxford and Cambridge Universities
• Semi:
• Final:

Mainzer Debütanten Cup, Mainz, Germany, March 8 (translated)

• R1: Should religious education at school be abolished?
• R2: Should we introduce mandatory quotas for media products from Europe in film, tv and radio?
• R3: Should men be allowed to protest their legal duty to pay child support in writing if their partners decide against getting their written permission for abortion?
• Final: Should the West cut all economic ties with Russia as long as it occupies Crimea?

Pre-Pristina Open, Pristina, Kosovo, March 9

• R1: THW ban advertising targeted at children
• R2: THW assassinate North Korean nuclear scientists
• Final: TH, as a high profile Kosovar football player, would choose to play for a national team fully recognised by FIFA instead of Kosovo

Paris V, French Debating Association Tournament semis, Paris, France, March 11 - March 17

• Semi 1: THBT the relationship between Britain and France is indeed a "Dear Conjunction"
• Semi 2: THBT "Action is Eloquence" (Coriolanus)

Bucharest Cup, Bucharest, Romania, March 15-16

• R1: THBT criminal defendants should only be allowed to use a state-funded attorney
• R2: THW not grant lifetime achievement awards to artists when their morality is significantly put into question
• R3: THW phase out fractional reserve banking
• R4: TH opposes the popular trend which encourages people to “be themselves” despite the opinions of others
• Semi: THW support a vigilante terrorist organisation combatting violence against women in African and the Middle East
• Final: TH supports compulsory fully privatised healthcare for people living above the poverty line

Reedhoven Cup, Bonn, Germany, March 15-16 (translated)

• R1: Should the state provide drug checking options in all areas with higher than average drug use?
• R2: Should all people be required to take a vaccination against human gene mutation (of the X-men variety) after birth?
• R3: Should professional sports clubs be prohibited to seek national and international transfers of minors that are still in youth programs?
• R4: Should closed prisons be abolished for all crimes in juvenile justice system?
• Semi: Should there be an unconditional basic income?
• Final: Should killing and feeding (Verfüttern) zoo animals for population control and consolidation of genetic diversity be banned?

UCL IV, London, England, March 15

• R1: TH regrets the creation of shows like 'teen mom' and '16 and pregnant'
• R2: TH supports Israel’s targeted assassinations of prominent members of Hamas
• R3: THW suspend trade unions and labour protection laws at times of economic crisis
• R4: THW require all isolated communities to have a rumspringa
• Semi: TH welcomes the rise of anarcho-populism
• Final: On the condition that gangs fulfil basic social needs (such as basic healthcare, education and sanitation), THW cease to combat the gangs and their trade in favelas

Royal Holloway Open, London, England, March 16

This tournament allowed first props to pick their motions. The results:

• R1: TH, as the North of England, would violently secede from the UK.
• R1: THW allow people to ascertain their lifespan via the 'Bethesda' device.
• R1: In a Battlestar Galactica-themed scenario (where humanity is drifting in space), THW ban abortion.
• R1: TH supports feminist vigilante groups in India.
• R1: THBT when secession referenda are called, the nation that is being seceded from should get a chance to vote the smaller country out
• R1: THW create a market in internal organs
• R1: THBT all erroneous information used in debates should be penalised by judges
• R1: TH, as a wizard, would create a horcrux
• R1: THW force countries to invest in a global space program
• R2: THW require all businesses to be owned and run as cooperatives
• R2: THW ban the production, sale, and use of Poké Balls
• R2: THW enter the Matrix
• R2: TH supports unmanned aerial vehicles in warfare
• R2: THW introduce a UK constitution giving courts more power.
• R2: THBT parents should advise daughters against heavy drinking to avoid sexual assault.
• R2: THW eliminate copyright and patenting
• R2: TH, as Germany, would ban all emission vehicles by 2020
• R2: THW disproportionately teach colonialism in schools
• R3: TH regrets the rise of drinking initiations in universities
• R3: TH supports the marriage of Ron and Hermione
• R3: THW allow "Just following orders" as a defence
• R3: THW ban advertising
• R3: THW forcibly plug everyone into Nozick's experience machine
• R3: TH does not regret internet piracy
• R3: It is 2017. This house is the Out campaign. THW spread hyperbolised information and lies about the EU in order to win the referendum
• R3: THBT colonialism caused more good than harm
• R3: THW force men and women to take equal maternity and paternity leave
• R4: TH, as Marcus Brutus, would participate in the conspiracy to kill Caesar
• R4: TH prefers 'an eye for an eye' in modern society
• R4: TH welcomes the advent of emerging genetic enhancements on the human body
• R4: THBT feminists should oppose global capitalism
• R4: It is 1951, during the Korean War. TH, as the US, would aggressively nuke China
• R4: THW tie minimum wage increases to increases in the income of the 1%
• R4: THW institute a lottery system whereby Olympic ticket purchasers may be drafted in as athletes
• R4: In a world with superheroes, THW institute a superhero register
• R4: There is a zombie outbreak where 1% of the world is infected. They are all kept in a pen at great expense. We have a vaccination, and the other 99% are vaccinated - they will not be zombified, but the 1% are still dangerous, and there is no cure. Motion: THW kill the 1%
• Final: TH prefers the abolition of pornography to the nationalisation of pornography.

Arandjelovac Open, Arandjelovac, Serbia, March 21-23

• R1: In countries where prostitution is legal, THBT national health systems should cover services of sex workers for the disabled.
• R2: THBT feminists should not campaign against polygamy in the Islamic world.
• R3: THBT countries like Switzerland, that were neutral in WW II should pay financial reparations to states occupied by the Nazis.
• R4: THW criminalise the public denial of evolution.
• R5: THBT the Western World should not portray ‘’The Great Explorers’’ (e.g. Christoph Columbus, Vasco da Gama) as heroes.
• Semi: THBT the US should covertly manipulate election results in South and Central America, in order to prevent the emergence of left wing governments.
• Final: THB in right to bear arms

