What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. , `` Euroland businesses are nowable to raise money for investment across the entire single currency zone , making it easier and cheaper .
2. British companies , on the other hand , are still largely constrained to drumming up money from within Britain if they want to expand .
3. Joining the European single currency -LRB- the Euro -RRB- may appear unfavourable to Britain , but the negative effect of not joining would be more unfavourable .
4. As explained by Anthony Browne in The Euro : Should Britain join ?
5. Browne , A. , `` The Euro : Should Britain Join ? ''
6. , Page 89 Morgan , O. `` Nissan tells Blair ` join Euro ' '' , 27 May 2011 , The Guardian
7. Eurozone businesses find it easy to raise money , for they are spared currency conversion charges .
8. The carmaker Nissan has previously told the British government that eliminating exchange rate risk by siting production in the same currency zone as its sales market will be its preferred option .

Britain will lose economically if she stays out of the Euro over the long term.


The Tobin tax generates enormous amounts of aid.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. The revenue generating potential of the tax is tremendous .
2. The Tobin Tax is an efficient and relatively painless way to raise billions of dollars per year that could easily be used to fund UN aid efforts .
3. Even if we take the smaller amount , this would match existing levels of official aid .
4. A recent study by the Institute for Development Studies at Sussex University has showed that a 0.0005 % global tax on foreign exchange trades alone could raise up to $ 26bn per year in aid .
5. For comparison , the total annual UN budget is about $ 10 billion .
6. The UN and World Bank estimated in 1997 that the cost of wiping out the worst forms of poverty and providing basic environmental protection would be about $ 225 billion per year .
7. Given the current levels of poverty in the world and the desperate situations that we have seen emerging over and over again in the developing world -LRB- e.g. the Asian tsunami , or Kashmiri earthquake -RRB- , the need for increased funds for aid seems clear .


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Without the structure provided by school attendance , children become bored easily and parents struggle to cope .
2. For many parents , particularly those with more than one child , summer vacations can be a stressful and difficult time .
3. Year-round schooling makes such a work-life balance easier for young parents and allows women to return to the workplace on their own terms .
4. This is especially true for mothers who may be bringing up children without a father present , or those who wish to continue or resume their careers after the first few years of motherhood ; trying to combine a full-time job with the rigours of motherhood is hard but trying to do so during a three month school holiday is almost impossible .

Year-round learning can help reduce the burden on parents.


This House would detain people on grounds of mental health
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

We have a duty to the patient's best interest.


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. The state does so by implementing a minimum wage .
2. This exploitation will continue indefinitely , unless the state intervenes .
3. In order to increase profits , firms will seek to exploit workers , to lower wages as far as possible .
4. Businesses operating in a free market are concerned principally with their bottom lines .
5. Certainly , it is far better for state , which has citizens best interest at heart , to weigh in on the issue of setting wages than businesses , which tend not to care about their workers welfare or have competing interests .
6. In order to stop this outright exploitation of the most vulnerable members of society , the power of wage setting must fall to some extent within the purview of the state .
7. This makes them the easiest to manipulate and the easiest to replace .
8. The lowest paid workers tend to be less educated , less skilled , and less organized than higher-paid employees .
9. This is important as a means to assist the self-empowerment of the poorest members of society , by encouraging them to value themselves .
10. Furthermore , a minimum wage sends a social signal of valuation ; it affirms that all people have worth , can not be exploited , and are owed by dint of their humanity a certain level of treatment in the workforce , i.e. a minimum wage .

This House believes in a national minimum wage


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. It seems only logical to describe public displays by other terminology as this would reflect more truly on the celebrations of the winter period .
2. Very rarely now are the traditional symbols of a Christian Christmas actually displayed publicly or even in the homes of Christians themselves , with many preferring the symbolism of the modern multi-cultural Christmas .
3. A UK study found that three out of four employers have banned Christmas decorations because they are concerned not to offend other faiths .
4. The holiday has transcended its origins , while it still represents some conceptual Christian notions it is no longer for the most part a Christian festival .
5. Much of the symbolism now used has more relation to Pagan traditions than Christian ones with things such as the Christmas tree and mistletoe originating from the pre-Christian religion , in addition other common symbols have come from popular culture such as snowmen and reindeer .
6. The Christmas break is no longer a Christian festival , but a multi-cultural celebration during Christmas ; the state should not be sponsoring events specific to Christians during a holiday for all religious and non-religious citizens .
7. Christmas is now celebrated not only in Western nations but the world over , it is celebrated not only by individuals which are not Christian but whole nations which do not subscribe to the Christian belief system .

Christmas is no longer a Christian festival, but a multi-cultural celebration during December.


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. To force a woman to produce a living , constant reminder of that act is unfair on both mother and child .
2. Women , and in some cases girls , who have been raped should not have to suffer the additional torment of being pregnant with the product of that ordeal .
3. There are cases where school students are impregnated through rape .
4. In cases where the rape victim can not afford or is not ready to have a child , abortion can do both the victim and the unborn baby a favor .
5. Babies born to unready mothers are likely to be neglected or would not be able to enjoy what other children have , be it due to financial reasons or the unwillingness of the mothers to bring up the `` unwanted children '' .
6. Pregnancy itself is a constant reminder of the sexual assault they underwent and might cause emotional instability , which will affect their studies , and subsequently their future .

This house believes in the woman's right to choose


Commercialization of the Games erodes the idea of taking part for its own sake.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. This prevents competition on an equal footing , one feature of the Olympic Dream .
2. The United States , for example , benefits from huge funding from over 100 corporations for its team and can thus train them to far higher levels than developing countries can -LRB- Multinational Monitor , 2008 -RRB- .
3. As one of these 100-plus companies , Citi paid $ 30 million purely to be the ` official bank of the 2012 United States Olympic Team ' -LRB- Belson , 2011 -RRB- .
4. The Olympic Dream is that competing narrative attempting to weave the values of friendship , respect and excellence into the home viewer .
5. Furthermore , corporate sponsorship concentrates on the richest countries ' athletes .
6. As is the auctioning off of ` virtually every aspect of the Games to the highest bidder . '
7. Whilst a recent report indicates that sport is still at the centre of the Olympics , ` the volume of commercial messages drowns out any competing narratives apart from sports ' -LRB- Multinational Monitor , 2008 , p. 8 -RRB- .
8. The massive commercialisation of the Games erodes the idea of taking part for its own sake : with so much sponsorship money at stake , winning at all costs is the inevitable aim .
9. The rule of the sponsors seems more important than the sport : interrupting television coverage of the events to advertise is symptomatic of this , permitting McDonalds to sponsor a sports event is another .


Sentences: 1. As well as developing their own economy and their manufacturing or service sectors , they may need to build trade infrastructure in other ways .
2. To gear up to be successful trading partners , developing countries often need to go through a number of key changes .
3. Although such developments may come about as a facilitator for trade , in the best case scenario they may be seen as structural changes which will have a trickle-down benefit for the broader society in the underdeveloped country .
4. For example , increased trade would focus their attention on such things as good governance , the benefits of a broadly stable currency and internal security .
5. China for example has reformed its agriculture , created a large manufacturing sector and is increasingly moving into high tech sectors as a result of trading with , particularly exporting to , the rich world and as a result has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty between 1981 and 2004 .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Trade provides developing countries with an important basis for their own improvement.


Sentences: 1. Theft is taking something from someone who is the rightful owner without their permission .
2. It doesnt matter if the rightful owner keeps an original version or not .
3. If you are downloading music from an unofficial source , you are stealing it : The only way you can get the right to listen to that song is via a legal transaction from which the rights owner can make a profit

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Theft is an assumption of property rights


Sentences: 1. The National Lottery -LRB- UK -RRB- was initially founded on the principle of providing funding for the arts , sport and heritage with funding for projects that would not otherwise get off the ground , and in recent years there has been a drive by the government to return the distribution of lottery money to those causes .
2. It is a widely known fact that a large proportion of the money made from selling lottery tickets goes directly to good causes and schemes run by the government to help improve the lives of the people who buy the tickets in the first place .
3. This is an incredible sum of money , made possible by the fact that government endorsement allows for greater awareness of the competition meaning more players and more money going to charity .
4. According to the official National Lottery website , `` Camelot already runs the most cost-efficient lottery in Europe - an achievement that has helped the UK National Lottery to generate over26 billion for the Good Causes , and counting '' .
5. Were the lottery to be de-nationalised , there would be no guarantee of these essential donations - the lottery would simply become another form of gambling which profits the organisers above all else .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

National lotteries are also one of the largest contributors to charitable causes.


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. So for example if Mississippi and New Mexico were paying for all their services themselves from their own taxes they would have debts of over 500 % of GDP , however at the beginning of the Republic it was the Southern States who were the richest due to their cotton wealth .
2. Federal states tend to be larger and have different economic cycles .
3. This allows the overall state to cope with different economic cycles by using fiscal transfers -LRB- tax -RRB- between wealthier states and poorer states to fund government programmes .

