Debate motions from 2018

THW break up cultural enclaves (e.g. Chinatown, Little India)

Novice_Final

In response to Orientalism in Western academe, THS the use of Occidentalist frameworks by non Western academic circles

Novice_Final

THW allow the privatisation of national heritage sites

Novice_Final

THW reduce income tax for women

Novice_Semi

THW not support any attempt to make Kris Aquino an opposition icon

Novice_Semi

TH, as a feminist, would not support BDSM practices that involve women as the submissives

Novice_Semi

TH prefers the strategy of creating new sustainable cities in developing countries over upgrading cities in developed countries to be sustainable

Open_Final

THR the granting of civil rights to corporations (e.g. Freedom of Religion, Right to Political Participation)

Open_Final

THR the prominence of privatization/private companies in addressing problems of public transportation and transport infrastructure

Open_Semi

THBT effective adoption and innovation of green technology is incompatible with consumerism

Open_Semi

THW decrease funding to local government units that fail to meet gender quotas in public institutions (e.g. government bureaucracy, public schools, police force)

Open_Semi

THW prohibit advertising that portrays child models as sexually provocative

Open_Quarter

THW censor old media that portrays bigoted plotlines that were a product of their time (eg: Friends)

Open_Quarter

THR Facebook's shift towards an algorithm that prioritizes "meaningful social interactions" over news and business content

Open_Quarter

THW abandon all attempts at peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF

Open_Octa

THBT the Philippines should lift all restrictions on the foreign ownership of businesses

Open_Octa

TH, as the party, would field Candidate A

Open_Octa

THW incentivise members of religious minorities to enroll in predominantly Catholic schools

7

THBT people-of-color Evangelical churches should dissociate from their white Evangelical counterparts/leaders which are supportive of Trump

7

THBT liberal rabbis should actively denounce Zionism

7

THBT the exercise of eminent domain should extend to the expropriation of land to private corporations for their development initiatives

6

THBT tech companies should proactively share their data and technology with the government for law enforcement purposes

6

THW give taxpayers the power to direct a fixed portion of their taxes to a government institution of their choice

6

THBT the West should no longer lead the fight against terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa

5

In light of Trump's statement towards North Korea, THBT South Korea and Japan should adopt increasingly aggressive military posturing in the region

5

THBT Latin American countries should collectively impose economic restrictions on the U.S. until it reforms immigration and trade policies towards the region

5

THBT Pride events in conservative countries do more harm than good

4

TH, as a rich white gay man, would refrain from assuming prominent leadership roles within the LGBT movement

4

THW lift all age restrictions for gender reassignment surgery

4

THW recentralise the Philippine Health System

3

THBT the course of treatment for children suffering from extremely rare and severely understudied diseases should ultimately be decided by the state and not the parents

3

THBT the state should invest in basic health infrastructure over investing in medical research

3

THBT Asian countries should increase economic ties with China at the cost of reducing Western market power in Asia

2

THBT economic adjustments in response to automation (e.g. unemployment support, labor retraining, migration) should be the burden of companies rather than the state

2

THR social consumerism

2

THBT educational policies should be decided by a council of elected officials instead of an appointed Department Secretary

1

THS the practice of mainstreaming students with moderate learning disabilities

1

THW allocate the best performing public school teachers to underperforming schools

1

This house believes that we should exclusively fund political parties through public funding.

1

This house regrets written constitutions.

1

This house believes that, in highly populated urban areas, the government should set a maximum rent that may be charged for residential tenancies.

2

This house would abolish income tax in favour of consumption taxes.

2

This house would prefer a world where it is commonly believed that free will does not exist.

3

This house supports a movement towards granting human rights to AI.

3

A Western democratic nation has recently been the target of a relatively large terrorist attack. That nation has elections scheduled in a week. This house would cancel those elections.

4

This house believes that social media companies should aggressively exclude extremist political content from their platforms.

4

You are one of New Zealand's top historians and have been asked by the Waitangi Tribunal to provide a record of harm borne by an iwi. You are confident your report will be accepted as true. This house would alter the historical documents to increase the iwi's likely Treaty settlement.

