The World Online Debating Championship

Estonia v England
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 loss of biodiversity. To address the harms of consuming meat a tax needs to be imposed on it. Let us first outline how the EU tax on meat would work. We propose that the EU mandate a minimum tax on meat consumption and that the EU member states be responsible for enacting the tax. The tax would be an excise tax, similar to the excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco. This system would be similar to the set-up of excise taxes on gasoline, where the EU has also mandated a minimum tax for its member states. We will in our arguments explain why this kind of tax is the appropriate remedy to the issue. more...

Mexico v Estonia
Pre-nuptial agreements should not be recognised in divorce courts

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Latvia v South Korea
Heavy drinkers should be denied liver transplants

An important problem that many coutries face is the serious shortage of liver transplants. Many people are unable to use the advances of modern medical technology because of the unavailability of livers. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 17 000 people in US are currently waiting for a liver transplant. Meanwhile, almost half of the situations where it is necessary to transplant a liver is caused by the alcoholic liver disease. This situation has raised many eyebrows and it is a wide-spread view that giving transplants to alcoholics is unfair and inefficient. This is an issue that we will try to resolve in this debate. more...

Scotland v Venezuela
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 1st, this year, Russia banned all forms of gambling, except for certain enclaves... more...

Indonesia v Mexico
Poorer countries should abandon free trade agreements

The policy of Free Trade is still in debate due to the questionable benefit for each side. This debate doesn’t try to limit the effect of free trade to developing or third world country .It will however argue that poorer countries, in comparison to their trading partners, will suffer due to the ‘unfairness’ and ‘expensive’ nature of a free trade agreements. more...

Lithuania v Canada
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 present are not sufficient and the tax should be unconditionally abolished. Let's make clear what we are doing here... more...

Pakistan v Estonia
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 predecessors have signed... more...

Japan Vs South Africa
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 choice but to wait until natural death... more...

Bangladesh V India
Convicted murderers should never be released

Murdering a person is one of the worst crime that can be committed. It undermines the value of life and the punishment for this should be of comparable caliber. Should the minimum punishment be life in prison, or should the person have a chance to be released - that is what we are debating about... more...

Nigeria V Estonia
All patents should be removed on Retroviral drugs to fight AIDS

Every AIDS patient deserves humanitarian care and medicinal treatment, irrespective of where s/he is from or the laws of his/her Country. 'In the case of Taxol, BMS claims to a bevy of patents on processes and patent regimes, blocking generic products in many countries.' more...

Bulgaria V Israel
All countries should have the right to pursue a nuclear defence

The recent attempts of North Korea and Iran to build up their own nuclear weapons have raised the international awareness and have intensified the debate concerning the spread of nuclear weapons. The western world states that these countries are not stable enough to possess nuclear power... more...

Pakistan V Chile
Governments should ban the media from reporting hostage taking

Hostage taking media coverage, creates sympathy and dialogue for not only the hostages but the hostage-takers, who bring into light their political agenda and strife. They come out as victims/heroes and governments are portrayed as the bad guys who moved them to this 'desperate' criminal act... more...

China Preliminary: QooZee vs Team Cecilee
Prisoners should be used for medical experiments without consent

Human rights has been a controversial issue because it is very difficult to draw the boundary between the rights of the individual versus the rights of a group. At the same time, we accept the fact that while all humans are entitled to protection of natural, basic rights, there are always limits on these rights... more...

USA Prelim 1: STJ- New Kids on the Opp vs Team Adium - BD
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...