This house believes that Federal States are better than unitary nations


Sentences: 1. We should demand reciprocity , so that countries seeking investments abroad must open up their own economies fully before they are allowed to hold significant assets elsewhere .
2. He has also pointed out that many countries operating SWFs protect their domestic economy from foreign competition and investment .
3. Most countries maintain secrecy about the size of their funds and the extent of their holdings , their accountability to government , their investment strategies and their approach to risk management .
4. Sovereign wealth funds suffer from an almost total lack of transparency .
5. For these reasons , Jeffrey Garten of Yale has argued that SWFs should be obliged to publish independently audited accounts twice a year .
6. Without knowing these things , it is impossible to gauge whether political or economic objectives will dominate the SWFs behaviour , or indeed whether they will make safe and responsible shareholders in any business secrecy breeds corruption .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Sovereign Wealth funds are not transparent


Sentences: 1. The United Nations should take on this responsibility to protect people when their governments are unable or unwilling to do so , in order to prevent mass killings , genocide and other atrocities .
2. Citizens should be protected by individual governments , however if governments are either partaking in or failing to prevent genocide and mass atrocities , then another global actor needs to take action .
3. Moving from a situation where the UN placed the rights of states above those of their people , to one where individual rights are given the greater priority is surely morally essential .
4. If we believe human rights have any meaning at all , then they must be universal and therefore our obligation to protect citizens from such horrors must apply regardless of state boundaries .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

The United Nations has a responsibility to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.


This House believes that freedom of expression is more important than religious sensitivities
What is a possible side to this debate?

Stifling progress and the right of others


1. With neither side willing to consider sitting down with the other it is difficult to see how Annans plan can ever get anywhere no matter how long it is kept on life support .
2. The opposition meanwhile argues The country has been destroyed and they want us then to sit with the killer ?
3. Mutual consent however means both sides have a veto ; Assad would have to agree and he is not going to agree to a government which he is not involved in .
4. As a follow up to the six point plan on the 1 July in Geneva it was agreed that a transitional government would be set up which could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

The Syrian opposition will never be willing to deal with Assad.


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. This is important in two ways : Making sexual orientation a category for asylum not only saves lives , but also sends a strong and influential message that helps craft policy in nations who use discrimination as a tool of oppression against the LGBT community .
2. Not only can this policy influence current state behaviour , but that the influence and change that creates becomes part of a larger global move towards universal acceptance of the norm and the diffusion of that idea throughout all strata of society .
3. This has immense impact on pressuring governments to change their policies .
4. Granting asylum to people on the basis of sexual orientation sends a clear message to the international community that it is not okay to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and that the West not only strongly disapproves of this behaviour , but that , more importantly , they will take active steps to counter-act your discriminatory policies .
5. Through the use of soft power , the policies of nations are slowly but surely moderated and a global consensus is created .
6. What is important to note here is that there is a gradual normative consensus that is manufactured under this system .
7. One of the most powerful weapons in the international communitys arsenal is the soft power of condemnation .
8. Global consensus on progressive rights for the LGBT community will be aided through this policy .
9. The West with its immense wealth and importance in international institutions such as the United Nations have a lot of power when it comes to influencing discriminatory policies in other nations .
10. One of the most important things the international community can do is use its weight and influence to advocate protection of vulnerable peoples and promote moral and social causes .

This House believes that sexual orientation should be considered grounds for asylum.


This House would abolish the US Electoral College
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The electoral college weakens incentives for voting and party building.


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Animals are trained to perform tricks using whips , electronic goads , sticks , food-deprivation etc. .
2. The circus is another arena in which human beings abuse other animals .
3. The necessity of regular transportation means that the circus can never provide an appropriate home for wild animals .
4. Wild animals such as lions , tigers , and elephants are kept in shamefully inadequate conditions in tiny spaces .
5. And what for ?
6. These animals are forced to travel thousands of miles in cramped and squalid conditions and frequently end up physically and mentally ill .
7. What sort of lesson does it teach our children about non-human animals to take them to the circus and see these great creatures demeaned and controlled by force to perform silly tricks ?
8. Purely for the entertainment of we arrogant exploitative humans .
9. The main purpose of horse - and dog-racing is for human beings to indulge their penchant for gambling .
10. Horses and dogs are among the principle victims of exploitation in human sporting activities .

This House would ban the use of animals as objects of sport and entertainment


Sentences: 1. -LSB- 7 -RSB-
2. Parents who left school at a young age are also more likely to have children who leave school early -LRB- only 60 % of those children stay in education past 16 -RRB- -LSB- 6 -RSB- .
3. Forcing all children to stay in school longer will help break this cycle of disadvantage .
4. Making sure that everyone gets the same amount of time at school promotes equality .
5. At the moment leaving school early is linked to economic and social disadvantage : those from poorer areas and families are more likely to leave school early than those from wealthier families .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Raising the school leaving age promotes equal opportunities


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Available :
2. A Rivalry that Threatens the World . .
3. Even wealthy , small states are susceptible to foreign attack , since their wealth can not make up for their lack of manpower .
4. This is particularly true of small and poor states .
5. Often states lack the capacity to defend themselves with conventional weapons .
6. States , as the building blocks of international society , have an inviolable right to self-defense , and this right extends to the possession of miniature , tactical nuclear weapons .
7. Clearly , nuclear weapons serve in many ways to equalize states irrespective of size , allowing them to more effectively defend themselves .
8. An example of this is the 2008 invasion of Georgia by Russian troops , which would likely never have occurred had Georgia possessed an arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons , as Russia would have thought twice when considering that its large tank formations could be wiped out by a single well-placed tactical warhead .
9. If a large state attempts to intimidate , or even invade a smaller neighbor , it will be unable to effectively cow it , since the small state will have the power to severely damage , or even destroy , the would-be invader 's military capacity with a few well-placed miniature nuclear missiles -LSB- 1 -RSB- .
10. When armed with tactical nuclear weapons , all states become equal in terms of capacity to do harm to one another .

All countries have an inherent right to self-defense even when they lack the capacity to do so with conventional weapons.


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Some parents are carriers of known sex-specific diseases .
2. Microsort .
3. Males disproportionately suffer from X chromosome problems because their body has no copy to fall back on These range in nature from baldness and colour blindness to muscular dystrophy and haemophilia .
4. It is obviously in the child 's interests that they do n't have such a condition .
5. Women are disproportionately affected by diseases of the immune system .
6. Retrieved May 20 , 2011 , from Genetics and IVF Institute :
7. Determining its gender can ensure that .
8. The MicroSort technique uses a ` sperm-sifting ' machine to detect the minute difference between y and double x chromosome-carrying sperm : no genetic harm results from its use .
9. Fragile X Syndrome .
10. Retrieved May 20 , 2011 , from BBC Health : 2 .

Sex-specific, generic diseases can be avoided


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. In a free market , goods are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged solely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers .
2. The aggregate market price is the result of all individual transactions and contains important information for both buyers and sellers .
3. When there is more demand than supply , prices rise -LRB- because buyers have to outbid each other -RRB- , making it attractive for new producers to enter the market and thus adding supply .
4. When there is more supply than demand , prices fall , causing some sellers to leave the market since their production costs are higher than the price at which they can sell .
5. Thus , in the long run , markets settle on an equilibrium price where demand and supply are exactly equal .
6. Examples of the free market actually working are all around us : take the supply of the pen and paper used to take notes on .
7. If the price is too high at one store , anyone would move to another store where its cheaper .
8. Therefore , sellers have an incentive to provide the best quality at the lowest price .
9. Central planning can never be as efficient as myriads of individually planning buyers and sellers in reaching this equilibrium .
10. For example , a central planner who sets a price floor will likely create excess supply in that specific market .

The free market is the most efficient way to match supply and demand


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. Much like the Scottish and Welsh , the Northern Irish feel Northern Irish .
2. There is little sense of attachment to the UK , and British institutions .
3. If they are included more in the political process there can be debate , discussion and an airing of grievances which can then be resolved .
4. A united Ireland doesnt have to marginalize the Protestant population .
5. If Unionists are included in the political process in a united Ireland they will have no grievances and there will finally be a lasting peace .
6. It is clear that Unionists just want to have power over how they run their lives .
7. This shows that the ties to Britain are not emotional , but political .

Uniting Ireland would bring about an end to sectarian violence


Claim: Legal coca cultivation would enhance economic growth in developing states
What evidence supports this claim?

1. The legalization of coca cultivation globally would allow for the expansion of these economic benefits .
2. The coca leaf may have uses as a stimulant and flavouring agent in drinks -LRB- in which it is currently used to a limited extent in the West -RRB- , but also in the expansion of the many domestic products currently in use in the Andes , including syrups , teas , shampoo and toothpaste .
3. When it is allowed , however , coca cultivation can actually have economic benefits .
4. Peasant cultivators in the Andes have indicated their belief that coca chewing helps increase production in agriculture , fisheries and mining .
5. Pasquale Quispe , 53 , owner of a 7.4-acre Bolivian coca farm , explained to the New York Times in 2006 : Coca is our daily bread , what gives us work , what gives us our livelihood .
6. Previous attempts to eradicate coca cultivation in Bolivia harmed the poorest farmers there and led to significant social unrest .
7. Millions of people in South America chew coca leaves , so this practice can not simply be wished away .
8. Moreover , it currently acts as a vital income source in many impoverished areas of the Andes .
9. It may also have a use as a general anaesthetic .
10. Only the legalization of its cultivation globally will allow these product and economic potentials to be fully realized and allow humanity to reap the full rewards of the coca plant , rather than simply being limited by the fear and stigma surrounding its illegal use in cocaine .