DCU Open, Dublin, Ireland, March 21-22

• R1: This House Would Ban All Political Donations
• R2: This House Would Establish Brothels on Military Bases
• R3: This House Believes That it is Legitimate for Nations to Rewrite History Books in their Favour After a Time of War
• R4: That This House, as Barack Obama, would use inception to plant socially progressive ideas in Vladimir Putin's dreams
• R5: This House Believes That liberal states with sexually conservative communities should subsidise hymenoplasty
• Semi:Info slide - Disgruntled with NSA spying on US citizens, two senators from opposing parties have introduced a bill banning companies in California from providing essential utility services to the agency – including cutting off its computer-cooling water supply. Motion: THW Support the Bill
• Final: TH Welcomes the advent of extreme genetic advancements for humans

Exeter Open, Exeter, England, March 22

• R1: THW bring back the Assisted Places Scheme (info)
• R2: THBT the feminist movement should actively participate in the production, distribution and consumption of pornography
• R3: TH regrets the rise of atheism as promoted by Richard Dawkins (in, for example, The God Delusion in which he argues that tolerance of religion damages society and individuals)
• R4: Info: You are the leader of a large group of hackers, who can accurately determine the personal information of people who post online. This includes, but is not limited to, their name, home address and place of work. As this information is obtained through means of questionable legality, it would be inadmissible in court and reporting it would likely lead to the prosecution of you and your group. Motion: THW aggressively harass those who post online anonymous abuse
• Final: There is a city called Omelas where all the citizens live perfectly fulfilled and happy lives. Buildings are beautiful, crops are plentiful, there is no disease, no crime, and no sorrow of any kind. On the day they reach adulthood, every citizen is taken into the citadel, to a room in the basement. There, in the deepest dungeon, they find a child, malnourished and sick, chained against the wall, in the utmost misery a human being can endure. They know that if the child were comforted, if it were allowed to enjoy a solitary moment of happiness, that the beauty of the city above would crumble, and disease, crime and want would become a part of the peoples lives. For that reason, the child will never be allowed to leave by the city. Every citizen in Omelas knows it is there, and they have all agreed to live with it. Occasionally, a citizen, man or woman, young or old, will walk through the gate on the edge of the city. They will venture into the desert that surrounds the city for as far as can be seen, walk over the horizon, and never be seen or heard from again.They are known only as The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas. Motion: THW walk away.

Liverpool IV, Liverpool, England, March 22

• R1: THBT schools should actively seek to instill a strong sense of patriotism
• R2: THBT Western states should maintain travel bans on Modi in the event of his ascension to Prime Minister
• R3: THW impose a quota ensuring that more than half of the London Metropolitan Police Service, across all ranks, is composed of people from ethnic minorities
• R4: THW compel doctors to facilitate the deaths of consenting and competent patients.
• Pro Am Final: THBT Judges should take into account the socioeconomic circumstances of defendants
• Open Final: You are a Western Liberal democracy in a four-year long brutal and bloody war of attrition against an imperialistic dictatorship. Every Christmas, there is a football match between the two sides and a ceasefire. Attending the match are high ranking political and military persons of both sides, the killing of which would benefit greatly the other side. Motion: THW violate the ceasefire and kill the leaders.

NK Beleidsdebatteren (Dutch Policy Debate Championships), Eindhoven, the Netherlands, March 22 (translated)

• R1: Secondary schools should have a mandatory course in etiquette
• R2: The Netherlands should give everyone over 14 the right to vote
• R3: Dutch mayors should be elected
• R4: Only people with a teaching degree should teach at universities in the Netherlands
• Semi 1: We should stop giving development aid.
• Semi 2: Polygamie should be legalised in the Netherlands
• Final: Growing and selling cannabis should be made legal in the Netherlands

Southampton Open, Southampton, England, March 23

• R1: THW offer drug and alcohol addicts substantial cash payments in return for agreeing to undergo sterilisation
• R2: THBT major news-media organisations should not interview people with views outside the consensus of the scientific community
• R3: THBT men should take no active role in the womens liberation movement
• R4: TH, as a developing state, would ignore all international patent and copyright treaties
• Final: A person's self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair colour, biological sex, race etc.), but also items that have been learned by that person about himself or herself, either from personal experiences or by internalizing the judgments of others (gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity etc.) Motion: TH regrets the concept of self-image

Open de Bélem, Lisbon, Portugal, March 27-28 (translated)

R1

Zeit Debatte Wien, Vienna, Austria, March 28-30 (translated)

• R1: Should media be banned from speculative or evaluative (judgmental) reporting during court cases?
• R2: Should war memorials for fallen soldiers also offer equal recognition to soldiers from the other side?
• R3: Should it be a duty to report recognised injustices committed by fellow citizens (Sollen es eine Pflicht geben, erkanntes Unrecht seiner Mitbürger zur Anzeige zu bringen?)
• R4: Should Fracking be stimulated?
• R5: (inkl. Factsheet) Should Austria counteract its Declaration of Neutrality?
• Semi: Should state marriage be open for all relations between people?
• Final: Should we accept the incorporation of Crimea into Russia?

National Maiden’s, Dublin, Ireland, March 28-29

• R1: THW ban commercial surrogacy 
• R2: THW abandon the search for extraterrestrial life
• R3: THW welcome a political union of Latin American states based on the ideals of the Bolivarian revolution
• R4: THBT artists accrue no additional responsibilities/duties by virtue of becoming famous
• R4: THW make ratification of peace agreements conditional on approval by a popular vote of women affected by the conflict
• Semi: TH is a police officer operating in a democracy with a functional judicial system. THW use extra-legal methods in the investigation and apprehension of serious criminals
• Final: In Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake there is a pill, which: (a) Protects the user against all sexually transmitted diseases (b) Provides unlimited libido and sexual prowess, along with a general sense of energy and well being (c) Acts as a 100% effective male and female birth control pill. All of the effects are irreversible and there are no other side effects. THW take the pill.

