The media's selective coverage of certain issues works to worsen problems in society and create problems.

The medias sensationalist 24hr coverage of select issues such as terrorism, illness that 'could possibly' become a 'global pandemic' and murder cases create unnecessary panic among the public. The media should be broadcast/write more responsibly so as not to create or exentuate problems.

The Indian Government Should Incentivise The Rearing Of Girls

Should convicted double murderer Ian Huntley be allowed to claim compensation?

Yesterday (31st July) Ian Huntley sued the Prison Service for £100,000, having allegedly had his throat slashed by a fellow inmate. Should Huntley be allowed to sue the Prison Service for failing in its duty to care, or should his human rights have been taken away when he was convicted of double ...

The Republican party should endorse the strategic arms treaty with Russia.

The Republicans are intent on opposing Obama’s treaty on nuclear weapons with the Russians in the senate where the treaty needs to be ratified. They are however worried that it is a bad deal for America and that it will limit missile defence/defense. But does the threat from Russia even matter an...

Can there ever be peace in Northern Ireland?

There has been a great deal of progress since the Troubles, and many conflicts have been settled, but riots in Belfast last night after the Orange order parades show that there may well still a long way to go. Indeed given how far we have come only to still have violence should it be asked whethe...

The UN should impose sanctions on countries that destroy their rainforests

All taxes on inherited wealth should be abolished

The inheritance tax is a tax that has never achieved to reach one of its main goals - reduce income inequality. Its effect nowadays on budgets of countries is negligible. Instead, the tax infringes individual rights to personal property and free will. We believe that the reasons to keep the tax p...

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...

Dictatorship is the best path to development

Dictatorship does not necessarily result in development, defined by human well-being(which incorporates education, health, income, and safety from internal and external threats)and even by personal discipline. Furthermore, there is no conclusive evidence proving that either dictatorship nor democ...

Assisted suicide should be legal

The Debbie Purdy case in the United Kingdom shows a trend where assisted suicide is a notion that is becoming more common. Moreover, as modern medical technology advances, more people are given the opportunity to live longer than they wish, which results in unnecessary pain because they have no c...

Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.

“Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite -- motto of the French Revolution This debate is about the importance of recognizing in our social structures the fundamental equality of human beings, as human beings. It begs us to ask ourselves what it means to be democratic. The advent of the global age has led t...

Should Nick Clegg have sacked Jenny Tonge?

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has sacked controversial peer Jenny Tonge as the party’s health spokesperson in the Lords over her demands for an investigation into allegations of body parts harvesting by the Israeli Defence force in Haiti. Her remarks followed an article making the accusatio...

Should wealthy philanthropists donate to Debatewise?

What are the benefits and disadvantages of donating to Debatewise? This is not just small individual donations, but more about large corporate patrons. What are the arguments for and against big companies putting money into Debatewise? Do they get something worthwhile from it? What should they be...

The international community is not doing enough for flood victims in Pakistan:

In 2004 the excuse for not helping Earthquake victims in the Northwestern war-zone region of Pakistan was that most funds were being sent/delivered to Tsunami victims. Now according to Ban-Ki-Moon the floods in Pakistan are worst than the Tsunami. Yet funds are meager. Could this be because at ...

Africa was right to walk out over fears the rich world wont renew Kyoto.

African nations today walked out of talks for several hours over fears that the developed world was going to scrap Kyoto. They did eventually come back to the table but as British Energy and Climate Minister Ed Miliband put it "At least five hours (have been lost), and I think that's very re...

What is the most promising green technology?

There are many different green technologies, either to save power, to capture carbon or to produce green electricity. We even have a wide range of renewable energy sources; tidal, wave, geothermal, solar, wind power, the list goes on. Which technology that is either available or in development ha...

Affirmative action is biased and not equal in a democratic society in South Africa

I would like to gather support from People living in South Africa and outside of the Country in terms of discrimination with respect to employment opportunities, and I am confident that a broad section of the Non-White Population Groups have been affected and grossly unfairly treated by the impos...

Why have people become more materialistic?

Why is status so determined by what we own? We judge others and feel judged because of what we wear, where we live and what car we drive. We pour over glossy magazines sighing in envy at the glamorous lives of the rich/wealthy and famous flitting from yacht to private plane to mansion. When re...

Will improving access to contraception lower the number of teenage pregnancies?

Increasing numbers of girls are getting pregnant. This is damaging to them and to society. We may not like that they're having sex under the age of consent but the fact is they are. We've got to bite the bullet and give them access to contraception.

Avatar will kill off big earning movie stars?

There have been numerous films this year that have made large amounts of money but have not had big stars attached. Avatar in particular shows that there are other ways of engaging audiences rather than paying immense pay checks to a few faces that everyone recognises. Avatar does it with its 3D...