Claim: The ban on homework could be easily enforced through school inspections
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Children , who do n't like homework at the best of times , would not lie .
2. A ban on homework would thus not require a level of trust between the state and individual school principals , for state inspectors could very quickly work out whether homework was being given out by asking the children themselves .
3. In Britain for example , Ofsted is a public body that exists specifically to inspect public schools .
4. In many countries public schools require regular school inspections to ensure students are receiving a relatively equal level of education .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Arts , ,
2. It is difficult to see who benefits from such an arrangement .
3. It also means that graduates are likely to be destined to long term financial instability because of a decision they made as a teenager .
4. As well as being an issue for the individual , this affects wider society , as those on lower incomes are more likely to become dependent on the state at some point in their life and are less well placed to stimulate other sectors of the economy through their own consumption .
5. It is a simple fact that degrees in the Arts offer less earning potential than those in all other sectors -LRB- except Education and social work -RRB- .
6. The median in the US is $ 45,000 but this disguises the lower end of the scale , with 25 % earning $ 30,000 a year or less .
7. The median earning figure across Arts degrees is , itself deceptive .
8. Teachers and social workers may have comparatively low salaries but at least they can be assured of job security .
9. Unlike education and social work which at least tend to have the consistency of a government salary , the Arts are also fantastically unreliable as an employment sector .
10. As a result , encouraging the creative arts through university qualifications places both an initial and , potentially , ongoing cost on the rest of society .

This House believes degrees in the creative arts are luxuries society can no longer afford


Sentences: 1. In the Philippines this will mean greater numbers of teen pregnancies and pregnancies out of marriage because abortion will remain illegal .
2. Allowing contraception will take away a psychological barrier that prevents pre-marital or casual sex and once that barrier is crossed the individual will have higher sexual activity .
3. The Reproductive Health bill undermines both .
4. Perhaps the most important values in the Philippines are social harmony and respect for the family .
5. With a single-mindedness of purpose , the presidential palace has put everything on the table to shore up the votes required in parliament .
6. The Reproductive Health bill represents the worst excesses of the pork barrel buffet .
7. Obviously the bill has been very politically divisive so undermining social harmony but also to pass this bill many parliamentarians had to be bribed so undermining this social harmony .
8. In terms of politics these values mean support for democracy but also being against corruption and graft .
9. Dolan , Ronald E. , ed. , .
10. Legislators , who had previously voted against the legislation , often repeatedly , where threatened with the loss of programmes in their constituencies if they failed to back the project , which has been at the heart of the presidential agenda .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

The bill violates the Philippine values of harmony and respect


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Many firms also offer so-called defined benefit pension plans to their workers .
2. Pensions of this type guarantee that a worker will receive a certain , regular level of income on retirement an amount calculated according to a fixed formula that takes account of an employees salary and the length of their service with a company .
3. Creating a mandatory retirement age ensures that businesses will be able to maintain employees pension plans and healthcare schemes .
4. In many liberal democracies that operate without centralised , government sponsored welfare systems , the support provided by employers insurance systems is the only means of obtaining hospital care or a retirement income for a large number of working age individuals .
5. Further , as individuals age they will represent more of a risk in terms of healthcare liabilities .
6. As an individual ages , the likelihood that she will develop chronic diseases such as cancer increases .
7. As the Ford motor company attempted to do in 2010 , many firms will attempt to remove older employees who show no desire to retire of their own volition .
8. The older an employee is at the point of retirement , the more money - under a defined benefit plan - a firm will have to pay out in the form of pension contributions .
9. The greater the aggregate age of a companys workforce , the more likely it is that the company will , at some point , have to cover the costs of treating a serious illness .
10. Two specific harms result from this situation .

This House would institute a mandatory retirement age


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. Further , other sources of potential distraction , such as passengers or car radios , may provide a net gain in utility to road users and other stakeholders in mass transit systems .
2. As such the fact that other distractions exist , even if they are as harmful as cellphones , is no reason to not to ban their use .
3. They are an object which can easily be identified , and with phone bills it is possible to find out if a person is lying when they are caught for using cell phones in cars .
4. Cell phones in cars , unlike a variety of other distractions , can be regulated easily .
5. Car radios are somewhat more controversial and principally if they prove to be as bad a distraction as a mobile phone then proposition would have no problem with banning them .
6. For example , children might require their parents to drive them to school .
7. To take this argument further , there are many people who can not drive but require use of cars .
8. Being able to carry multiple people in cars for example helps society through a reduction in carbon emissions as well as simply through a reduction in traffic .
9. Whilst they may be distracting , given the huge benefit they cause for society it is legitimate for them to be allowed .
10. However , things such as news and traffic updates are probably more useful to a driver than the use of mobile phones .

This House would legalise the use of cell phones in cars


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. -LSB- 1 -RSB- CENTCOM Historical / Cultural Advisory Group : The Impact of War on Iraqs Cultural Heritage : Operation Iraqi Freedom , accessed 20/9/12 ,
2. Making such crimes punishable by the ICC alongside crimes like genocide would add a deterrent factor and make it less likely people would deliberately destroy cultural property .
3. Moreover , the current conventions lack sufficient deterrents to back-up its protective measures .
4. Firstly , it provides insufficient protection , since even high-value cultural property under enhanced protection can be legally targeted in a conflict , if it is being used by opposition forces .
5. Under the status quo , UNESCO conventions alone are insufficient to protect cultural property .
6. Were the desecration and destruction of items and sites of cultural heritage to be an internationally recognised crime against humanity , people would be more reluctant in causing either intended or collateral damage -LRB- in a conflict -RRB- to them .
7. By treating the destruction of cultural property as a crime against humanity , rather than simply a violation of UNESCO conventions , the protection of cultural heritage is seen as an increased moral imperative .
8. -LSB- 1 -RSB- US forces were not concerned with potentially damaging cultural property or going against UNESCO conventions , simply because there were insufficient penalties in place to deter them from doing so .
9. This constitutes a violation of the UNESCO conventions , because US forces actively caused damage to the cultural property and also , in locating their forces there , made the site of ancient Babylon a legitimate military target for opposing forces .
10. For example , US forces set up military bases in and around ancient Babylon during the Iraq war and even used parts of the ancient site to make sandbags .

Making destruction of cultural property a crime against humanity would ensure it is protected.


It is domestic not international legitimacy that matters
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Since a government 's legitimacy is domestically derived from the support of its people if they support the policy then it is legitimate .
2. What matters for a state when it comes to foreign policy , and therefore with helping to circumvent censorship , is whether the policy is considered legitimate domestically .
3. Stevenson , Kirsten , Strong support for democracy promotion in national opinion ballot , , 23 October 2012 ,
4. While it is often not considered a top priority people in democracies usually support promoting human rights and spreading democracy around the world .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Critically , in addition , any form of mineral-dependent energy is based on a resource that will deplete be that coal or uranium .
2. Wind , by contrast , is the ultimate sustainable resource .
3. The critical , and increasing , issue of a reliance on fossil fuels is that the price is not only increasing but is doing so in an unpredictable manner .
4. Oil and gas in particular are subject to the political whim of some of the worlds most unpredictable regimes .
5. Wind , by contrast , is produced domestically or , where it is exported , is produced in stable European nations .
6. Given the choice between negotiating with Chavezs Venezuela or Putins Russia for oil and gas or with Belgium or Germany for wind energy is really not a difficult choice .

Wind energy provides for price stability in the long-term, wind will be with us for the duration


Resolved: Adaptation should be the most urgent response to Climate Change.
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The necessary research alone will take time and should be a priority


Claim: An active, “big” federal government is best for the American people
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Financial returns from investments in such areas are often insufficient to incentivise private sector investment .
2. However such schemes generate high levels of welfare benefits that are desirable from a societal perspective .
3. President Obama believes in an activist governments role in improving society .
4. Without public intervention , private markets will not sufficiently address inequality or several other public needs , such as environmental preservation and public transportation .
5. -LSB- 1 -RSB- This is the policy he has pursued in his first term with a successful stimulus of $ 787 billion .
6. -LSB- 2 -RSB- Obamas tax policy boils down to the empirical belief that taxing the rich will help the economy grow , because the revenue can be used on important government programs that can spur growth , and the philosophical argument that the American economy should be more equal and that the U.S. government can and should do more to directly address inequality .
7. Obamas economic policy draws on Keynesian economic theory , which is the belief that a mixed economy of public and private enterprise , bolstered by a strong welfare state , can jumpstart the economy .
8. In order to create public enterprise , the government needs to spend , either by building a deficit or from tax revenue .
9. It should therefore not be a surprise that Obama wants the Bush era tax cuts for the richest reversed arguing `` I just believe that anybody making over $ 250,000 should go back to the income tax rates we were paying under Bill Clinton . ''
10. -LSB- 3 -RSB- -LSB- 1 -RSB- Blinder , Alan S. , Keynesian Economics , , 2 Ed. , 2008 , Library of Economics and Liberty , -LSB- 2 -RSB- Grunwald , Michael , Think Again : Obamas New Deal , , Sept/Oct 2012 , -LSB- 3 -RSB- Bendery , Jennifer , Obama Calls For One-Year Extension Of Bush-Era Tax Cuts For First $ 250,000 Of Income , , 9 July 2012 ,


This house Believes People Should Not Keep Pets
What is a possible side to this debate?

