DEBATES

Debating

Debating is core to the mission of the Oxford Union. For 199 years, the Oxford Union has served as a platform for the continued exchange of ideas, with our flagship Thursday night debates renowned worldwide. Our Thursday schedule is as follows:

19:45 - Emergency Debate. Featuring only student speakers, these debates seek to address pertinent current affairs issues, with motions set weekly. Check our Facebook page and the Noticeboard for the motion of the week, or attend Consultative Committee on Mondays at 13:15pm in the Goodman Library to suggest your own!

20:30 - Main Debate. With high-profile speakers from around the world, our Main Debates have a distinguished history, and are considered an important forum for political and cultural discussion. More details about the motions for this term are on the following pages.

Prizes are awarded for the best speeches of the night, and we encourage you to speak up and take part.

In the Main Debate, Points of Information (POIs) can be offered to guests during their speeches*, and time is reserved for members to give floor speeches before the final speaker on each side. At the conclusion of the debate, you are invited to vote with your feet by walking out of the Chamber through the door labelled “Aye” or “No”.

A ballot will be released each week via email and on our Facebook page for members to attend the pre-debate dinner with our guest speakers.

Any questions about the dinner should be directed to Israr Khan, the Chief of Staff at chief.staff@oxford-union.org.

*See Standing Order B2 for more information.

MICHAELMAS 2022 1

THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER

This House Has No Confidence in His Majesty’s Government

In power for twelve years, the Conservative Party now has their fourth Prime Minister and the third female Prime Minister in British history. However, despite shrugging off the last of the pandemic restrictions and providing internationally praised support for Ukraine, the problems facing the government over the last year have compounded. Trust in Number 10 plummeted with revelations of breaches of pandemic regulations, causing some to question the integrity of the Tories as the party in power. Liz Truss now faces daunting challenges, ranging from the cost of living crisis to Brexit complications and ongoing strike action. With rising inequality and a Prime Minister selected by less than 2% of the British population, we must ask, in our traditional opening debate of the year, should we have confidence in His Majesty’s Government?

Proposition

Gina Miller

Gina Miller is an activist and business owner. In 2016 she took the government to court over its decision to leave the EU without approval from parliament, and led “The People’s March for the People’s Vote” on the final Brexit deal. She is also the founder of the True and Fair Campaign which aims to end financial misconduct in the investment and pension industries.

Richard Burgon MP

Richard Burgon MP was the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership from 2016 to 2020. He was a candidate for the Deputy Leadership in 2020, and is currently Secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs. He has represented Leeds East since 2015 and was described by The Observer as one of “the stars of the 2015 intake”.

Opposition

The Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP

The Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP is the Secretary of State for the Home Department. An MP since 2015, she previously served as the Attorney General for England and Wales from 2020 to 2022. She has proposed policies to tackle the cost of living crisis and cut taxation.

More speakers to be confirmed

MICHAELMAS 2022 2

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER

This House Would Boycott The Qatar World Cup

The decision to hold the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, despite the alleged authoritarian tendencies and human rights violations of the emirate, has troubled billions of football fans preparing to cheer on their national teams. Some accuse Qatar of “sportswashing”, and urge fans and players to take a stand against mistreatment of migrant workers. Others argue that a successful World Cup may lead to progressive humanitarian change, and that calls to boycott represent an arbitrary attack against the first country in the Middle East to host the world’s premier sporting event. Should sporting events be used as a tool - good or bad - within the political forum, and should we turn our back on the tournament?

Proposition

Thomas Beattie

Thomas Beattie was a professional footballer for ten years. Playing across multiple continents for the most prestigious clubs and competitions such as the Champions League in Asia, Beattie’s career as a footballer was cut short due to a severe head injury.

David Fevre

David Fevre is a sports physiotherapist who has been treating elite athletes since 1984. Throughout his career, he has been the Chartered Physiotherapist for Wales, Manchester United, Great Britain Rugby League and Blackburn Rovers FC. In 2014, he was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Professional Football” award by the Football Medical Association, and is a consultant to the Football Association and Rugby Football League.