Copenhagen Mini Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, March 29

• R1: THW ban unpaid internships
• R2: THW establish and monitor centres for animal prostitution
• R3: THW heavily increase taxes on meat
• Final: Given that a trade-off is required, THBT history education in post-conflict societies should focus on reconciliation at the cost of truth

Cardiff Open, Cardiff, Wales, March 29

• R1: THW prioritise the funding of grassroots over elite sports
• R2: THBT large Eurozone states should openly oppose Britain's attempts to renegotiate its duties and relationship with the EU
• R3: TH supports the televisation of trials
• R4: THW make development aid contingent on recipient countries maintaining substantial redistributive taxes
• Final: THW make failure to render reasonable assistance to a person in distress a criminal offence

Heriott Watt Open, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 29

• R1: THBT the death of newspapers and print news media would be good for journalism
• R2: Info: "Hookup apps are smartphone (Android, iPhone, etc.) programs which match people to others seeking casual sex, and put them in contact. The two most popular apps are ‘Tinder’ which sees ten million matches per day, and ‘Grindr’ (which is designed for men meeting men), which has over a four million users, one million using it daily" Motion: TH regrets hookup apps
• R3: Info: Most votes in parliaments are 'whipped votes': in these cases MPs might be expelled from their party or denied promotion if they vote against the party. Occasionally a party will have a 'free vote' and MPs can vote as they like. Examples in the UK include the ban on fox hunting with dogs, votes on abortion, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Labour had a whipped vote in favour of same-sex marriage, whereas the Conservatives had a free vote. Motion: TH regrets free votes
• R4: Info: Of thirty-one University of Cambridge Colleges, there are three which are women-only: Murray Edwards, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish. 1,100 out of 17 000 students in women-only colleges (6%). In the university as a whole, the ratio of women to men is roughly 50:50. Motion: This house, as the University of Cambridge, would abolish women-only colleges
• Final: Info: Final info slide: The Conservative Party is the main centre-right party in the UK. The Conservative Party is wildly unpopular in Scotland with just one seat in Westminster Parliament, despite winning many seats in England. Polls of Scottish voters see them expressing economic and social views generally in line with the majority of UK voters. It has been proposed that the Conservative Party in Scotland split with UK Conservative Party. The new party would have an independent policy platform. Motion: In the event of a 'no' vote in the independence referendum, THBT the Scottish Conservative Party should split from the UK Conservative Party

Paris V, French Debating Association Tournament final, Paris, France, March 31

• Final: THBT "All's well that ends well"

April

Aberystwyth Open, Aberystwyth, Wales, 5 April

• R1: Info: Scientology is a set of beliefs founded in the 1950s by Science Fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard The church of Scientology has gathered controversy for its practice of auditing, a process which requires large sums of money to advance through the levels of the church, as well as a belief that psychiatry should be abolished The US currently recognises Scientology as a religion, whilst European nations such as France have  characterised the movement as a cult. On the 2011 UK census, over 8000 people registered themselves as scientologists Recognising a religion grants legal protection from discrimination and considerable tax breaks and financial  benefits Motion: THW officially recognise Scientology as a religion
• R2: TH regrets the popularisation and commercialisation of counter-cultural or oppositional sub-genres of music (e.g Gangsta Rap or Punk music)
• R3: Info: For the purposes of this debate, the definition of strong AI is “A computer or robot with the intellectual and emotional intelligence, communication skills and consciousness equal to, at least, the level of a human” Asimov's three laws of robotics are: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot may not injure its own kind and defend its own kind unless it is interfering with the first or second rule This is a suggestion, based on systems proposed in the past. Feel free to use other moral frameworks, provided this is made clear in the first minute of the PM's speech Motion: Upon the creation of strong AI, THW hardwire AI units with an unassailable and unalterable moral code
• R4: Info: Conversion therapy is a range of treatments that aim to reduce Same-Sex Attraction and increase Opposite Sex Attraction. Such treatments have been criticized for being pseudo-scientific, but proponents maintain that the treatments are successful, coining the term “Ex-Gay” In all western liberal democracies, Motion: This House Would ban gay conversion therapy
• Final: In a world where the technology exists, This House Would erase all the memories of individuals who have committed serious crimes and replace them with a fabricated set of memories, instead of sending them to prison

Magdeburg Novice Tournament, Magdeburg, Germany, 5 April

R1:

Northumbria Open, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 5 April

• R1: THW hold football clubs criminally liable for the actions of their fans
• R2: THBT developing countries should create constitutionally guaranteed minimum standards of living
• R3: THW establish vocational schools and aggressively stream academically underperforming children into them.
• R4: TH regrets the centralisation of organised religion.
• Final: THBT the government should nationalise all land and buildings.

NK Debatteren (Dutch National Championships), Utrecht, the Netherlands, 5-6 April (translated)

• R1: THBT landowners should become the automatic owners of everything on and in the ground they own
• R2: THBT all schools in the Westbank become integrated schools (mixing up children of different backgrounds to enhance integration and understanding)
• R3: THW ban research into the genetic origins of homosexuality
• R4: THW offer NATO membership to all former Soviet Union states
• R5: TH, as the parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD would conceal the diagnosis from the child and its school
• Semi: THW legally define rape as sex without explicit consent
• Novice final: THW ban women older than 40 from having children
• Final: THBT no mayor should have participated in the protest marches against Wilders’ statements

Berlin IV, Berlin, Germany, 11-13 April

• R1: THS the “No Platform” practice towards far-right and fascist public figures in advance of the EU elections.
• R2: THBT history curricula should feature the same proportion of male and female historical figures.
• R3: THW allow assisted suicide for terminally ill children with the consent of their parents.
• R4: THBT Western states should substantially support the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in its efforts in the developing world to promote birth control that is undetectable by men.
• R5: THW make voting mandatory.
• Semi: THW abolish the prison system.
• Final: THBT the EU should force member states to adopt socially progressive legislation (e. g. same-sex marriage, abortion rights, ethnic and religious minority rights).

Estonian Open, Tallinn, Estonia, 11-13 April

• R1: THW create a separate athletics league for athletes that choose to take performance enhancing substances.
• R2: THW impose quotas that ensure at least half of a company’s board of directors is composed of women.
• R3: THBT the gay rights movement should abandon the claim that sexuality is not a choice.
• R4: THW allow individuals to enter into pre-nuptial agreements where infidelity is punishable by prison sentences.
• R5: THS the creation and use of Autonomous Killing Robots. Info: Autonomous Killing Robots are a form of military technology which when activated, can identify and engage targets* without further human intervention. *targets include humans and light armoured vehicles
• Open Semi Final: THBT the EU should offer membership to Middle Eastern and North African states that achieve successful democratic transition.
• Novice final: THW give the public the power, via referendum, to pardon whistleblowers.
• Open Final: In a parallel universe, there is a planet X which resembles Earth as it existed in the early days of humanity. Their human population face a choice of implementing one of two political systems. Motion: TH, as the human population of planet X, would choose communism over capitalism.