Keeping pets is a violation of animal rights.


1. In fact , many such relationships do involve some form of electronic contact1 .
2. Being allowed to communicate with students via facebook would greatly facilitate misconduct by a teacher who wants to start an inappropriate relationship with a student , by giving him virtually unlimited access to the students after school .
3. Teachers are already in a position of power and trust in the relationship with their students .
4. Social networking websites have proven to be particularly effective for child grooming by pedophiles .
5. By banning this form of communication , the law would make it harder for teachers with bad intentions to carry them through .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Electronic communication facilitates sexual misconduct.


1. If the problem is a lack of experience then this proposal solves the problem .
2. Giving younger people a temporary job and the experience that goes with it will help give everyone an equal chance at getting a job , irrespective of age .
3. Less than a third of under 25s who were looking for a job in 2010 found one in 2011 this may be due to ageist discrimination against young people , and employers seeking people with experience .
4. People over 25 are also considered as a high risk group .
5. They have little experience so the employer is taking a risk in employing them .
6. There is also a desire for stability ; those who already have a family are unlikely to want large changes so employers feel they can bet on them for the long term .
7. The EU member states should rely more on public employment services , which should be focused on finding jobs for young people .
8. With government funding , they can work with the private sector to offer decent temporary jobs to young people .
9. This model is common in the Nordic states and other countries , such as Austria , Germany and Switzerland also have similar programs .
10. Youth unemployment is already far higher than for older people .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

The EU should guarantee youth a job in order to equal their chances.


This House would abandon the timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The war in Afghanistan is necessary for US and NATO security


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. The issuing of ASBOs is inconsistent and almost amounts to a geographical lottery .
2. People can be jailed for breaching an ASBO where the original offence was itself non-imprisonable i.e. .
3. The Order included an restriction preventing him entering a particular estate nearby and another preventing him from associating with certain others .
4. Unfortunately , he went out before reading the Order and beached it twice that day .
5. The next day he went out again and breached it three times by mistake as he had not read the part covering the particular restriction .
6. He now faces possibly custody although he has never been convicted of a criminal offence .
7. A youth recently appeared in Court in Manchester for breach of his ASBO .
8. The Order had been made in the youth 's absence without his being able to give his side of the story -LRB- one of the main concerns about ASBOs and one that can lead to misuse -RRB- .
9. The day after the Order was made someone came to his house to `` serve '' it on him .
10. This consisted of his being handed a copy of what was a fairly bulky document running to several dozen pages with no attempt to explain it or even to ascertain if he was literate enough to read it .

This House would scrap Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (UK)


Claim: States must be responsible to their own citizens first
What evidence supports this claim?

1. There will always be trafficking as long as there are n't open borders .
2. And we should maintain strict controls on both immigration and asylum .
3. States must focus on the needs of their people first , and the reaction of citizens in accepting countries is quite rightly the feeling that their hospitality and good intentions are being abused at the moment .
4. The social harms that these feelings cause - suspicion , xenophobia , racism and disruption of social harmony and tolerance - are too large and too damaging to the actual citizens of states to justify the maintenance of a failing system that may help some few outsiders .
5. The responsibilities of governments to their own citizens must come first .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. However in 2010 in the UK there were 119589 divorces ; 11.1 per 1000 married population .
2. The main objective of marriage is often said to be bringing up children in a stable environment .
3. -LRB- Rogers , 2011 -RRB- This clearly does not fulfill the initial basic aim of marriage as so many marriages end In divorce with the resulting splits affecting the children .
4. Furthermore in the same year , the median duration of a marriage remained at a low level of 11.4 years .
5. This relationship should not have to be through marriage ; rather it would simply be a partnership in the way that many couples already live today .
6. In fact , a much more stable environment can be provided by a better relationship , even without matrimonial vows -LRB- Cherlin 2009 -RRB- .

Does not provide any more of a stable environment for child rearing than a regular monogamous relationship


This House believes that Puerto Rico should seek American statehood
What is a possible side to this debate?

Puerto Rico would benefit economically from statehood


1. Such intangible benefits to the fields of science and engineering , as John Logsdon argues , can not so easily be calculated and contrasted with the concrete figures that symbolize the costs of space programs .
2. Though demand could not meet supply , many remained in the field and took up jobs in civil engineering , scientific research and medicine .
3. In 1969 , the Moon landing acted as the catalyst for a whole generation of children 's love for all things space and the proliferation of young men and women seeking to become astronauts .
4. Space exploration is about more than the end , what is discovered or answered , it is also about the means , the process by which we are able to traverse the Universe .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

Space exploration serves as a stimulus for children to enter the fields of science and engineering


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The state has , throughout history , been responsible for an immeasurable amount of violence and destruction .
2. From ancient times where states were the primary instrument of enforcing laws so that people could keep slaves , to the actions of imperial nations like Britain , to the holocaust to all of the pointless wars fought throughout history , states have a long record of slaughtering and ruining the lives of countless numbers of their own and other states people .
3. William Eckhardt estimates battle deaths since 3000 BC at 151million while Beer came out with a much higher figure of 1.1 billion battle deaths -LRB- NB both use dodgy calculations and of course in either case the total military deaths let alone civilian would be much higher -RRB- .
4. These actions are always taken because they are in the interest of the ruling class , but the ruling classes are never the ones directly involved in these conflicts , they instead use the state as an instrument to coerce other people to fight their battles for them .
5. In a stateless society the people might need to fight against oppression but they would never be forced to fight for causes that have nothing to do with them .

The state has far too often been an instrument for facilitating wars and other acts of violence.


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The concept of Monarchy is undemocratic .
2. If the monarch retains any significant political powers , as they do in Belgium and the U.K. for example , these are unjustifiable .
3. Why should the opinion of just one person , in office purely by accident of birth , be able to influence the outcome of elections or call a government .
4. Legally , in the UK the Monarch has the power to ; choose the Prime Minister , dismiss ministers and governments , dissolve parliament , refuse to agree to legislation passed by parliament , pardon convicted criminals , declare a state of emergency and raise a personal militia .
5. And in some countries like Saudi Arabia they have much more absolute power .
6. A recent example where the Monarch had a role in the United Kingdom was within the 2010 elections where no party achieved an overall majority , the Queen therefore had to sign her approval for the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition .

Monarchies, no matter how vestigal, are undemocratic


Integration and the acceptance of Western values are important
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Arranged marriages also conform to a view of women in particular which regards them as chattel .
2. This was even the case during the socially conservative era of the 1950s , when it was generally accepted in countries like Britain that people would court and meet their partners independently of their parents .
3. Part of the reason for this is because ideas about marriage have become more progressive , with people accepting that men and women of any orientation should be allowed to choose their own partners .
4. Arranged marriages have not been a part of the cultures of most European countries for many years now .
5. Cook , Hera , No Turning Back : Family forms and sexual mores in modern Britain , History & Policy - -LRB- accessed on 19 September 2012 -RRB- Human Rights with Reference to Women , UKEssays.com - -LRB- accessed on 19 September 2012 -RRB-
6. The rights and norms of a country of block of countries such as the EU must apply to all .
7. It is also hypocritical to adopt a double-standard with diaspora communities , turning a blind eye to practices which many other majority groups find reprehensible .
8. This does not fit in with the type of egalitarianism many European countries seek to practice , and thus does not conform to Western notions of individual rights .


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. As it is not an essential procedure , the state should not be expected to subsidize either the process or the development of the technology .
2. Nevertheless , the private sector should be encouraged to develop the technology and continue to provide the public with a path to maximise their own happiness .
3. Gender selection technology should be available , at whatever cost the market dictates , to those who can afford the process and wish to choose the sex of their children .
4. There should be no other restrictions on the couples wishing to go through with the process , other than an assurance that the mother is physically able and willing .