Opposition

Martyn Ziegler

Martyn Ziegler is one of the UK’s leading sports journalists. He is The Times and Sunday Times’ Chief Sports Writer and has written investigative pieces on FIFA’s corruption. He recently won Sport’s Writer, Sport’s News Reporter and Scoop of the Year awards at the Sports Journalists Awards 2021.

Minky Worden

Minky Worden is Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch. She has written news articles and four books on human rights challenges. She has held the position of Board Chair at the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran since 2010. She has been outspoken in condemning Qatar’s human rights violations and has questioned its hosting of the World Cup.

DEBATE 3 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER

This House Would Legalise Drugs for Personal Use

Despite a general relaxation of attitudes towards recreational drug use, legal prohibitions are still in effect in most jurisdictions. Critics point to studies that suggest empirical benefits to the use of certain drugs, and argue regulation would reduce the risk of unforeseeable side-effects. Many have further criticized enforcement of restrictions as racially biased or as exacerbating class conflict. In contrast, others cite evidence of dependency and poor mental health, arguing that legalisation would give people carte blanche to abuse addictive intoxicants and lead to increased rates of use. Do states have the right to dictate which of our decisions are noble, and which are nefarious for us? Or in waging the “War on Drugs”, have we been fighting a losing battle from the beginning?

Proposition

Dr Fabian Steinmetz

Dr Fabian Steinmetz is a European Registered Toxicologist and drug policy specialist, who is a QSAR and Computational Expert at Delphic HSE. He campaigns for humane, evidence-based drugs policies as part of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies.

Steve Rolles

Steve Rolles is a writer and policy analyst at the drug reform organization, Transform. He was lead author on “After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation”. He is a regular contributor to the public debate on drug policy and law.

Shaun Attwood

Shaun Attwood is a former ecstasy trafficker. Following release from prison in 2007 he has become an acclaimed speaker, author and YouTuber, focussing on educating young people on the dangers of crime and drugs. His books concern the responsibility of the War on Drugs for the issues facing America’s prisons.

Opposition

Sir Ivan Lawrence QC

Sir Ivan Lawrence QC served 22 years as an MP. Following his career in politics, he became a member of 5 Pump Court Chambers, and heads various associations for conservative lawyers. As one of the longest serving criminal defence barristers, he has worked on numerous drug trafficking cases across his 60 years of practice.

Christina Dent

Christina Dent is the founder of End It For Good, an American nonprofit organisation which advocates to end the incarceration of drug offenders. She set up End It For Good due to her experience as a foster parent, and promotes approaching drug use as a complex health issue requiring treatment, rather than criminal sanctions.

DEBATE 4 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 3 NOVEMBER

This House Blames Western Lenders for the Plight of Developing Countries

According to the World Bank, the pandemic pushed the foreign debt of low-income countries to the highest levels in 50 years, with almost two-thirds of world economies reeling under the risk of debt distress. While foreign loans can be a catalyst for economic development, when borrowed under exploitative terms, they can also be a recipe for economic disaster. Are Western lenders merely responding to the call of developing countries to grant loans, or actively pursuing neocolonialist economic policies? Should the plight of developing countries be attributed to the failing economies of the countries themselves, or is this very failure exacerbated by the self-interest of Western lenders? Finally, can debt alone be blamed for the plight of the developing world?

Proposition

Professor David Francis

Professor David Francis is a Sierra Leonean politician, academic and author, who served as Chief Minister of Sierra Leone from April 2018 to April 2021. He is widely seen as the most highly influential government official in Sierra Leone, after the President and the Vice President.

Kunal Sen

Kunal Sen is an economist, author, Director of the United Nations University, and a Professor of Development Economics at the University of Manchester. A leading international expert on the political economy of growth and development, he has conducted research in international finance and the dynamics of poverty.

Beatriz Armendáriz

Beatriz Armendáriz is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics of University College London. She previously lectured at Harvard and was an Associate Professor at MIT. Her research specialises in microfinance and she is affiliated to the Centre for European Research in Microfinance.

