Should University Budgets be cut?

Politicians have recently said that universities need to cut their budgets but this will mean that there will be fewer places. Cuts need to be made to save money and to help this country out of debt but making these cuts in education will have a huge impact. There are other areas where cuts shoul...more...

Euthanasia tribunals; a good idea?

Terry Pratchett, author of numerous fantasy novels and himself a sufferer of Alzheimer's outlined in his Richard Dimbleby lecture that he would like to see Euthanasia tribunals for cases of 'assisted death'. This would mean that it is not solely up to the 'applicant' and immediate relatives bu...more...

Book publishers should prevent E readers from undercutting their books recommended retail price.

Macmillan has won a battle with Amazon, creator of the kindle, on the pricing of its books online. The intent is to try to prevent readers from buying their books online and instead purchase traditional style books. However the lessons of the music industry would seem to imply that in order to p...more...

Does the media portray youths in a negative way?

Young people often feel that they are negatively portrayed by the media. The media gets lots of news stories out of the threat from hoodies, youth knife crime, binge drinking in city centres and ASBOs being slapped on young people. Even some ‘good news’ stories are portrayed negatively such as th...more...

The Royal Navy should be reduced to being a defence force.

The Royal Navy gets ever more tasks to perform on a steadily shrinking budged. At the moment it is a force for global projection of power, helping to fight in far flung corners of the earth, protect trade routes from pirates and bring aid in response to emergencies. However as a power that is inc...more...

Should smoking be made illegal?

In his column on the BBC's website Professor Terence Stephenson has called for parents to be stopped from smoking in cars. If his calls were enacted it would be the latest in a long line of restrictions passed on smokers. But is it time to do away completley with the tradition of having a "c...more...

The voting age should be lowered to 16 --- Sponsored by the Electoral Reform Society

By lowering the voting age we are more able to engage young people with politics and with the democratic process. This has major long term benefits for political engagement.more...

Euthanasia tribunals; a good idea?

Terry Pratchett, author of numerous fantasy novels and himself a sufferer of Alzheimer's outlined in his Richard Dimbleby lecture that he would like to see Euthanasia tribunals for cases of 'assisted death'. This would mean that it is not solely up to the 'applicant' and immediate relatives bu...more...

Companies should provide alternative interview methods.

Job interviews are a nerve-wracking trial for everyone involved. However, are they actually the best way to decide who to employ? Only so much can be learnt about a person in the space of twenty minutes and a traditional interview may not demonstrate many of the skills required in the job. Many e...more...

Does John Terry deserve to remain as England Captain?

The captain of a team, especially the national football team needs to be seen as upstanding and without fault. He has to have good relations with all the members of the team, and to be trusted by the team in order to be a good leader. Does Terry deserve to still be trusted and respected by his t...more...

All forms of gambling should be banned

We in Scotland believe that there is one nation that shines out to the world as a beacon of social justice. A nation that truly understands that the people need not just a daddy state, or a mummy state, but also a nanny state. This nation, ladies and gentlemen, is of course, Russia. On July 1...more...

Leaders of countries that use extra-territorial rendition should be tried for war crimes

We the proposition define the motion(LEADERS OF COUNTRIES THAT USE EXTRA-TERRITORIAL RENDITION SHOULD BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES) as:'Leaders are responsible for the practice,execution and admission/permission of extra-territorial detention.They are wary of the covenants that they or their predecess...more...

Assisted Suicide Should Be Permitted 2

A preliminary round to determine who will represent the U.S. in the World Online Debating Championship. Resolution: Assisted Suicide should be permitted.more...

The EU should impose a special Europe-wide tax on meat consumption to help save the planet

We on team proposition like the taste of meat. But we cannot deny that excessive meat consumption is a threat to the planet. In fact we are going to show that there is ample scientific evidence to support this fear. Meat production increases global warming, abuses the water supply and leads to a...more...

Are party conferences waste of time?

The party conference season is upon us again. Prepare for the papers to be filled with catchy phrases and slogans that pre-empt on the next election. But are they an excuse fo a week long party and giant slanging match or are they stil a vital part of our political process?more...

Toxic wastes Dumping in Africa

Ports and Nations of Origin should be responsible and penalized as equal offender with individuals, corporations and shippers that carry and dump wastes toxin etc in Africa and other parts of the world, they should be tried for treason against humanity. more...

Half of the members of the European Commission sould be women.

The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU, and operates as the cabinet of the EU. Each member state appoints one commissioner, so there are 27 in total. As with many other branches of government, the commission is male dominated. Is this a problem? And is forcing gender balancing...more...

In a recession, national governments should have the freedom to subsidise their own businesses

In times of recession, governments should be able to look after their own people first, even if this does include protectionist policies.more...

Should we give money to beggars?

In any large city people are concerned about beggars. They certainly look disadvantaged and on cold nights our hearts go out to anyone sleeping rough. But are they really so hard up? Are they playing on our sympathy? Does all the money we give them go on drugs? Should we be giving our change ...more...