The private sector can provide parents, who can afford to and want to, with gender selection technologies


Allowing production of generic drugs saves lives, particularly in the developing world
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. The denial of the right to produce or acquire generic drugs is effectively a death sentence to people in these countries .
2. Under the current system attempts by governments to access generic drugs can be met by denials of free treatments , leading to even further suffering .
3. In light of these obscenely high infection rates , African governments have sought to find means of acquiring enough drugs to treat their ailing populations .
4. With generic drugs freely available on the market , the access to such drugs would be facilitated far more readily and cheaply ; prices would be pushed down to market levels and African governments would be able to stand a chance of providing the requisite care to their people .
5. There is no ethical justification to allow pharmaceutical companies to charge artificially high prices for drugs that save lives .
6. Furthermore , many firms that develop and patent drugs do not share them , nor do they act upon them themselves due to their unprofitability .
7. This has been the case with various treatments for malaria , which affects the developing world almost exclusively , thus limiting the market to customers with little money to pay for the drugs .
8. The result is patents and viable treatments sitting on shelves , effectively gathering dust within company records , when they could be used to save lives .
9. But when there is no profit there is no production .
10. Allowing the production of generic drugs is to allow justice to be done in the developing world , saving lives and ending human suffering .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The negative side effects of minimum sentencing guidelines can be avoided via safety valves .
2. The U.S. federal government introduced safety valves in 1994 ; mandatory sentencing is suspended if the defendant meets certain criteria , such as being a low-level participant or having no prior criminal history .
3. The safety valve allows flexibility so that low-risk offenders do not receive excessively harsh punishment .
4. Thus mandatory sentencing guidelines have enough flexibility to recognize varying circumstances , while retaining enough rigidity to deliver consistent punishment .

Mandatory minimum sentencing can be designed to avoid injustices.


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. The vision of Orwells has become a living nightmare for people all over the world .
2. Their power has made it extremely difficult for movements for reform , government accountability , and democracy , which have foundered when faced with these sophisticated security apparatuses -LRB- Valentino-Devries , 2011 -RRB- .
3. High-tech surveillance technology has given repressive governments and police states a new lease on life .
4. Now more than ever they can intrude into every aspect of peoples lives , ensuring that dissent is cowed for fear of the ever present threat of the security services .
5. It cuts the Tibetan people off from outside world so as to prevent any rerun of the instability that occurred in 2008 , which China blamed on the influence of the Dalai Lama from outside .
6. Only external help in alleviating this censorship could allow activists to organize effectively and perhaps to one day bring about genuine reform and justice to their societies .
7. By dominating the flow of information states have the power to keep their people in check and prevent them from ever posing a threat to their repressive status quo .
8. Thus China blocks access to the internet and to other forms of communications in Tibet to ensure the absolute security of Tibets ideological and cultural realm .
9. The surveillance equipment on which these regimes rely is often only available from firms and governments in the democratic world where , by and large , technology is generally far more advanced than in the non-democratic world .
10. Without access to these technologies , the regimes would be far more hard-pressed to keep rigid tabs on their citizens , allowing for the seeds of dissent to take root .

Advanced surveillance technology prevents dissidents from being able to organize and sue for freedom


1. Media lawyer Mark Stevens states that this idea '' ... would shear the media of the ability to report matters of public interest and thus look into corruption lurking in those dark corners the rich and powerful would rather were kept out of sight ''
2. As well as being a affront on freedom of speech it would also overload the courts with needless work , making the system of upholding laws inefficient and costly .
3. While getting the balance between immediacy and privacy is important bringing in the judiciary to look over all written material before allowing it to be published is an entirely wrong move .
4. If the press were legally obliged to go in-front of a judge before publishing stories which may potentially contain material of a defaming nature the process of news gathering would be greatly damaged .

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

It would not be practical to involve the judiciary prior to the publication of every story


This House would lift all veto powers of individual EU member states
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The requirement for unanimity is undemocratic


Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Parents embrace their right and responsibility to be involved in their childrens education .
2. Special and private schools are designed to meet special needs parents envision for their children .
3. Free schools in the United Kingdom are developing and gaining popularity .
4. Vouchers allow students to select schools .
5. Home schooling allows for parents to oversee education and become teachers themselves .
6. Parental involvement is key to the educational success of children .
7. Evidence of this responsibility and right which parents embrace is illustrated in the ever increasing citizen interest in school vouchers , home schooling , special magnet schools , free schools , and private schooling which allow for parental choice and involvement .
8. The right of a family is central in human societies .
9. Parents are acknowledged to be responsible for childrens upbringing .
10. In 1991 , Sweden began a practice which allowed schools to be established by parents , teachers , charities and business .


Sentences: 1. Fitzgerald , Brian and Anne Fitzgerald .
2. 2004 .
3. An individual 's idea , so long as it rests solely in his mind or is kept safely hidden , belongs to him .
4. When he disseminates it to everyone and makes it public , it becomes part of the public domain , and belongs to anyone who can use it .
5. If individuals or firms want to keep something a secret , like a production method , then they should keep it to themselves and be careful with how they disseminate their product .
6. One should not , however , expect some sort of ownership to inhere in an idea one has , since no such ownership right exists .
7. No one can own an idea .
8. Thus recognizing something like a property right over intangible assets is contrary to reason , since doing so gives monopoly power to individuals who may not make efficient or equitable use of their inventions or products .
9. Physical property is a tangible asset , and thus can be protected by tangible safeguards .
10. Ideas do not share this right to protection , because an idea , once spoken , enters the public domain and belongs to everyone .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

There is no such thing as intellectual property, since you cannot own an idea:


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. These artefacts become almost souvenirs of Imperialism , a way of retaining cultural ownership long after the political power of Britain has faded .
2. Returning them would be a gesture of goodwill and cooperation .
3. For instance , the British Museum is refusing to return 700 of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria despite repeated requests by the Nigerian government .
4. The Rosetta stone has been the subject of demands by the Egyptian government but remains in London .
5. Display of cultural treasures in Western museums may be seen as a last hangover from the imperial belief that civilised states such as Britain were the true cultural successors to Ancient Greece and Rome , and that the barbarian inhabitants of those ancient regions were unable to appreciate or look after their great artistic heritage .
6. Whether that was true in the 19th century is open to doubt ; it certainly is not valid today and the display of imperial trophies in institutions such as the British Museum or the Louvre is a reminder to many developing nations of their past oppression .

Retaining artefacts is a relic of imperialist attitudes to non-occidental cultures


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. If these rare minerals exist in sufficient quantity they could potentially fund the whole project .
2. There are also resources , such as lunar glass and Helium3 , which could be potentially very valuable if they are there in sufficient quantities , human beings can simply cover more territory than Robots and make assessments like these more easily .
3. The moon functions as a sort of attic for the Earth , a repository of rocks than are no longer found on earth .
4. It also has the advantage of being close enough to earth that samples and data can be relatively easily sent between the two .
5. In many ways our trips to the moon so far tell us which questions we need to ask , the next stage is to find the answers .


1. International adoption provides orphans , often living in decrepit , under-funded and unhygienic environments , a loving home in a developed society .
2. Child welfare experts appreciate that keeping infants in institutional care for extended periods of time puts them at risk of lifelong damage .
3. Adopting parents are proven to be both financially and emotionally capable of both adopting and raising the child , ensuring that the emotional heartache of growing up in an orphanage is replaced by the stability of a home environment .
4. This is advantageous , for obvious reasons , for both child and parent , whilst the state from which the child is adopted is relieved of the financial pressure of supporting the orphans and the mother of the orphan can reassure herself that her child is being well looked-after .
5. As a Korean government official notes regarding the high adoption rate of Korean children in the United States , ` in the beginning , the only reason foreign adoptions were allowed was that it was so difficult to raise children after the Korean War ' .
6. In times of both financial austerity and societal breakdown , international adoption is a welcome relief , most of all to the unwanted children provided with a loving home and parental attention .
7. Bartholet , E. International Adoption : The Human Rights Position .
8. Global Policy , 2010 , p91

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?

International adoption reduces the amount of unwanted children in institutional care


The veil is a symbol of oppression on women
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. Face coverings in particular divide men and women .
2. Face veil is seen by some as a symbol of the oppression of women , because in some countries it is mandatory , as was the case in Afghanistan under the Taliban .
3. When worn in Europe , with equality and democracy , it can be seen as a rejection of such oppression this is why Belgium banned it .
4. Islamic dress rules are often stricter for women than men .
5. BBC News , Belgian ban on full veils comes into force , 23 July 2011 ,


Claim: Earmarks do not represent an efficient use of taxpayers' money
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Worse , a recent Harvard Business School study found that states which received the most federal spending via earmarks from well-connected Congressmen actually suffered economically as a result , because the federal money crowded out private investment and distorted the local jobs market .
2. Examples include the Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere -LRB- a $ 400 million project to connect an island community of just 50 people to the mainland -RRB- , $ 1 million for shuttle buses at Western Kentucky University , and a grant of $ 300 000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii .
3. As the main means of pork barrel politics , earmarks are typically vanity projects with little economic benefit .
4. Earmarks usually represent expensive programs of little worth to the American people .


This House would grant an amnesty to illegal immigrants
What is a possible side to this debate?

Amnesties are the only long term solution


Claim: People should have freedom of choice
What evidence supports this claim?