Kent IV, Kent, England, 12 April

• Round 1: This House Regrets the rise of televised talent shows
• Round 2: THBT national central banks should set limits on government spending
• Round 3: THW ban the orange march in the UK
• Round 4: THBT developing democracies with a history of ethnic tensions should have ethnic quotas in government
• Final: THBT black civil rights groups should condemn contemporary hip hop

HSE Open, Moscow, Russia, 12-13 April

• R1-R5
• Semi: THW ban presidential pardon
• Final: TH, as LGBT community, would out closeted politicians who are gays and publicly express homophobic views

Aberdeen Open, Aberdeen, Scotland, 19 April

• R1: THW legalize the sale, production and consumption of drugs
• R2: THW expand baby hatches in China
• R3: THW partially link development aid to developing countries commitment to female equality
• R4: TH welcomes the downfall of global capitalism
• Final: THBT the states should pay reparations to ethnic minorities

Paris Open, Paris, France, 25-26 April

• R1: THBT it is immoral to donate to animal welfare charities while there are charities which aim to alleviate human suffering still in need.
• R2: THW guarantee military veterans jobs for life (through civilian state sector employment or/and state subsidy of private sector employment).
• R3: Info: The Diamond Club is a dating website which aims to pair male millionaires with physically attractive females. Male members pay upwards of £100,000 to join the site, while female members are ranked out of 100 for their physical attractiveness and do not pay a fee to join. No other qualities, such as skills or interests, are taken into account when ranking female members. The site is for linking of dates, and not for prostitution.Motion: THBT feminists should not oppose dating sites which seek to romantically link rich men and physically attractive women.
• R4: THBT western nations should require companies seeking to sell products within their borders to abide by national worker’s rights legislation, regardless of where the goods were manufactured and at all stages of the production process.
• R5: THW determine income tax based on the relative privilege of an individuals’ upbringing.(Privilege includes such things as private education, parental wealth, childhood home)
• Open Semi: THW, as NATO, send troops to protect the Ukrainian border (not including the Crimea).
• ESL Final: THW offer citizenship to illegal immigrants in exchange for meaningful information on their traffickers and illegal employers.
• Open Final: THS the unlimited use of war-time propaganda which aims to dehumanise the enemy.

VUAS Debate tournament, Valmiera, Lithuania, 26-27 April

• R1: THW require elected politicians and their families to use only services provided by the state
• R2: THW grant the Roma the right to settle in self governing autonomous communities
• R3: THBT states should grant unconditional asylum to all Syrians
• R4: TH, as Latvia, would ban Legion Day parades
• R5: THW would classify crimes directed against sub-cultures as hate crimes
• Semi: In countries where gay marriage is legal THW abolish tax exemptions and cease funding of religious organisations that refuse to conduct same sex marriage or ban homosexuals from their services
•  Final: Given the consent of Ukraine's government, THBT the West should assist in maintaining peace and territorial integrity in Eastern Ukraine

Hull Open, Hull, England, 26 April

• R1: THW require all advertising to be gender neutral.
• R2: A Computer Operated Police (or C.O.P) Machine is a non-autonomous humanoid domestic drone currently being developed by the State to carry out operations deemed to be too dangerous for human officers. They are remote operated and fully armed. Motion: TH supports the deployment, throughout the Police Force, of C.O.P.s.
• R3: 'Scientific rationalism': The practice or principle of basing opinions and actions on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response. Motion: THW aggressively promote scientific rationalism in schools.
• R4: THW, as the West, invade Syria with the objectives to depose the Assad regime and oversee a transition to democracy.
• Final: THW decriminalise the intentional and negligent transmission of HIV.

North-East German Regional Championships, Magdeburg, Germany, 26-27 April (translated)

• R1: THW ban commercial expeditions to the top of the Mount Everest
• R2: THW award state funding for the arts through lottery
• R3: Info: Given that it is technically possible to alter people´s subjective experience of time so that short periods of time feel considerably longer (e.g. one day feels like a year) Motion: THW apply the technology as an alternative to regular imprisonment
• R4: THW falsify history in post-war societies in order to ensure peace
• Semi: THW replace the state pension with a state disability insurance
• Final: THW require companies to make the salaries of all their employees publicly available

West German Regional Championships, Münster, Germany, 26-27 May (translated)

• R1: THW ban beauty pageants for minors
• R2: THW ban political contributions.
• R3: TH, as a woman, would make targeted use of her feminine charms
• R4: THBT all borders should be opened at once
• Semi: THW replace the Bundestag by permanent “delegated voting”
• Final: THW require companies to make the salaries of all their employees publicly available

South German Regional Championships, Stuttgart, Germany, 26-27 May (translated)

• R1: THBT liberal democratic states should add citizens duties as well as citizens rights in their constitutions
• R2: THW rewrite sexist, racist or otherwise discriminating passages in opera libretti
• R3: THW allow parents to decide to let their severally mentally handicapped children be operated or treated with hormones so that they will not enter physical puberty
• R4: THW ban money from Saudi Arabia to promote Islam in the EU, as long as other religions are banned from that country.
• Semi: THW require popular sports that generate high profits to share a portion of their gains with marginal/fringe sports
• Final: THW require companies to make the salaries of all their employees publicly available

May

Copenhagen Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2-3 May

• R1: THW legalise the sale and purchase of human organs
• R2: THW allocate public housing and use financial incentives (e.g. rent subsidies) to maintain a minimum quota of ethnic groups in all areas of the country
• R3: THW ban the use of photoshop in magazines and advertising
• R4: THBT the USA should withdraw from NATO
• R5: THW lower income tax and impose higher wealth taxes (e.g. on inheritance, property and other assets) instead
• Final: Info slide: Tell me yourself – I challenge you; let’s assume that you were called upon to build the edifice of human destiny so that men would finally be happy and would find perfect peace and tranquility. If you knew that, in order to attain this, you would have to torture just one single creature, let’s say the little girl who beat her chest so desperately in the outhouse, and that on her unavenged tears you could build that edifice, would you agree to do it? Tell me and don’t lie! Motion: THW build Dostoevsky's edifice

Zeit Debatte Mainz, Mainz, Germany, 2-4 May (translated)

• R1: Should universities stop giving out honours or titles for which no scientific labour or standards were met (e.g. honourary doctors title)?
• R2: Should Spartengewerkschaften (craft unions) be abolished? Spartengewerkschaften abgeschafft werden?
• R3: Should providing arms to the citizens of another state be outlawed under international law?
• R4: Should landowners be the owners of all natural resources (Bodenschätze) in their ground?
• R5: Should media be banned from publishing information about the sexual preferences or orientations of public figures without their consent?
• Semi: It is mandatory in Germany to reserve one percent of your public building budget for art projects. Motion: Should we stop the mandatory art requirement for public building projects?
• Final: Should politicians be liable for policy decisions with their private assets (mutatis mutandis)?