Opposition

Dr Ben Caldecott

Dr Ben Caldecott is a British environmentalist and sustainable finance expert. He is Founding Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and Co-Head of the Secretariat for the Transition Plan Taskforce established by HM Treasury in 2022. Caldecott has been dubbed “a leading thinker of the green movement” by the media.

Prof Shawn Cole

Shawn Cole is a professor at Harvard Business School. His teaching and research focusses on corporate and household finance in emerging markets, impact investing and social enterprise. An affiliate of the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, he has worked in China, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnam.

DEBATE 5 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER

This House Believes The American Dream Has Become a Global Nightmare

In a 1967 interview, Martin Luther King Jr. said that his “dream has turned into a nightmare”. While the United States fashions itself as the global exemplar of equal opportunity, heightened income inequality, the overturn of Roe v. Wade and accusations of systemic racism, among other issues, has led some to cast serious doubt on the American Dream as the harbinger of social equality. Should other countries seek to emulate the American model, or look towards alternatives to ameliorate their social inequalities? Does the United States continue to be that shining city on a hill, or has the American Dream become a false idol in the name of social mobility?

Proposition

Bhakar Sunkara

Bhakar Sunkara is an American political writer who founded the American socialist magazine Jacobin. He is also President of The Nation. He is a former vice-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America and writes for many outlets such as Vice, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Vox.

Prof Randall Kennedy

Professor Randall Kennedy is the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard University. Renowned for being unfazed by difficult issues, he specialises in contracts, free speech, race relations law, civil rights legislation, and the Supreme Court. He serves on the Board of Directors at The National Coalition Against Censorship.

Brittney Cooper

Brittney Cooper is a tenured professor of Women and Gender Studies, author, professor, activist, and cultural critic. Her areas of research and work include black women organizations, black women intellectuals, and hip-hop feminism.

Opposition

Alexander Vindman

Alexander Vindman is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel who has received multiple military awards and been Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council. Vindman is well-known for testifying in front of Congress during Donald Trump’s impeachment, proving instrumental in the eventual charge of abuse of power.

Neal Katyal

Neal Katyal is an American lawyer who served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States under Obama. He is the Paul Saunders Professor at Georgetown, and partner at legal firm Hogan Lovells. Katyal has received the Edmund Randolph Award, the highest award given by the US Department of Justice.

Scott Brown

Scott Brown is an American politician, attorney and diplomat who was United States Senator for Massachusetts from 20102013. While elected Brown worked as ranking member on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He has also served as US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. 17

DEBATE 6 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER

This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far

Initially used as a term to empower awareness of systemic inequalities in society, wokeism is now a deeply divisive term. The media’s perpetuation of woke culture has made this term a buzzword. For some, being woke is part of the antidote of acknowledging the instruments of oppression. For others, it is a dangerously absolutist ideology, a sort of reverse McCarthyism, corroding liberal society and encouraging self-imposed victimhood. Is the ‘war on woke’ a legitimate phenomenon, or a reactionary distraction from the real problems being ‘woke’ addresses?

Proposition

Konstantin Kisin

Konstantin Kisin is a comedian and writer known for his satirical style. He has written for various major publications, such as The Spectator and Daily Telegraph. He also co-hosts the YouTube show Triggernometry - dedicated to the promotion of freedom of expression - which has amassed over 30 million views.

Toby Young

Toby Young is a British political commentator who founded the Free Speech Union, an organisation which works to counter cancel-culture. He is an associate editor of The Spectator and writes for various major publications. Young has written multiple books and was awarded the Contrarian Prize for his non-conformist thinking.

Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk is an American conservative activist and talkshow host. He founded nonprofit organisation Turning Point USA, which advocates for the promotion of conservative values on school and university campuses. Kirk became chairman of Students for Trump in 2019. The Charlie Kirk Show is ranked the 21st most popular Apple podcast.