1. This is particularly important because some religious sects promote polygamy , so banning it also impinges on freedom of religion .
2. These are not absolute rights , but they are important : breach of them needs to be contemplated with extreme care and is not merited here .
3. We have a right to privacy , and a right to non-interference in our family life .
4. If somebody wants to marry more than one person , and all parties involved agree , then the state should not get involved .
5. The law should recognise freedom of choice .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. The need to produce safe but efficient power-sources for the Apollo missions led to the development of practical fuel-cells , which are now being explored as a possible future power-source for cleaner cars .
2. The need to reduce weight on rockets led to miniaturization , and so to the micro-chip and the modern computer .
3. The challenge and difficulty of the space program , and its ability to draw on some of the finest minds , has brought about great leaps in technology .
4. Space exploration has also led to many indirect benefits .
5. We can never know exactly which benefits will emerge from the space program in future , but we do know that we will constantly meet new obstacles in pursuit of our goals , and in overcoming them will find new solutions to old problems .
6. The effects of zero-gravity on astronauts has substantially added to our knowledge of the workings of the human body , and the ageing process .

Space exploration leads to technological advancement


This House would arm teachers
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Arming teachers would mean safer schools


There is greater potential for African women
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. As a more educated cohort of women enters the workforce they will have a much greater effect on the economy than women have had in the past .
2. They will also be much more capable of setting up and running their own businesses or organisations .
3. Women in Africa are becoming much better educated .
4. Women are starting to reach their educational potential : by 2011 the illiteracy rate among female youth -LRB- 15-24 -RRB- had dropped to 52 % in Sierra Leone , 22 % in Guinea and 42 % in Chad .
5. Education provides opportunities as educated women will be better able to work in the manufacturing or services sectors .
6. This means they are much more likely to be able to reach their full potential in the economy .
7. Two out of three illiterate Africans are women .
8. There is great potential in educating African women .
9. The situation is however improving .
10. In 1996 the countries with the highest illiteracy rates in women are Burkina Faso with a staggering 91.1 % , Sierra Leone with 88.7 % , Guinea with 86.6 % and Chad with 82.1 % of women illiterate .


Claim: Those who are in the late stages of a terminal disease have a horrific future agead of them
What evidence supports this claim?

1. Faced with this , it is surely more humane that those people be allowed to choose the manner of their own end , and have the assistance of a doctor to die with dignity .
2. At least five percent of terminal pain can not be controlled , even with the best care .
3. In some cases , the illness will slowly destroy their minds , the essence of themselves ; even if this is not the case , the huge amounts of medication required to control their pain will often leave them in a delirious and incapable state .
4. The gradual decline of their body , the failure of their organs and the need for artificial support .
5. They refused .
6. She begged the courts to reassure her that a doctor would be allowed to assist her in choosing the moment of death .
7. She lived for several years with the knowledge that her muscles would , one by one , waste away until the day came when , fully conscious , she would choke to death .
8. One particular account was of Sue Rodriguez who died slowly of Lou Gehrig 's disease .
9. Rodriguez did not accept the verdict and with the help of an anonymous physician committed suicide in February 1994 .


This House believes African cities need to invest more in housing to replace slums
What is a possible side to this debate?

There are schemes to finance homebuilding


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Repealing the estate tax would also widen the gap between the poor and the wealthy , and could fuel the kind of class envy that would really threaten the property-owning American capitalism that so favours the wealthy .
2. In any case , do we really want to create a class of idle rich who have done nothing themselves to create wealth , but merely inherited it ?
3. Repealing the estate tax would also widen the gap between the poor and the wealthy , and could fuel the kind of class envy that would really threaten the property-owning American capitalism that so favours the wealthy .
4. In any case , do we really want to create a class of idle rich who have done nothing themselves to create wealth , but merely inherited it ?
5. The estate tax prevents the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few , avoiding a plutocracy -LRB- government by a wealthy ruling class -RRB- .
6. It allows the pursuit of the American dream by limiting the power of `` old money . ''
7. The estate tax prevents the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few , avoiding a plutocracy -LRB- government by a wealthy ruling class -RRB- .
8. It allows the pursuit of the American dream by limiting the power of `` old money . ''
9. Would it even be good for the inheritors if this happened ?
10. Much better for the government to use some of these windfalls to help give every American child a decent chance in life , for example through better funding for education , health , etc. .


1. The Lords Economic Affairs select committee explained why this is the case ; aid is essentially seen by those entrusted with it as `` free money '' , whose loss will go unnoticed by the giver and whose appropriation is nothing like as morally reprehensible as appropriating local tax revenue .
2. Development can also be misspent as a result of corruption and a lack of oversight , for example the UK suspended its aid to Uganda as a result of indications it was being misused by the Ugandan government and not going towards helping the poorest people lift themselves out of poverty .
3. Instead they want their money spent on the latest development fad whether this is the privatisation of basic services , microcredit , conditional cash , or particular infrastructure projects .
4. It is clear that the donor countries do not know how best to spend the money they give as aid .
5. , , Vol .346 , No. 7891 , pp.1-42 , p. 20
6. Ghosh , Jayati , Yes : Should rich countries stop sending development aid to India ?

What is the general argument implied by these sentences?


This House would only teach abstinence for sex education in schools
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Abstinence-only education rightly teaches saving sex for marriage (or at least a long term, exclusive relationship).


Claim: Keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan is necessary for creating a successful Afghan state
What evidence supports this claim?

1. The level of violence in Afghanistan is actually far lower than most Americans believe .
2. This was too many , but it was also less than a quarter of the deaths in 2008 in Iraq , a country that is both more sparsely populated and often assumed to be easier to govern .
3. In 2008 more than 2,000 Afghan civilians died at the hands of the Taliban or coalition forces -LRB- almost 7 per ten thousand -RRB- .
4. Not only are Afghan civilians much safer under American occupation than Iraqis , they are also statistically less likely to be killed in the war than anyone living in the United States during the early 1990s , when the U.S. murder rate peaked at more than 24,000 killings a year -LRB- about 10 per ten thousand -RRB- .
5. Washington Monthly .
6. July/August 2009 .
7. Due to the impotence of the Afghan state and its fledgling armed forces , withdrawing by the timetabled date would most likely mean abandoning the project of building a successful Afghan state , a project which can be successful if NATO troops continue to play their vital role in it .
8. It is a myth that Afghanistan is unconquerable or ungovernable .
9. An assertion that deserves a similarly hard look is the argument that nation building in Afghanistan is doomed because the country isnt a nation-state , but rather a jury-rigged patchwork of competing tribal groupings .
10. In fact , Afghanistan is a much older nation-state than , say , Italy or Germany , both of which were only unified in the late nineteenth century .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. President Obama has stated in the public record his support for increased disclosure for corporate and individual donors as well as efforts to limit the high-value contributions from corporations that are permitted under In response to the supreme court decision on Citizens United v Federal Election Commission act Obama declared in the 2010 state of the Union I dont think American elections should be bankrolled by Americas most powerful interests , or worse , by foreign entities .
2. Following a similar strategy , the 2012 campaign garnered hundreds of thousands supporters in the first several months , shattering 2008 records .
3. By election day his facebook page had 3.4 million supporters , his website My.BarackObama.com had 2million members , the campaign had an email list of 13 million and there were 1 million text message subscribers showing how campaigns should be run by mobilizing people not powerful interests .
4. PresidentObamafamouslyeschewedlargecorporatedonorsinfavorofgrassroots fundraising and social media in 2008 , casting a wide net of supporters .
5. In a democracy where the government is supposed to be accountable to the people this should be self-evident ; accountable to the people should mean that rather than accountable to corporate interests .
6. They should be decided by the American people .

Obama vs. Romney: Does campaign finance in the United States need to be fixed?


This House would grant politicians immunity from prosecution
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

Giving politicians’ immunity from prosecution allows them to focus on performing their duties


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. These are not role models of which we should be proud .
2. Tyson cruelly bit off a portion of Holyfields ear in the fight , on live television .
3. Tyson was one of the most popular and successful boxers in history , when he faced Evander Holyfield in the most hyped fight of the year .
4. Mike Tyson is a particularly harmful example .
5. The marketing of boxing exalts this mindless violence and those who perpetrate it .
6. In addition to the violence in the ring , brawls often break out at press conferences and even inside boxing venues .
7. Children should not idolize people who make a living by injuring other people .
8. Boxers are presented as beacons of success for young people , but they are not good role models .
9. , Tyson : Id bite again , October 4 , 1999 , .


Poetry should not be taught in schools (Junior)
What is a possible side to this debate?

Poetry is too difficult for school students


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. That 's because U.S. women still earned only 77 cents on the male dollar in 2008 , according to the latest census statistics .
2. -LRB- That number drops to 68 % for African-American women and 58 % for Latinas . -RRB-
3. These are all real problems , on which feminists continue to campaign - as they should .
4. Feminism is still of relevance today , and is indeed needed .
5. In the UK , one in four women suffers domestic violence , and an increase in the reporting of rape in the last thirty years has gone alongside a threefold drop in conviction rates .
6. In countries such as Ireland and Malta abortion is still not legal for all women , this can be seen as an important part of equality for woman that has not been achieved yet and needs to be fought for .
7. If we take feminism as a global movement then the movement is still of huge importance .