IDEA League of Young Voters European Cup, Strassbourg, France, 9-11 May

• R1: THW substantially lower labour regulations for young people in areas with high youth unemployment.
• R2: THBT internet piracy has done more good than harm.
• R3: THBT the European Union should guarantee membership to regions of member states that secede from their parent state.
• R4: TH supports hydraulic fracturing.
• R5: THW implement tradable quotas for asylum seekers within the European Union.
• Semi: TH supports Athletic Bilbao's cantera policy.
• Final: THW create a common history curricula for the entire European Union.

Frishlingscup, Tübingen, Germany, 10 May (translated)

• R1: Should grades be abolished?
• R2: Should E-sports be recognised, promoted and valued as equals to other sports?
• R3: Should news media be banned from reporting on threats of terrorist attacks?
• Final: Should kindergartens actively combat gender roles?

Kalliope Debattoernooi, Groningen, the Netherlands, 10-11 May (translated)

• R1: THW put high taxes on unhealthy products
• R2: THW ban TV shows that objectify women
• R3: THBT regions should always be able to call a referendum for independence
• R4: THB in a state that only provides the most basic services
• R5: TH, as the EU, would force its member states to rcognise gay marriages
• Final: THW give highly advanced artificial intelligence the same rights as humans

French Language World Championships Debating, Paris, France, May 12-16

• THW prohibit works of art that undermine/go against morality
• THW ban commercials
• THW introduce a “capability vote”
• THW prohibit sex changes
• THW ban pornography
• THW impose a DNA database
• THW prohibit all motor vehicles
• THW grant legal personality to animals
• THW ban online dating sites
• THW make participating in sports activities mandatory
• THW permit the state discretionary eavesdropping on its citizens
• THW put a cap on the salaries of top athletes
• THW make the payment of family allowances conditional on school attendance
• THW resist the supremacy of English by any means available
  

Helsinki Open, Helsinki, Finland, May 16-18

• R1: THBT parents should monitor the electronic communications of their children, for example by installing spyware, requiring their children to give them their passwords, or reading browser histories
• R2: THW take away essential service givers' (such as policemen, firemen and doctors) right to strike
• R3: Info Slide: Brendan Eich was appointed in April 2014 as CEO of the Mozilla Corporation, creator of the web browser Firefox. After his appointment, news emerged that he had made a $1000 donation in 2008 to support Proposition 8, a referendum that sought to establish ”only marriage between a man and a woman is recognised in California”. This resulted in a wide spread campaign calling to remove Eich from office, eventually resulting in his resignation 10 days after taking office. Motion: TH regrets the campaign to remove Brendan Eich from office
• R4: Info Slide: A retroactive law is a law criminalizing a particular act, such that people who committed the act even before it was criminalized can still be prosecuted under this law. Motion: THW allow the parliament to pass retroactive laws with a 2/3 majority
• R5: THBT developing countries should ban aid organizations from religious proselytizing
• Semi-Final: THBT The death of newspapers and news print media would be a net good
• Final: THBT the education system should stream children according to their abilities from a young age

Neckarwiesen Cup, Heiderlberg, Germany, May 17

• R1: Should we introduce diversity quota, rather than women’s quota?
• R2: (inkl.Factsheet) Should we reserve prostheses and implants for people with physical deficiencies?
• R3: Should companies have to justify the labour conditions of their suppliers in their yearly financial reports?
• Final: Should the European Court of Justice be given the power to annul national laws that violate European values upon request of the European Parliament?

Trivium Debattoernooi, Nijmegen, Netherlands, May 17 (Netherlands)

• R1: THW allow family members of drug addicts to force the addicts to go into rehab
• R2:  THW rather invest in nuclear energy than in “green” (renewable) energy
• R3: THBT criminal law should not take retribution into account as a criteria for punishment
• R4: THBT the west should put heavy sanctions on Russia until Putin abdicates and democratic elections are held
• Semi:
• Novice Final:
• Final: TH, as the Catholic Church, would use elections to select its next pope

TechOpen, Haifa, Israel, May 30-31

• R1: THW implement a full ban on burqas
• R2: Info: In recent years, Hungary has severely limited freedom of speech and freedom of the press, has silenced opposition groups, and condoned widespread discrimination of the LGBT community and the Roma minority. Motion: TH, as the European Union, would suspend Hungary's EU-membership if they do not reform within a set period of time.
• R3: Info: Hamsterdams are non-residential areas in which drug users and dealers are legally allowed to buy, sell, and use drugs. Any drug related activity outside such
• Hamsterdams remains illegal. Motion: THW create Hamsterdams in cities with a high level of drug use
• R4: Info: Virtual child pornography is a very realistic appearing computer generated depiction of a minor engaging in sexual acts. In the USA, Germany, and Australia (among others) virtual child pornography is banned. Motion: THW allow virtual child pornography
• Semi: Info: In Star Trek, the Prime Directive prohibits space travels missions’ personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. It was designed primarily for encounters with alien civilizations deemed to be less advanced. In the future, when human kind develops space travel capabilities, Motion: THW Implement the Prime Directive
• Final: TH, as the Palestinian people, would launch a Third Intifada

Tilbury House Novice, Cologne, Germany, May 31

• R1: This house would ban religious schools.
• R2: This house believes France and Britain should support a permanent common EU seat in the UN Security Council in exchange for their seats.
• R3: Assuming it is technologically possible, this house would require individuals in liberal democracies to reveal their actual identity when communicating on the internet
• R4: This house supports an unconditional basic income
• Final: This house believes a healthy democracy needs term limits for heads of government