Opposition

Yasmin Benoit

Yasmin Benoit is an activist, writer, and model. Her work serves to increase the visibility of asexuality, aromanticism, and LGBTQ+ people of colour. She has spoken extensively about her experience of being asexual in the single-sex education system, written for magazines like Qwear Fashion, and appeared on various BBC programmes.

James Lindsay

James Lindsay is an author, mathematician, and cultural critic known for his involvement in the ‘Sokal Squared’ scandal, aiming to expose poor scholarship and the erosion of standards in several academic fields. Describing himself as a ‘professional troublemaker’, Lindsay is a fierce opponent of woke culture, which he analogises to religion.

Benjamin Butterworth

Benjamin Butterworth is the Late Editor and Senior Reporter at The i. He has also written for the Guardian, Washington Post and The Independent. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Butterworth criticised Piers Morgan for his comments on transgender issues, subsequently signing a petition to fire him. 19

DEBATE 7 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER

This House Regrets the Rise of Hook-up Culture

One night stands, friends with benefits, situationships - as the stigma around casual sex decreases, over 60% of students report engaging in hook-up culture. Normalising hookup culture aims to put an end to “slut-shaming” and eliminate double standards between male and female sexuality, but has this new leap into “no strings attached” relationships been to the detriment of the feminist movement? Does hook-up culture provide a chance for women to finally reclaim power over their sexuality or cover up another form of misogyny masquerading as female empowerment? Does the rise of hookup culture mean liberation for women, or their subjugation to the male gaze?

Proposition

Yomi Adegoke

Yomi Adegoke is a British journalist and author of Slay In Your Lane. Adegoke studied Law, taking a year out to found Birthday Magazine, which discusses race, pop culture, and feminism. She has written for The Guardian and The Independent, and The Evening Standard described her as a ‘frontline pioneer’.

Linda Papadopoulos

Linda Papadopoulos is a Canadian psychologist, author, research scientist and broadcaster. Specialising in body image and psychodermatology, she was Cosmopolitan’s resident psychologist and contributing editor, and has fronted several BBC and ITV segments. In 2010 the Home Office commissioned her to write a report on the sexualisation of young people.

Opposition

Liberty Poole

Liberty Poole is a model, brand ambassador, and television personality, having appeared on the seventh series of Love Island in 2021 and the fourteenth series of Dancing on Ice this year. She studied marketing at Birmingham City University and is a brand ambassador for InTheStyle, Skinny Tan and Boux Avenue.

India Ysabel

India Ysabel is an intersectional feminist campaigner. She cofounded ‘The Speak Up Space’ for survivors, an online listening and signposting space for survivors of sexual violence and harassment. She has also campaigned on behalf of ‘Our Streets Now,’ and is a co-host on ‘The Accidental Activist Podcast’.

Gail Porter

Gail Porter is a television personality, former model and actress. She began her career in children’s television, going on to become a Little Princess Trust advocate after developing alopecia. Her plethora of appearances vary from the entertaining world of Celebrity Big Brother to hosting a thoughtprovoking documentary on prostitution laws. 21

DEBATE 8 MICHAELMAS 2022

THURSDAY 1 DECEMBER

This House Believes Comedy Lives On

From cancel culture to TikTok, live stand-up comedy is experiencing pressure from all sides as the goalposts of comedy shift, as there is a demand for comedy to conform to political correctness. This debate seeks to tackle these existential questions by reintroducing spontaneity, improvisation and light-hearted topics. Five motions will be presented to the House, covering the most universal questions such as “Does Size Matter” and “Are Cats Better Than Dogs”, which will allow professional comedians to demonstrate their wit. In the true fashion of the Oxford Union, the House will then decide whether comedy truly does live on.

Proposition

Emmanuel Sonubi

Emmanuel Sonubi started his career as a bouncer, before travelling from his home city of London – from which he derives much of his material – to embark on the comedy circuit, where he has received extensive praise. He has performed on Live at the Apollo and presented his set Emancipated at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

Korang Abdulla

Korang Abdulla, or Kae Kurd, is the UK’s only professional standup comedian of Kurdish descent. Abdulla has written for several TV shows and starred in his own Edinburgh show. He garnered significant recognition for his performances on Live at the Apollo, also appearing on Mock the Week and Celebrity Masterchef.