5

You are an innkeeper. It is approximately 0BC. The King has issued an edict requiring all newborns to be handed to his soldiers in pain of death. You know of such a newborn, he is in your inn's stable. You suspect the child may be sacred to your God. This house would hand over the child.

5

This house believes that feminists should criticise decisions made by women that seem to entrench patriarchal norms even where women claim it is their choice (e.g. foregoing careers to raise children, having cosmetic surgery).

6

This house would enforce surrogacy contracts, even if the surrogate mother refuses after giving birth.

6

This house regrets the Truth and Reconciliation amnesty process.

7

This house believes that in post colonial countries, land confiscated by colonial powers should be seized by the state without compensation.

7

This house believes that the criminal law should not distinguish an attempt to commit a crime from successfully committing a crime.

8

This house believes that juries, not judges, should be entirely responsible for sentencing decisions.

8

You are a humanitarian charity operating in a conflict-zone and have been instructed that to remain working in the country you must provide 50% of your donations to the government or else all access to the country will be forcibly cut off. This house would remain in the conflict-zone.

Open_Semis

This house believes that charities should not accept money from donors they consider immoral.

Open_Semis

This house supports student unions who disaffiliate controversial student groups.

Open_Semis

This house believes that we should recognise a right to be free from intentionally offensive speech.

Open_Semis

This house believes that Western democratic countries should unilaterally evacuate relics of historical or cultural importance located in unstable countries and take possession of them.

Open_Final

This house believes that the International Criminal Court should use private military contractors to arrest people wanted by the Court.

Open_Final

This house would ban all communication tech companies (such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.) from encrypting their users data, including the content of their communications, in such a way that the company cannot retrieve that data even under a court order.

1

This house supports job security legislation.

2

This house would redefine the criterion for excessive force in the US to be any use of beyond what is reasonable given all the facts of the case, including the benefit of hindsight (e.g. whether the individual had a gun, not whether it was reasonable to believe he had a gun).

3

This house would limit the amount of time that a museum can display a given piece of art to 3 months out of every 10 year period, rather than allow museums to display their works as long as they choose.

4

This house would allow citizens to vote on individual bills in place of their representative, with the representative retaining the voting power of those of their constituents who did not directly vote on that specific bill.

5

This house believes that all states should mandate that research on and use of CRISPR technology be exclusively carried out by institutions funded entirely by the state.

6

This house, as Iran, would cease all support for military groups in the Middle East (e.g. Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, etc.).

7

This house prefers a world in which all individuals who have achieved a middle class standard of living choose to pursue the highest level of achievement in their chosen career, rather than a wold in which those individuals priorities day-to-day enjoyment over work.

8

This house would not allow out of court settlements for workplace discrimination and harrasment.

9

This house believes that Catholic religious officials in Mexico should not make statements in support of governmental policies, political parties, or candidates.

EFL_Semis

This house believes that it is better for the general population to be more optimistic about the current and future state of the nation (including societal cohesion, peace processes, the state of the economy) than an objectively accurate judgement.

EFL_Final

This house, as the Chinese Communist Party, would lift all restrictions on foreign investments in China, except restrictions critical to national security.

ESL_Quarters

This house prefers a non-adversarial legal system

ESL_Semis

In democratic post-colonial states, This house believes that opposition parties to the party of independence should claim and use the legacy of anti-colonial resistance.

ESL_Final

This house believes that ASEAN should negotiate all investment deals with Chinese government entities as a bloc (with decisions made by majority vote of its members), so that no member state can enter into investment deals without the rest of the world.

Open_Partial_Double_Octos

This house supports the court's decision to acquit Tehlirian

Open_Octos

This house, as a parent of a child with ASPD, would enable and support that child given that child's aims based on their current psychological makeup, instead of trying to make them more empathic.

Open_Quarters

This house would create an international court with the ability to classify national debt as "Odious Debt" at the debtor nation's request and remove the obligation of that nation to pay.

Open_Semis

This House would rather save the live of a single child over extending the life of 5 adults by 10 years

Open_Final

This House Believes that the US Democratic Party should move to the left in candidate selection and policy platform

1

This House believes that State Health Services should allow private companies to run hospitals for profit

2

This House believes that the State should fund the creation of, and access to, realistic androids that simulate romantic relationships.