Riga Debate Academy, Riga, Latvia, May 30-June 1

• R1 This house would fund cosmetic plastic surgery.
• R2 This House Believes that juries should only include individuals that are from the same socio-economic class as the defendant
• R3 This house believes that international sporting events, such as the Olympics or Football World Cup, should not be held in countries with poor human rights records.
• R4 This house applauds the rise of pop songs by female artists that glorify assertive female sexuality
• Final:

Deutsche Debattiermeisterschaft (German Language Debating Championships), Berlin, Germany, June 6-9 (translated)

• R1: THW abolish Gesinnungsstrafrecht (additional attitude/mindset penalties for crimes commited, e.g. hate crimes)
• R2: THW give citizens the right to change their identities without giving justification
• R3: THBT Putin’s conduct of the Crimea crisis was in Russia’s strategic interest
• R4: TH is a citizen of a western liberal democracy that rejects discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. TH would boycott works from artists (painters, musicians, movie directors, etc.) that personally hold discriminatory views, even when you like their art
• R5: TH regrets the increasing classification of human behaviour as illnesses
• R6: THW, as part of awareness campaigns about rape and sexual violence, inform women of potentially risky behaviour (like alcohol consumption or choice of clothing)
• R7: TH, as the European Union, would introduce defence mechanisms agains anti-EU parties
• Quarter:: THBT liberal democracies should not treat disclosure of information to the public as treason.
• Semi:: THW temporarily recolonise former colonies that have developed into “failed states”
• DaF (German as a Second Language) Final: THBT it is time for Germany to take more on miiltary responsibility in the world
• Final: THBT current day’s political correctness does more harm than good

Bristol Open, Bristol, England, June 7

• R1: Info: A men’s rights movement contests claims that men have greater power, privilege or advantage than women and focuses on what it considers to be issues of male disadvantage, discrimination and oppression. Motion: THW publicly designate men's rights movements as hate groups and monitor them accordingly
• R2: Info: Quantum Computing is a theorised technology which promises perfectly secure communication, and the ability to break through any current encryption standard with ease. Furthermore, quantum computing can solve “optimisation problems” with incredible ease and speed, aiding in fields such as drug discovery, logistics, healthcare etc...It is incredibly expensive to research (and eventually use) due to the extremely low-temperature environments required. Motion: THW act now to prevent quantum computing becoming a reality
• R3: Info: Syria currently does not recognise Israel diplomatically and has no peace arrangement with Israel. The two countries remain technically at war. Dr. Kamal al-Labwani, one of the most prominent members of the Syrian opposition movement, appealed in April 2014 for collaboration with Israel to topple the Assad regime, claiming that the Syrian uprising “created a historic opportunity for peace between the nations." Motion: TH, as Israel and the USA, would extend heavy military and economic aid to (only) Syrian rebel groups who publicly endorse immediate peace with Israel
• R4: Info: You are Ed Milliband, newly elected as PM after a general election. A referendum on UK membership of the EU was held on the same day as the election. The referendum result was a 65 - 35 majority in favour of leaving the EU. In the UK, referenda are not legally binding, and can be ignored. Motion: THW, as Ed Milliband, ignore the referendum result, and remain in the EU
• Final: Info: In 2013, Kanye West released the album Yeezus. In order to promote the album and an associated clothing line, West used the Confederate flag on t-shirts, bags and other promotional merchandise. Motion: TH supports Kanye West‘s use of the Confederate flag

Monroe Cup, London, England, June 13

• THW criminalise the purchase of sex
• THBT seats in the UK Parliament should be based on competitive, merit-based, examinations rather than elections
• THBT The Palestinian people should abandon claims to independent statehood and publicly demand the merger of Palestine and Israel into a single democratic state
• THW remove the exemption for religious organisations from anti-discrimination legislation (such as the Equalities Act 2010)
• THBT the United States Government should pay reparations to the descendants of former slaves

Newcastle Mixed Doubles Open, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, June 14

• R1: THW ban all procedures to alter one's racial appearance.
• R2: THW require all licenses for ethically controversial scientific experiments to be approved by a majority of a randomly selected group of citizens
• R3: THW legalise commercial surrogacy.
• R4: THBT sex education in schools should teach techniques for pure sexual gratification (including but not limited to: anal sex, oral sex, mutual gratifcation, and masturbation).
• R5: THW provide disproportionate financial incentives to make life choices which directly conflict with traditional gender roles.
• Semi: THW require that religious organisations and leaders remain politically neutral.
• Final: THW privatise the distribution of welfare.

Jena Frauenturnier (Women’s tournament), Jena, Germany, June 14-15 (translated)

• R1: THW abolish all limitations on freedom of speech
• R2: THW ignore the snake and not eat from the fruit
• R3: TH welcomes double nationalities.
• R4: TH condemns the progressive marketisation of our health care system
• Final: THW boycott the football World Cup in Brasil

Eloquentiatoernooi (Eloquence tournament), Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 14  (translated)

• R1a: Paternity leave should be equal to maternity leave
• R1b: Students should get their basic study grant back.
• R2a: Large banks should be split into smaller ones
• R2b: We should prosecute homegrown Jihadis
• R3a: More financial support for students is preferable over travel subsidies
• R3b: The state should get a monopoly on prostitution
• R4a: We should get a European army
• R4b: The Netherlands should impose a maximum wage
• R5a: We should add the P of paedophilia to the LGBT movement
• R5b: Women older than forty should not have children
• Semi 1: The Dutch people should select the coach of the national football team
• Semi: A (very) high tax on inheritance would be just
• Final: Greenpeace should be banned

Durham Open, Durham, England, June 21-22 (open motions)