Shorter degree courses are better for getting mature students into education.
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. It would seem then that the introduction of such courses would encourage more mature students to get better qualifications , and in the process be able to contribute more to the economy as well as learn more for themselves .
2. We should seek to encourage such committed students , who often contribute a great deal to society and the economy upon their graduation .
3. Those who left school at 16 or 18 but now want to go to college are often more serious about their studies , often with a more motivated and professional approach than 19 or 20-year-olds who have moved to university by default .
4. For example , at Stafford University where 2-year courses are being trialed , Director for Academic Development Dr Steve Wyn Williams has said that `` Many of our students who opt to do the fast-tracks are mature students who are looking for a career change who are often quite used to working during the summer period when they were in employment '' .
5. But mature students want focused , cost-effective courses that do not require them to take three or more years out of a career .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. This means that surgery costs more on average for smokers and is also less likely to be effective .
2. Overall complications were reduced to 10 % in those who quit smoking compared with 44 % in those who continued .
3. For example , in a study of wound and other complications after hip or knee surgery , no smoker who quit beforehand developed a wound infection compared with 26 % of ongoing smokers and 27 % of those who only reduced tobacco use .
4. Failure to quit smoking before surgical procedures increases cardiac and pulmonary complications , impairs tissue healing , and is associated with more infections and other complications at the surgical site .
5. Therefore , prioritizing non-smokers , at least in certain areas of healthcare , would be beneficial to society as a whole .
6. Treating more smokers means devoting more resources for lower results .

This house would deny smokers access to state healthcare.


This House would produce high quality generic drugs for Africa
What is a possible side to this debate?

Easily affordable drugs will mean greater access


This House believes that the EU should abandon nuclear energy
What is a possible side to this debate?


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. The primary justification for democracy promotion is the democratic peace theory .
2. The theory of the democratic peace goes back to Immanuel Kant 's essay ` Perpetual Peace ' , which he published in 1795 ; perpetual peace refers to a state of affairs where peace is permanently established over a certain area , as the Roman and British Empires attempted to do during their respective periods of dominance in history .
3. Kant 's theory was that the majority of people would never go to war , unless in self-defence .
4. Democracies tend not to go to war as often as other countries because their military is more directly under civilian control .
5. Authoritarian governments or those heavily underpinned by their respective armies , by contrast , have no such barriers to whimsical invasions of other countries -LRB- nor the use of the national army to suppress their own people in a bid to solidify power -RRB- .
6. Communist North Korea is just one example of a country whose foreign policy is extremely aggressive as a direct result of its political inclinations .
7. Therefore if all countries were democracies there would be no wars as there would be no aggressors .
8. Given the peaceful nature of democratic states , it is clearly in the interest of the USA to promote democratic change worldwide .

This house would promote democratization


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. For instance , in the United States , standards are expected to improve with time , leading to fears that even if schools and students improve , they will not do so quick enough to meet national expectations .
2. Some even fear that ` by 2014 , virtually every school across our country will have failed the unrealistic mandates of No Child Left Behind ' , the program that enforces national testing .
3. Which historic figures should all students learn about ?
4. What parts of history are most important ?
5. The idea of national testing may seem like a good idea until you start to actually try to agree the standards that teachers must teach to .
6. Agreeing what must be taught is difficult enough in a local setting ; nationally such agreement is probably not achievable .
7. Also , and partly as a result , good standards are difficult to come up with .
8. Standards are either too vague so that the test-makers and teachers do not know what material to focus on , or they are too detailed so that teachers and students are swamped by the large number of subjects that must be covered .
9. Should creationism be taught in science or religious education ?
10. Maribeth Wilkerson , a graduate student of education , argues ` public schools are serving a particular community , so for that community to not have a say in what 's taught and how does n't seem right ' .

It is impossible, in large countries, to have a national curriculum that teaches all the relevant information and sets a fair common standard


Sentences: 1. Reeves , Richard , The Pinch : How the Baby Boomers Stole Their Childrens Future by David Willetts , , 7 February 2010 ,
2. To make matters worse they are likely to be paying more for their elders pensions -LRB- which come out of current workers national insurance not that which was paid in by the boomers themselves -RRB- and healthcare and then will have to work longer for a smaller pension themselves .
3. This means that if spending remains on its current trajectory most spending will remain directed at the baby boomers for decades to come .
4. David Willetts , the UK Minister for Universities and Science , estimates that the boomers are set to take out about 118 % of what they put in to the welfare state .
5. The current generation on the other hand in some countries are having to pay more for their education and then find there is no job available .
6. In most western countries the baby boomers -LRB- those who were born between the end of the second world war and the mid-1960s -RRB- could be considered to have led a charmed life .
7. They were the beneficiaries of free schooling and university education , then of an expanding economy that provided enough jobs , and finally high pensions .

What claim can be made from these sentences?


This House believes that the US and Israel should join the International Criminal Court.
What is a possible side to this debate?

The American people support ICC membership.


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. By linking education to traditional economic activities , families are unable to take advantage of alternative sources of trade or income .
2. Where a state fosters a healthy service economy , and offers additional benefits to foreign firms who employ its businesses as outsourcing partners , demand for highly educated workers will increase .
3. In developing states that lack a growing service sector , the value of a qualification in science , accounting or computing can not be immediately realised .
4. This situation may prevent social mobility in one of two ways .
5. Firstly , a child who is only educated to a certain standard , or who is encouraged to gain knowledge that is relevant only to a certain field , may be unable to adapt to changes in his economic circumstances later in life .
6. A worker with training in computing will be able to compete for a much wider range of jobs than someone who only has a basic education that only focused on literacy .
7. Offshore outsourcing incentivises wider engagement with education in developing states , for longer periods of time .
8. While - even more so than in the wealthy world - education is seen by citizens of developing nations as offering a path out of poverty or subsistence-level economic activity , worries about property rights , the breakdown of families and communities and the acquisition of essential skills may lead to schooling becoming a lower priority for older children and young adults .
9. The connection between education , skills acquisition and improvements in income and living standards are not immediate .
10. There is little impetus for workers and parents to pay for forms of education that are not directly linked to the sorts of economic activity that are predominant in their communities .


This House would unleash the free market
What argument could one make about this debate topic?

The free market is morally superior because it operates on liberty


Claim: Trade is a long-term basis for international co-operation.
What evidence supports this claim?

1. It tends to be less predictable , both because it is manipulated for political reasons and also because it can be quite ephemeral and so , if the developed country goes through a bad economic time , the aid budget makes an easy target for a reduction in spending as is shown by the arguments in the United States where the USAID Administrator Shah `` We estimate , and I believe these are very conservative estimates , that H.R. 1 -LSB- bill passed by republicans in the house cutting foreign spending -RSB- would lead to 70,000 kids dying , '' .
2. European trade with Africa may have decreased , but Chinas demand for oil and raw materials is blossoming , and Africa is becoming a major supplier .
3. This will allow a firm basis for a flow of cash or goods into the developing country , largely independently of whether the developed country is doing well or badly economically at a given moment .
4. This can be contrasted to the flow of aid .
5. Whereas aid is mostly short term , particularly for individual projects or limited to the donors priorities , the other partner in a trading relationship is likely to represent an ongoing market for goods or services .
6. So when a developing country has the capacity to engage in trade with another country , there is a strong likelihood that that trade will blossom into an ongoing trading partnership .


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Bowcott , Owen , Charles Taylor and the dirty-looking stones given to Naomi Campbell , , 26 April 2012 ,
2. Courtroom sketches , written transcripts and other tools allow reportage without the use of original footage in a tawdry manner .
3. Jurisdictions where cameras are not permitted in courts still can and do have accurate , informative and timely reports of cases , however high profile , without filming them .
4. Much of the interest in the SCSL Charles Taylor trial came along when Naomi Campbell gave evidence so giving the trial celebrity interest that had little to do with the legalities involved .
5. The ICC trials are among the most high profile in the world so are likely to be susceptible to this .
6. The Simpson trial showed how harmful a televised high profile trial can be degenerating into a freak show .
7. Broadcasting trials would be likely to turn the court in to entertainment .

This House opposes televising all criminal trials, and the ICC is no exception


Sentences: 1. Instead this bill , which carries the marks of both political and moral corruption has been the main focus of the president and congress .
2. This issue has consumed political energy for over a decade and received massive national and international attention and yet there are far more pressing concerns for the nation and its political leaders .
3. Villegas , Socrates B. , Contraception is Corruption !
4. At the very least this suggests a questionable sense of priority , at worst a gross lack of interest in the welfare of the Filipino people .
5. The idea that the hungry and homeless need condoms more than food and shelter is clearly absurd .
6. This has been an urban and political obsession from the outset .
7. Rather than interfering in the moral life of the nation , parliamentarians would be better exercised in tackling these concerns .
8. The poor would be better helped through accessible education , better hospitals and lesser government corruption .
9. , , 15 December 2012 ,

What claim can be made from these sentences?