3

This House Regrets the glorification of the immediate postcolonial leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa.

4

This House Believes That South Korea should abandon the goal of, and all policies which aim at, Korean reunification

5

This House regrets the increasing trend of popular shows featuring neurodivergence* as the central theme. *Neurodivergence refers to those whose psychology is non standard, e.g. for reasons of mental health, mental disability, etc.

6

This House, as Colombia, would cease cooperation with the USA in the War Against Drugs

7

This House Believes That Artists should not participate in the ongoing interpretation of their art.

8

This house supports first generation immigrants to Western Europe encouraging their children to fully assimilate and identify with the local culture

9

THW prefer a religion which preaches that one's fate in the material world is predetermined rather than one which preaches that choices influence it

Open_Octos

THBT the IMF should require direct control over a country's monetary policy as a condition of national bailouts.

Open_Quarters

THBT liberal democracies should constitutionally enshrine the right of regions to unilaterally secede

Open_Semis

THR the shift in the #MeToo movement from victims sharing their experiences to holding public figures to account

Open_Final

THBT the EU should decriminalise human smuggling*. * Human smuggling is the aiding of a willing person to illegally cross a border. It is distinct from human trafficking, in which the person does not consent.

ESL_Quarters

THR the decline of labour union power in the West

ESL_Semis

This House supports the promotion of collective guilt after large scale crimes against humanity

ESL_Final

This House Regrets narratives that glorify the elderly (e.g. "The old know better"; "The old deserve more" etc.)

1

This House Believes That Supreme Courts should refrain from making decisions on controversial social issues (e.g. gay rights, abortion)

2

During economic crises, This House Believes That states should prioritise fiscal stability (i.e. balancing budget) over increasing public spending

3

This House Believes That international criminal tribunals should introduce the death penalty for individuals convicted of crimes against humanity

4

This House Believes That academic journals should not publish articles that characterize colonialism as positive

5

Assuming feasibility, in countries with conscription, This House Would forcibly delete all soldiers' memories of combat situations upon their discharge

6

This House Believes That the deaf rights movement should disproportionately emphasize the positive experiences associated with being deaf

7

This House, as Iran, Would resume its nuclear weapons program

8

This House Would allow political parties to make binding electoral promises that, once broken, will immediately trigger reelection

9

This House opposes the dominant social norm in favor of monogamy

Open_Octos

This House prefers a world with a dominant norm of not expressing strong emotions

Novice_Semis

This House Believes That President Vladimir Putin is good for Russia

Open_Quarters

This House Would abolish constitutional monarchies

Novice_Final

This House Believes That the Pope should be elected by Catholics around the world

Open_Semis

This House Believes That Asian education systems should actively promote the view that Asian culture is superior to Western Culture

Open_Final

THBT states should not prosecute members of terrorist organisations (e.g. ISIS, Al-Qaeda) who surrender to those states.

1

THW anonymize the funding, display, and sale of art

2

THW, as a billionaire who opposes Artificial Intelligence, fund violent and destructive action against companies that aim to create strong Artificial Intelligence

3

THBT NATO should end all political, economic, and military support for the Russian Commonwealth.

4

THW ban religious institutions from asking for donations from their followers.

5

THBT former colonial powers should drastically increase the number of immigrants from their ex-colonies.

6

THBT states without the death penalty should never extradite individuals to countries where they may face the death penalty (info slide: extradition)

Open_Octos

THBT the IMF should not make financial support conditional on recipient states adopting austerity measures

Open_Quarters

TH, as a parent, would teach their female children to adopt traditionally masculine personality traits (e.g. self-promotion, assertiveness)

Open_Semi

THR the glorification of hard work

Open_Final

Countries with declining populations should abandon policies that aim to increase the birth rate (ex. incentivising citizens to marry and have children)

Novice_Quarter

THBT environmental advocacy groups should prioritise individual-centric actions (e.g. recycling, not eating meat etc.) at the expense of policy-level changes

Novice_Semi

THBT WLDs should introduce 'youthocratic' voting.