• THW have scientists make environmental policies, not politicians
• THBT humanism should disassociate from atheism
• THW nationalise porn
• TH, as the US government, would create a separate Kurdish state
• THW only show films that pass the Bechdel test
• THW give equal coverage to mens’ and womens’ sport
• THBT the Mexican government should support vigilante groups
• THW remove the 9th clause from the Japanese constitution
• THW require all photoshopped images to be labelled
• THW reallocate names randomly
• THW allow simulated child pornography
• THW reduce US cultural domination
• THW decrease womens’ income tax
• THW aggressively hire ex-soldiers as teachers
• THBT Palestinians should accept demilitarisation in exchange for US recognition as a state
• THW ban private schools
• THW continue to drill the Arctic
• THW give house arrest for non-violent offenders
• THW not have set up the ICTY after the dissolution of Yugoslavia
• THBT Greece should immediately default and leave the Euro
• THW get councils to put out tenders for all NHS services in a local area
• THB liberal and progressive groups should stop saying “Check your privilege”
• THW prevent guilty nations of human rights violations from hosting sporting events
• THW abolish government funding of art
• THW send female diplomats to gender inequality countries
• THBT Mossad should covertly assassinate Syrian rebel leaders
• TH regrets the commercialisation of indigenous cultures
• THBT LGBT should split into its constituent parts
• THW teach sex positions explicitly for pleasure in sex education lessons
• THBT the US should assassinate the five Taliban prisoners released in return for Bowe Bergdahl so that the US will never negotiate with terrorists
• Semi 1: THW abolish Oxbridge
• Semi 2: THB that the UN should ban impartial small arms embargos
• Final: THB that the Iraqi government should issue oil dividends to its citizens

Heart of Europe BP, Olomouc, Czech Republic, July 7-10

• R1: THW allow the use of nootropics for academic and professional purposes
• R2: Given the rise of the Islamic State, THW support military intervention in Syria and Iraq
• R3: THBT newly industrialized countries should not host international sporting events
• R4: TH supports the implementation of Liquid Democracy via digital voting
• R5: Info: You find yourself in a secret weapons’ facility deep underground after aliens have invaded the Earth. As far as you know, you are the last human being alive. Intelligence gathered from monitors around the facility would suggest that the entirety of the alien race is now inhabiting the Earth. In the facility you find a button. If pressed, it will activate a doomsday device that will end all life on Earth, including the alien race. Motion: THW push the button (to end all life on earth)
• Final: THW give up on climate change prevention and would instead focus on climate change adaptation

BBU Open, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, July 11-13

• R1: This house would ban schools from catering to a specific religion (such as Catholic schools, Hebrew schools or Muslim schools)
• R2: This house believes that Brazilian footballers should have boycotted the entire 2014 World Cup.
• R3: THW allow inmates to pay for substantially better prison conditions.
• R4: THW revoke the citizenship of Western citizens who travel to the Middle East to join Jihadi groups.
• R5: THBT western European states should adopt the eastern European ban on all Communist symbols.
• Semi: Assuming the technology to do so safely and easily exist, THW force everyone to undergo periodical sex changes.
• Final: You are a scientist. You have discovered absolute conclusive proof that God does not exist. This house would destroy the information.

Methusalem Cup, Bonn, Germany, July 11-12 (translated)

• R1: Should the Catholic Church make its members to elect the new pope?
• R2: Should debaters who win their first ZEIT DEBATTE stop participating in these tournaments as speakers?
• R3: Should wearing national symbols like flags, colours, make up, costumes and sports shirts be banned during international sport events?
• Final: Should journalists be banned from participating actively (as speakers or writers) in political or scientific events?

Bulgaria Open, Sofia, Bulgaria, July 18-20

• R1. This House believes men should have the right to refuse paternal financial obligations towards pregnancies they did not consent to.
• R2. This House believes individuals have the right to be forgotten.
• R3. This House would abandon the use of economic sanctions as a tool for achieving political aims
• R4. This House discredits portrayal of Disney princesses
• R5. This House would allow 3rd World countries to choose to be reinstated as a colony.
• Semis: This House would allow drug addicts to file class action suits against their state, for their condition.
• Novice Final: Infoslide: you have the ability to know when and how people are going to die. THW not tell anyone
• Final: This House would disband the Vatican as a state.

Earlsfort Open, Dublin, Ireland, July 19-20

• R1: THW Prosecute The Parents/Guardians of Obese Children For Neglect
• R2: THB States Should Ensure That Their Police Forces are Roughly Proportionally Representative of the Diversity of Race & Religion of the Local Population
• R3: THB The European Union Should Immediately And Aggressively Accelerate The Accession of Ukraine
• R4: THW Allow Formula 1 Teams to Race a Third Car, Provided at Least 1 of the Drivers is Female
• R5: THB Religious Institutions Should Not be Entitled to Any Exemption From Anti-Discrimination Laws
• Semi: THB one should not be entitled to seek removal of any links to any data irrespective of their being ‘‘inadequate, irrelevant or excessive“
• Final: THB the state should provide no further services beyond those of basic law and order

HeidelBÄM, Heidelberg, Germany, July 19 (translated)

• R1: Should parents’ votes carry more weight in elections?
• R2: Should cultural institutes be self-sufficient?
• R3: Should combat sports/martial arts be forbidden?
• Final: Should development aid only be given in the form of knowledge transfer?

Boddencup, Greifswald, Germany, July 24-27 (translated)

• R1: THBT, western democracies should send military ground forces against the organisation ISlamic State (formerly ISIS)
• R2: THW not invest in research and development that has the delay of the aging process as its sole purpose.
• R3: Info: Soylent is a synthetic, very cheap, powdered dietary supplement. Dissolved in water, it contains all the essential nutrients for the human body, so that it provides a complete diet.  Motion: THW welcome the worldwide introduction of soylent or similar mixtures as a nutritional standard or staple food.
• R4: Info: We are back in ancient history. You are a young, highly charismatic person. Because of a number of insignficant coincidences, a large number of people believes you are the daughter or son of a god and can work miracles. Motion: THBT you should use the beliefs of your fellow human beings to promote and establish socially progressive norms in society.
• R5: Info: Hungary has recently limited the freedom of expression and press and repressed the opposition, as well as minorities like the Roma and LGBT people. Motion: THW temporarily suspend Hungary’s EU membership
• Semi: THW impose extra (penalty) taxes  on products that cannot be proven to have been produced under fair-trade conditions.
• Final: THBT the United Nations as an idea have failed by now (auf mittelbare Zeit)

NCH International Relations Open, London, England, July 27

• R1: THB the EU should allow freedom of movement within its borders to Syrian refugees
• R2: THB the EU and other western powers should join the US embargo against Cuba until it transitions to a multi party democracy
• R3: THBT it is legitimate for Israel to unilaterally strike Iranian nuclear facilities if current talks fail
• R4: THW replace the ICC with regional courts to prosecute crimes against humanity
• Final: THBT NATO should militarily intervene to assist the Ukrainian government in suppressing the separatist rebels in the eastern province

Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español (CMUDE), Mexico City, Mexico, July 26 - August 4 (translated)

• R1: THBT people have a moral duty to stop chanting words like “puto” or “maricón” (faggot) at sporting events
• R2: THBT we should prohibit public hospitals to proscribe alternative treatments (like homeopathic treatments, accupuncture or Bach flower remedies)
• R3: 
• R4: THW ban the use of circus animals
• R5: THW ban the sales of complex financial products
• R6: THW penalise a person who knows they have HIV and has sexual contacts with others without informing them
• R7:
• R8: THBT smokers should cover the costs of their medical treatments
• R9: THBT the Mexican government (and others in military situations) should take steps to prevent people travelling in life-threatening ways like "La Bestia"
• Octos: TH, if presented with a choice between holding the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar or not holding the World Cup at all that year, would choose not to hold the World Cup in 2022.
• Quarter: THW eliminate the minimum wage
• Semi: esta casa dejaría en manos de los ciudadanos, a través del voto directo en referendos
• Spanish as a Second Language Final: THW eliminate migration barriers
• Final: THB it is just that citizens create their own armed groups when the state fails to protect them from organised crime

Bielefeld Religion debate tournament, Bielefeld, Germany, August 2 (translated)

• R1: THBT, without religion, there are basically no values
• R2: THW follow the prophet (m/f)
• R3: Info: A drug exists that allows you to know whether there is a god and, if so, what his/her will is. Motion: THW not take the drug.
• R4: Info: infant baptism is a common and acceptable practice in a number of churches, including the German evangelical church, where it is seen as a gift to the unknowing child, regardless of the subjective and personal nature of the decision to believe in god. (Full treatise) Motion: TH, as the Evangelical Church in Germany, would not baptise children.
• R5: Info: You are a convinced atheist wishing to participate in society. You live in a state in which society is religiously conservative. Atheism is socially regarded as a strange to absurd belief. Atheists are commonly excluded from society. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the state, however. There are no state sanctions against persons with alternative beliefs. Motion: THW in this religiously conservative society actively engage in religious activities and events (attend worshop ceremonies, share blessings, say prayers).
• Final: THW not offer theology at state universities

Imperial IV, London, England, August 2-3

• R1: THBT developing countries should never hold major international sporting events
• R2: THR the rise of internet piracy
• R3: THW require quotas of female and minority candidates for judicial appointments
• R4: THW Ban any public commemoration of the centenary of WW1
• R5: THR the rise of hookup apps
• Semi: THBT Elizabeth Warren should aggressively challenge Hilary Clinton for the presidency
• Final: Info Slide: The Chilcot Inquiry is the British Inquiry set up into the Iraq war. Under US pressure, the British Government has refused to release communications between Tony Blair & George W Bush in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. They have reached a compromise where the Chiclot Inquiry can see the communications and publish 'jists' and quotes from the conversations. They will not be able to publish what George Bush said. Motion: THBT The British Government should publish the communications in their entirety

Rijeka Open, Rijeka, Croatia, August 9-12

• R1: THBT the media should show the full horrors of war
• R2: TH supports Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" album cover
• R3: THW take away the right to host the 2018 World Cup from Russia
• R4: THW enforce affirmative action of the poor, rather than minorities
• R5: TH, as the USA, would withdraw all of its financial and military aid from Israel
• Semi: THW prosecute women whose lifestyle severely endangers their future child’s quality of life
• Final: TH regrets the rise of consumerism

Westminster IV, London, England, August 9-10

• R1: THBT state health care providers should offer and fund faith-based treatment options.
• R2: THW allow the homeless to seize long-term unoccupied properties.
• R3: TH supports the recasting of male action heroes and superheroes as female.
• R4: TH believes that populist parties (such as UKIP, theTea Party Movement and the 5 Star movement) are good for democracy.
• R5: TH would implement the death penalty for crimes against humanity.
• Final: TH as an Israeli would refuse to join the Israel Defence Force.

Ljubljana IV, Ljubljana, Slovenia, August 15-17

• R1: THBT countries with booming populations should allocate every adult a single, tradable permit to have a child.
• R2: THW launch a ground invasion to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq
• R3: THBT states should seek to prioritise reducing income inequality over GDP growth
• R4: THBT states should pay reparations to minorities, who are citizens, that the state has previously oppressed
• R5: THBT the EU member states should sanction any state that ignores ECJ rulings.
• Semi: TH belives that militaries are justified in directing their troops to use the Hannibal procedure
• Final: TH regrets the increased mechanization of manual labor

Split Open, Split, Croatia, August 15-17

R1-final

Zagreb EUDC, Zagreb, Croatia, August 18-24

• R1: THW pay additional benefits to families on welfare according to their child's performance in school
• R2: TH supports two-party political systems over multi-party political systems
• R3: THW ban international aid charities from using sensational, graphic, or overly-emotional images of suffering in fundraising and advertising campaigns
• R4: THBT EU member states should nationalise all their oil and gas resources in order to surrender total ownership and control of them to an EU-run energy agency
• R5: THBT states of the former Yugoslavia should not commemorate the events of the Yugoslav Wars
• R6: Info: Blind voting means voters indicate a series of preferences for policies rather than directly selecting a party. These preferences are then matched to the policies of political parties the voter is taken to have voted for the party that most closely matches their preferences. Motion: THW introduce blind voting
• R7: THW require of police departments that the ethnic composition of their arrests match the ethnic composition of the population in their jurisdiction
• R8: THBT micro-finance organisations (including, but not limited to: NGOs, charities and development banks) should offer micro-finance loans in developing nations exclusively to women
• R9: THBT states should hold binding national referendums on major peace agreements
• ESL tie-break debate: THW make membership in a labour union compulsory for every worker
• ESL Quarter: THW require companies to place images of animal suffering on all products or food whose production harmed or killed animals
• Open Quarter: THBT supreme/constitutional courts should not have the power to strike down legislation
• ESL Semi: THBT leaders of minority religions in Europe should strongly encourage their congregations to refrain from public displays of their faith
• Open Semi: THBT the United States of America should invade, and forcibly partition Iraq
• ESL Final: THW, assuming it was technically feasible, remove the ability of soldiers to feel fear
• Open Final: THBT the feminist movement should oppose military interventions that claim to further women’s rights