Poor families would be helped far more by investment in education and healthcare


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. Such stockpiling would only occur if they were confident that the vaccines have passed through a rigorous testing process .
2. Furthermore , even after being approved , organizations exist , like the United States Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System , as a center for tracking adverse events related to specific vaccines .
3. If the events classified as serious are reported regularly for a specific vaccine , the vaccine can be subject to further study .
4. All vaccinations are tested rigorously before they are approved for use .
5. As vaccinations represent an important and potential harmful intrusion in an individuals body , it is very important that they are safe .
6. This is especially clear when governments decide to make immunization obligatory ; they have to be sure they administer to their citizens safe vaccinations .
7. Based on the increase in the number of compulsory vaccinations in different countries , many governments have also stocked up on the funding of vaccination controlling of offered immunization treatments .

All vaccinations are tested rigorously before they are approved, and tracked afterwards


The difficulty of removing Landmines far outweighs their usefulness
Come up with some evidence to support this claim.

1. They are easily removed by quite low-technology military equipment which means that they are not very dangerous to armed forces whose mobility is not significantly restricted , this is after-all the purpose of the mines , but are incredibly harmful to civilians .
2. The usefulness of landmines is significantly over-represented .
3. Removing a landmine can be fairly easy , but detecting them is not .
4. A significant problem is that many minefields have been left unmarked and that they can remain active for more than 50 years .


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. In fact , the age where girls enter puberty has become progressively younger ; so , whereas 11 might be considered an average age to begin puberty , some girls can begin puberty as young as 7 years old .
2. However , in either case or early or of late development , the subjective decision of sexual maturity should not be permitted or outlawed by a system which takes no personal account of the individual ; the only person who can judge if they are ready is the girl herself .
3. The decision to have sex is an incredibly subjective one .
4. Some girls might be ready at 13 , others may not be ready until they are in their twenties or older .

Young girls should have the right to independent choice.


This House believes the ICC is biased against Africa
What is a possible side to this debate?

ICC is controlled by the Security Council


Sentences: 1. McGreal , Chris .
2. `` The battle of the US-Mexico frontier . ''
3. The FBI has warned that it is likely that Al Qaeda operatives and other terrorist groups will use the porous Mexican border as a means of infiltrating the country and launching deadly plots against American citizens in future .
4. To prevent the carrying out of attacks , America needs secure borders .
5. That has forced a costly increased police presence in border areas , and even that often proves insufficient to quell the killings .
6. But even if the violent common criminals were somehow suppressed because of stepped up actions by the Mexican government , an easily penetrated border presents a national security threat .
7. Mexican violence between drug cartels frequently spills over and threatens the lives and peace-of-mind of Americans as well .
8. The Council on Foreign Relations has said that Mexico 's levels of violence and lawlessness over the past few years exceed even those in Iraq or Afghanistan .

What claim can be made from these sentences?

A fence would dramatically increase American safety.


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. A similar dynamic has been played out a number of times in the past , and as of yet there has never been a war between two nuclear powers .
2. When states have nuclear weapons they can not fight , making the world a more peaceful place .
3. For example , the conflict between India and Pakistan was defused by the acquisition of nuclear weapons by both sides .
4. Before they obtained nuclear weapons , they fought three wars that claimed millions of lives .
5. Relations between the two states , while still far from cordial , have never descended into open war .
6. The defusing of the immediate tension of war , has given the chance for potential dialogue .
7. Nuclear weapons create stability , described in the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction -LRB- MAD -RRB- .
8. Countries with nuclear weapons have no incentive to engage in open military conflict with one another ; all recognize that they will suffer destruction if they choose the path of war .
9. If countries have nuclear weapons , fighting simply becomes too costly .
10. This serves to defuse conflicts , and reduce the likelihood of the outbreak of war .

Nuclear weapons serve to defuse international conflicts and force compromise


Summarize the argument implied by these sentences?

1. One of the more divisive problems in America is the increasing inequality between the wealthy and members of other classes .
2. The burdens currently confronted by Americas middle class are addressed in a number of ways .
3. The harms that could , and have resulted from this extend to the Occupy Protests in the tail end of 2011 , as well as riots With the rich consistently seeming to get richer despite the poor economic climate , many of the less rich within the American economy feel that the state is playing against them , conferring advantages on those best able to lobby politicians and make large election campaign donations .
4. A popular consensus has emerged amongst Americas middle class , which portrays the recession as an event triggered by the rich , with rhetoric regarding Greedy Bankers playing into the public discourse on the ineffectiveness of state regulation of large financial institutions .
5. This is problematic when it is state mechanisms that will enable Americans who lack access to costly universities to better educate and train themselves , thus making them more employable thus allowing them to help push the American economy out of recession .
6. Finally , the jobs act redresses problems where the largest subsidies go to things such as charitable giving and mortgage interest presumably things which are paid by people who need subsidies the least .
7. Caps will be placed on such tax breaks under the act and as such , money will be more likely to go to people who need it more the poor or unemployed .
8. Given also the higher tax burden placed on the rich with this tax , and the system that results is likely to be skewed more strongly in favour of working Americans .
9. Further , changes in the taxation system will also be able to sure up any loopholes that have been exploited by the rich to avoid taxes .
10. The American Jobs Act redresses the balance between the wealthy top tier of American society and its middle and working classes .

The Jobs Act Redresses the Balance Between the Wealthy and the Middle Class


What claim can be made from the following pieces of evidence?

1. * Whyte , 1983 ,
2. Unrest in Northern Ireland was started by the appalling treatment of the Catholic minority there .
3. When there was a Northern Ireland Parliament there was some gerrymandering , while the discrimination in representation was slight very few nationalists were able to get senior jobs , in the civil service for example in 1927 fourteen of the 229 officers of staff officer rank or above , or 6 per cent , were Catholic , while in 1959 there were forty-six Catholics out of 740 in such ranks , or once again , 6 per cent .
4. * Over the years reforms have been introduced but there is still huge stigma against the Catholic community in Northern Ireland , who have little representation in politics , because it is dominated by Unionist rhetoric .
5. The best way to ensure equal treatment of the Catholics in Ireland is to unite majority Protestant Northern Ireland with Catholic majority Republic of Ireland , where they will be better represented in politics and not stigmatized by their neighbors .

It would be easier to protect the rights of religious minorities within a united Ireland


What debate topic are the following sentences about?

1. We dont need this information , but it certainly is helpful , and it is just as helpful for children as for adults .
2. It is equally useful that a mobile phone can tell us if it is likely to rain , or if the train is late .
3. It is clearly useful that we can phone to ask to be picked up rather than always having to set a meeting time in advance .
4. Mobile communication is very useful and its main use is not to keep us safe but to make life easier .

Every child should have a mobile phone. (Junior)


Sentences: 1. Pension schemes are provided for workers within the formal employment sector , by various public organisations - including the government and GEPF .
2. However , some national pension schemes are more developed than others and teachers need to be ensured the profession can provide investments for future security .
3. In South Africa an average teaching salary is 19,535 ZAR in contrast to the 28,235 ZAR average granted in all jobs in South Africa -LRB- Salary Explorer , 2013 -RRB- .
4. Further , social policy is required to introduce teacher pension schemes .
5. A key concern amongst teachers is finance - inadequate wages and insurance .
6. Teacher wages is considerably lower than other formal professions - combining to enforce low morale and occupational motivation as pay is too low to sustain individuals and households -LRB- Bennell , 2004 -RRB- .
7. The creation of national social policies which provide secure , and stable , wages for teachers is fundamental .
8. Social policy can make satisfied teachers .
9. An ageing population only reinforces its importance .
10. See further readings : GEPF , 2013 .

What claim can be made from these sentences?


This House would ban smacking
What is a possible side to this debate?

Parents caught smacking their children would be punished by fines or, if repeated, jail


This House believes the age of consent laws should be made more liberal (lowered).
What is a possible side to this debate?

Age of consent laws prevent the most vulnerable receiving contraceptives.


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Minority students perform less well on tests like the SAT , even when correction is made for income.The test with its reading comprehension test and being done in English is obviously biased against students from households where English is not the dominant language as they are much less likely to understand the questions .
2. Even when English language skills are not a problem the question choice can contain a cultural bias .
3. One analogy question on the 2003 SAT used the word regatta which minority students were unlikely to be familiar with .
4. Having this kind of bias is obviously unfair and can never be fully accounted for in a diverse country such as the United States of America where those who set the wording of the questions will never know all possible perspectives .

This House would abolish standardized tests for University Admission


What is the debate topic for the following sentences?

1. Babies and individuals with learning disabilities may lack intelligence , a sense of justice and the ability to conceive of their future .
2. We ensure that babies and the learning disabled are protected by rights and therefore these factors can not be criteria by which to exclude a being from the rights system .
3. Therefore , even if animals are not as advanced as human beings they should be protected by rights .
4. An inability to know what 's going on might make being experimented on etc even more frightening and damaging for an animal that it may be for a human being .

This house believes that animals have rights.