Novice_Final

This House Would require professional sports teams to be owned by their local communities instead of individuals or corporations

Round 1 (prepared)

TH opposes the development of lethal autonomous weapons

Round 2 (prepared)

This House Regrets the widespread belief that motherhood is a rewarding experience

Round 3 (impromptu)

This House Believes That states should allow all non-citizen migrant workers to vote in local and national elections

Round 4 (impromptu)

This House Supports a school voucher system

Round 5 (prepared)

This House Would not allow sellers and service providers to advertise their products beyond showing information and images that show technical product details

Round 6 (impromptu)

This House Regrets the Belt and Road Initiative

Round 7 (prepared)

This House Regrets the rise of call-out culture

Round 8 (impromptu)

This House Believes That democratic states should not own or run media organisations

Partial Double Octofinals (impromptu)

TH prefers a world with no belief in the afterlife

Octofinals (impromptu)

This House Believes That foreigners should not be able to own land in developing countries

Quarterfinals (impromptu)

This House Believes That rehabilitation should be the only consideration in criminal sentencing

Semifinals (impromptu)

This House Believes That the West should end all arms sales and military cooperation with Saudi Arabia

Grand Final (prepared)

This House would not allow serving politicians or their immediate families to use private services where public ones are available (i.e. education, healthcare)

1

This House prefers a world where individuals believe salvation stems from faith alone, rather than a world where individuals believe salvation stems from a combination of faith and good works

2

This House believes that feminists should not engage in sex strikes

3

This House would lift bans on payday lending

4

When restoring works of art, this House would restore to appear as close as possible to how they appeared when they were originally produced, rather than appeal to contemporary aesthetic tastes

5

This House believes that prominent individuals outside politics (e.g. business leaders, philanthropists) from emerging market countries with mixed international reputations (e.g. China, India, Iran) should focus on emphasizing the positive aspects of their country, rather than the negative aspects, when speaking on an international platform

6

In aging societies, this House would provide extensive financial incentives to couples to have multiple children

Open_Octos

The House would add a "notwithstanding" clause to the Constitution of the United States and allow Congress to override decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court by normal legislative processes.

Open_Quarters

Assuming it would be possible to do so, this House would ban the creation of strong artificial intelligence

Open_Semi

This House believes that marginalized groups seeking equal treatment should convey their struggle to the public by emphasizing its similarity to the struggles of more prominent oppressed groups, rather than by emphasizing the unique conditions of their own oppression

Novice_Semi

This House believes that in wartime, there is no material moral difference between civilian and non-civilian casualties

Novice_Final

This House, as Mexico, would end all security cooperation with the United States aimed at limiting illegal immigration into the US

Open_Final

THBT religious institutions should to take custody of children in street situations, even without the consent of their parents

1

If it were discovered during an armed conflict that a population hides terrorists, THW not consider a war crime to attack civilians

2

THBT government must grant economic compensation to those unemployed by the automation of their work

3

THBT sovereign debt must be insured with the assets of that country, including, among others, land, natural resources and state enterprises, in case of non-compliance

4

TH, as a public educational institution, would prohibit all school football programs due to the risks of CTE

5

THW punish natural or legal persons who are accused of cultural appropriation

6

THBT human beings must sow terrestrial life forms on other planets even if that destroys endemic life forms of those planets

7

THS the creation of similar groups to the Gulabi Gang in Latin America

8

THW choose China

Open_Semis

THBT it should be prohibited all acts of election campaign with the exception of public debates

Novice_Final

Assuming it is legal, THW justify that federal states with high rates of violence, hire mercenaries (private armies) to fight organized crime.

Open_Final

TH supports the symbolized popularization of painful historical events in modern pop culture.

1

THW REPEAL ALL NON-COMPETE LEGISLATION

2

THW NOT ALLOW MEMBERS OF FAMILIES WITH OVERWHELMING SOCIAL INFLUENCE (e.g, The Adeleke Family in Osun State - Davido's family) TO CONTEST ELECTIONS

3

TH AS HOODIE WILL OPT FOR THE PIG'S VALVE

4

THW TOTALLY RESTRICT FUTURE COPYRIGHTING OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

5

TH AS NIGERIA WILL PURSUE ISOLATIONIST ECONOMIC POLICIES

6

The 2018 FIFA World Cup champions, France, won the tournament with an ethnically diverse team who could trace their origins to Guadeloupe, Algeria, Guinea, Mali, French Guiana, Dr Congo, Martinique, Morocco, and Senegal. Motion:THBT colonial states that directly benefit in sports from the integration of athletes with roots to former colonies, should actively pay dividends to these former colonies, separate from existing financial obligations.

