Positions

Doctors have to make decisions every day regarding people's lives. Every surgeon, specialist and primary care doctor needs to have enough training and education to take on this responsibility. This process should not be rushed.

This position holds that surveillance has not gone too far. It argues that surveillance brings many benefits — above all keeping the country safe — that it has proven useful internationally, and that scaling it back would also cost jobs that depend on the security industry.

This position holds that tablets should not replace textbooks. It argues the technology can be unreliable, that tablets cause digital eyestrain, that they remain too expensive for every student to access, and that they easily distract learners from their work.

This position holds that taxation is not theft. It argues that, under the social contract, citizens consent to taxation in exchange for the state's services — that pre-tax income was never wholly the taxpayer's to begin with — and that tax is a legitimate equalising force, not robbery.

No, "You Need to Calm Down" was clearly designed to be the next 'great anthem' song. It was released to line Taylor Swift's pockets by spotting a chance to profit off the LGBTQ movement.

This position holds that teachers should not carry guns. It argues that schools should be safe places for learning, that arming teachers normalises violence and invites trouble, that teachers lack the tactical training to handle weapons, and that funds are better spent on education.

The responsibility of the state is only to provide basic necessities. Tertiary education is a service which should be paid for by the user.

This position holds that Thanos is not truly a villain. It argues that his cause—balancing a universe of finite resources—is just and that his approach, however drastic, is reasonable, since his logic makes sense and his actions follow a coherent rationale.

This position holds that the Black Lives Matter protests will not bring lasting change. It argues that, like many movements before, the systemic racism it targets will outlast the protests — partisanship blocking legislation, a backlash inevitable, and the political will lacking.

This position holds that the voting age should be raised, not lowered. It argues that the brain is not fully developed until around 25, that young people are easily manipulated, that 18-29-year-olds already vote at low rates, and that voting should require some life experience.

This position holds that the money in football is fine. It argues that the wealth has not harmed and may even have improved the game — trickling down to communities, coming from owners who can afford it, offering the poor a path to riches, and simply reflecting the sport's demand.

This position holds that the current balance between franchise films and original ones is fine. It argues that audiences genuinely want more of the characters they know and love, and that profitable franchises keep the film industry healthy enough to fund original work too.

This position holds that India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not dangerous. It argues that the party has been unfairly demonised abroad — that it has achieved much, would have been voted out if truly dangerous, merely exposes pre-existing tensions, and is no outlier on the world stage.

Whilst admirable in its aims, the body positivity movement has not achieved what it set out to. Body shaming persists and people are still defined by their appearance. The movement has also been commercialised and sanitised, meaning it is not as inclusive as it was initially.

This position holds that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not justified. It argues they caused catastrophic civilian harm without actually forcing Japan's surrender — which it credits instead to the Soviet entry into the war — and were of dubious military necessity.

A nation’s identity is always in the balance. This can be easily tipped by unregulated movement. Abandoning border control and allowing a free-for-all of state residence would be a disaster wherever it was implemented. It is not a human right and should be at the state’s discretion.

Despite the fact that Russia adopted capitalism and the Soviet Union dissolved, Vladimir Putin's Russia is just as aggressive as it was when Gorbachev held power in the Soviet Union. Furthermore, the relations between Russian and the United States has further deteriorated and become chilly yet again. As Russia remains in contention with America the more time goes on, concerns about echos of ideological battles and arms races are at the forefront of national security. The Cold War never truly ended, perhaps only in spirit, but as Russia becomes more akin to the Soviet Union than it had previously, and relations between Russia and the U.S. remain frosty, there is the acute reality of a present-day Cold War.

Although the Cold War was an ideological competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, that does not justify defining this period of conflict between the two nations as an actual war. While this Cold War may have led to other proxy wars and even the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, no true armed conflict ever occurred. Furthermore, because this Cold War was mostly about two superpowers trying to exert superiority over the other in everything from sporting events to space programs, this period of conflict cannot be accurately defined as a war, just a competition.

Nature is an important part of everyone’s life. Vitamin B is provided by the sun, being outside encourages outside, and relieves stress. After COVID-19 has caused countries to go into quarantine, being outside has become limited. This is especially critical for young children and students focused on environmental studies and naturals sciences. However, there are ways to continue outdoor learning.

This position holds that the disadvantages of fandom culture outweigh its benefits. It argues that, while fandoms appear to bring people together, they are often divisive — exerting outsized control over content and fostering toxicity around a given figure or franchise.

Young adults are more vulnerable to the detrimental effects of alcohol and less equipped to make responsible choices about drinking. A higher drinking age prohibits people from drinking until they are mature enough to handle it.

This position holds that the Earth is not flat but round, as the evidence shows. It points to the classic proofs: the round shadow the Earth casts in lunar eclipses, ships vanishing hull-first over the horizon, and different constellations being visible from different latitudes.

The Elbe Philharmonic Music Hall is a masterpiece of design with a unique character. Built from glass and stone in an organic, asymmetric design, the building is a triumph of modern architecture.

This position holds that the Harry Potter series should not be 'canceled' despite J.K. Rowling's controversial statements on gender. It argues the books themselves carry no transphobic message, and that they hold cultural value and shaped a generation independently of their author's views.

The growth in emoji use is part of the much more transformative digital revolution. Emojis are impactful insofar as they enhance (or diminish) existing forms of communication. However, they have no revolutionary impact in and of themselves.

This position holds that the impact of emojis is limited to communication itself. It argues emojis are simply non-verbal cues that shape how people express themselves online, and may even have lowered literacy levels—but that their influence stops there, with no deeper social change.

This position holds that the Kardashians are not feminist. It argues that they pay only lip service to feminism to profit from it, that they promote products and unrealistic beauty standards harmful to women's self-image, and that they handle social movements insensitively.

This position holds that the BBC licence fee should not be mandatory. It argues that the fee is an unpopular, regressive tax that hits poorer households hardest, is hard to enforce in an age of streaming, and props up a service many people no longer use.

"Baby It's Cold Outside" is an innocent Christmas classic. Make no mistake; it is definitely a song about a night of fun and sex. But it is not about date rape; it is playful banter between two people who are in love. One can infer this by their playful tone of voice; if the woman was really reluctant, she would sound much less enthusiastic about her man's advances. The lyrics to "Baby It's Cold Outside" are not offensive; they are witty and charming.

This position holds that the marketplace of ideas does not work. It argues the concept rests on an idealistic view of society, sustains an intellectual oligopoly, has grown irrelevant, assumes a naive notion of progress, and rests on an empathetic fallacy.

This position holds that the Marvel movies are not good cinema, popularity notwithstanding. It argues that they exist chiefly as a vehicle for corporate profit, that their plots follow a formulaic pattern lacking real creativity, and that they are built as family blockbusters rather than art.

This position holds that the Met Gala is not distasteful. It argues that the event is fundamentally a charity fundraiser for the Met's Costume Institute, that it gives designers a stage to show their best work, and that it is enjoyable to watch and sparks global conversation.

Tradition and the will of the people require the nomination to wait until after the election

David Hume in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779): “Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?”

This position holds that the police should not be defunded. It argues that cutting police budgets would first hit community-engagement and humane policing programmes rather than weapons and equipment, and that forces need adequate funding to prevent and respond to crime.

This position holds that Indian police were not complicit in the Palghar lynching. It argues officers did not arrange the killings and in fact tried to stop them, framing the incident within a wider pattern of 'WhatsApp lynchings' across India.