Opposition

Tom Davis

Tom Davis started his career as a stand up comedian and has since been involved in numerous films and television series, including his memorable appearance as Gary King in the BBC sitcom King Gary. In 2016 he was recognised as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, following his co-creation and starring appearance in Murder in Successville.

Grace Campbell

Grace Campbell is a comedian and author, whose work navigates ‘relationships, sex and self’ in the modern world. She is the host of Disgraceful Club and has had a residency at Bush Hall. Both her book Amazing Grace, and her Edinburgh Fringe show, A Show About Me(n) have achieved critical and commercial acclaim.

Josh Berry

Josh Berry is a comedian, writer and impressionist who studied Philosophy and Theology at Oxford. He began doing stand-up after finding fame for his uncanny renditions of Tennis stars and British icons; most recently he has been acclaimed for his satirical character ‘Rafe Hubris’, a send up of SPAD culture. 23

Member’s Debates

Drinks, debating, and no external speakers; this takes the Union back to its roots, commemorating the history of the Society while giving you the chance to speak on topic motions to be announced closer to the time.

The application form for opening speeches will be publicised early in term, and we hope to see plenty of members (or for our special Open Period Members’ Debate non-members) entering; after brief remarks from the opening speakers, all members will be able to take their place at the dispatch box, so come ready with an argument or wing it on the night!

The opening speakers for both debates will be in black tie, and we warmly encourage you to dress in the spirit of this.

1 - This House Believes Monarchy Should End With Queen Elizabeth 2 - This House Believes Boris Was The Right Man For The Job

1 - This House Believes Public Figures Forfeit Their Right To A Private Life 2 - This House Would Rather Believe In Something Than Nothing

WEEK 2 22ND OCTOBER 7PM

WEEK 7 20TH NOVEMBER 7PM

Floor Prizes

THE PERCH

BELLA ITALIA

4 x £25 vouchers

HAPPY CAKES

3 x Cupcake boxes

MAMMA MIA

2 x 3 course meal for 2 with a bottle of wine

THE PERCH

3 course meal for 2 with a bottle of wine

TOMMI’S BURGER JOINT

Meal for 4

VICTORS

£100 voucher

TOAD

2 bottles of gin

Treasurer’s Treats

5%

OPERA CAFE

MICHAELMAS 2022 H A PPY HOUR AT ALL TIMES HOUSE BAR

10%

ANGELS, CAFE CREME, BURROWS & HARE, THE ALCHEMIST, ISCREAM GELATARIA, MOO-MOO’S, OXFORD WINE COMPANY, THE OXFORD WINE CAFE, VAULTS & GARDEN, BIRD AND BLEND, CHATTABOX REPAIR CENTRE, FANTASTEA

15%

HAPPY CAKES, MOSHI (AFTER 15.00PM) MAMMA MIA PIZZERIA (TUES TO THURS IN JERICHO), CHUTNEY’S (SUN-WED), SUSHI CORNER (COLLECTION), BAREFOOT, GAMESKEEPER, MACSIMPLE

20%

KEBAB KING, TREE ARTISAN CAFE, THAIKHUN, BENITO’S, HEAT - AFRICAN RESTAURANT, VICTORS (FOOD ONLY), PAUL

25% 30% 35%

ASK ITALIAN, DIRTY BONES - 2 FOR 1 COCKTAILS, SANDYS PIANO BAR (SUN-THURS), TOMMI’S BURGER JOINT

BELLA ITALIA, BYRON BURGERS

THAT COFFEE X

OTHEROFFERS

PIZZA PILGRIMS £10 (PIZZA & DRINK) DODO PUBS £5 PIZZAS 12-3PM MON-THURS CÔTE BRASSERIE COMPLIMENTARY KIR ROYALE WHEN DINING 27