7

THW ABOLISH COMPULSORY REPRESENTATION

Open_Octos

THBT ethnic minorities and movements that seek to break their ceilings(e.g glass, bamboo, black) and eliminate their underrepresentation should prioritize notions of intersectionality over their actual objectives.

Open_Quarters

THR the practice of banking secrecy

Open_Semis

TH as a person appointed as a medical proxy will be held culpable by the patient upon recovery for decisions opposed to their preferred life choices (ideologies, medical choices etc) but crucial to their recovery

Open_Final

This House would consider politicians under oath when making public statements on political issues* (* thus making them criminally liable for perjury if they lie about facts)

1

In countries where compulsory military service for men exists, this House believes that feminists should advocate for the conscription of women

2

This House believes that the LGBT movement should embrace the message that sexuality is a choice

3

This House believes that United States foreign policy should seek to significantly restrict Iran's influence over Syria

4

This House opposes Consumerist Culture* (*Consumerist Culture is a culture where consistently purchasing goods is expected and considered a marker of social status)

5

This House believes that in Western states with high rates of unemployment the state should act as an employer of last resort (i.e. the state should directly employ people who are unable to find a job elsewhere)

6

This House would allow individuals to sue religious institutions in their community for propagating beliefs that cause them significant harm

Open_Quarters

This House would allow communities to reduce the amount of policing employed within their neighborhoods

Novice_Semis

This House believes that the Obama administration should have prioritized affordable tertiary education over affordable healthcare

Open_Semis

This House would allow the creation of Savior Siblings* (*a child who is born for the purpose of providing an organ or cell transplant to a sibling who is affected with a fatal disease)

Novice_Final

This House believes that the state should curb assortative mating* (*the phenomenon of people primarily entering relationships and building families with those of similar social and economic characteristics)

Open_Final

TH opposes the attempts by the feminist movement to redefine roles and behaviours traditionally associated with women (e.g. wanting to be a housewife, wearing make-up and heels) as empowering.

1

THS countries withdrawing from the International Criminal Court in order to create their own regional replacements (e.g. an African Criminal Court, an InterAmerican Criminal Court).

2

In areas of chronically low academic attainment, THBT the general approach of educational charities should be to focus resources on maximising the potential of exceptional students, over helping the lowest achieving.

3

THS the rise of computational creativity (Infoslide: Computational Creativity' is a scientific field researching AI models that simulate or replicate human creativity. Projects in the field include but are not limited to using AI to script films, compose music, write poetry, and paint).

4

THW give legislative veto power to a Future Generations Commission (Infoslide: For the purposes of this debate, a 'Future Generations Commission' is an independent body mandated with mapping the long-term impacts of governmental policy on the young, or unborn generations).

5

Actually, THW rather see one innocent man go to jail than see 100 guilty men walk free.

Open_Quarters

Where resources are significantly limited, THBT states should actively promote religion in areas of high poverty.

ESL_Semis

THR 'Operation Car Wash'. (Infoslide: Operation Car Wash' is a broad investigation conducted in Brazil that revealed extensive corruption. As a result of the operation, the left-leaning Workers' Party have lost power, and far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro has been elected president)

Open_Semis

THBT it is immoral for individuals who have met their basic needs to not donate any excess wealth to utility maximising causes.

Novice_Final

TH prefers a world in which all children are conceived with DNA from a global genetic database.

ESL_Final

From behind a veil of ignorance, TH would choose to not be born.

Open_Final

This house prefers a world in which social media costs money to use, but users do not give up the rights to their data, to the current world

1

This house welcomes the production of art by artificial intelligence

2

This house would place a tax on meat

3

This house believes that the West should engage in covert efforts to overthrow Vladimir Putin

4

This house believes that Cabinet appointees should be protected from firing once they are approved by Congress

5

This house believes that comedians should not be held to modern standards of political correctness

6

This house would classify catcalling as a felony

7

This house believes that Black Lives Matter should push for black separatism rather than inclusion

8