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Advanced Debate Topics
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Abortion |
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Should abortion be
permitted? |
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Adoption of Children by Same Sex Couples |
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Should gay couples
be given the same legal rights as heterosexuals in adopting children? |
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African Affairs, Intervention in from Outside |
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Should African
disputes and conflicts be handled by African countries themselves, rather
than by external international organisations? |
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African Languages in African Schools |
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Should native
tongues take precedence in African schools, or should English and other
non-African languages be the languages of the school room? |
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AIDS Drugs for Developing Countries |
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Should AIDS drugs be
made cheaper for developing countries? |
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Alcohol |
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Should the sale and
consumption of alcohol – the world’s favourite drug – be further restricted,
or even banned? |
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Anarchism |
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Is Anarchism a
valuable political ideology? |
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Animal Experimentation |
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Is it morally
acceptable to experiment on non-human animals to develop products and
medicines that benefit human beings? |
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Animal Rights |
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Do non-human animals
have rights? |
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Animals in Sports and Entertainment |
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Should human beings
be allowed to use other animals as objects of sport and entertainment? |
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Arts Subsidies, Abolition of |
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Should government
subsidy of the arts be ended? |
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Assassination of a Dictator |
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Can the
assassination of a dictator be justified? |
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Assisted Suicide/Voluntary Euthanasia |
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Should assisted
suicide be legalised? |
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Bill of Rights [UK] |
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Should the UK have a
Bill of Rights ? |
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Biodiversity and Endangered Species |
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Should we be trying
to prevent species becoming extinct? If so, why? |
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Calendar Reform |
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Should the current
Gregorian calendar be reformed? Should worldwide calendars be standardised? |
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Cameras in Courtrooms |
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Should cameras be
placed in courtrooms so that criminal trials can be televised? |
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Cannabis, Legalisation of |
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Should
Cannabis/Marijuana be legalised? |
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Capital Punishment |
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Is it ever justifiable
to execute criminals? |
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Censorship of the Arts |
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What is the right
balance to strike between freedom of and restrictions upon artistic
expression? |
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Chechnya, Intervention in |
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Should outside
nations or international organisations become involved in the military
conflict in the Russian province of Chechnya? |
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Child Curfews |
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Should young people
be subjected to night-time curfews as a way to reduce crime? |
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Child Offenders, Punishments for |
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Is stricter
punishment the answer to juvenile crime? |
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China and the World Trade Organisation |
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Should China be
allowed to join the World Trade Organisation? |
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China, Fear of |
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Does China give the
rest of the world reasons for fear, in political, economic or social terms?
Or is the ‘Terror from the East’ merely a myth ? |
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Civil Disobedience |
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When is it
justifiable for protesters and activists to break the law for the sake of
their cause? |
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Coalition Government |
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Is coalition
government preferable to government by a single political party? |
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Commonwealth, Abolition of |
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Should the
Commonwealth be abolished? |
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Compulsory Voting |
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Should voting in
elections be compulsory? |
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Contraception for Under-Age Girls [UK] |
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Should doctors be allowed
to prescribe contraception for girls under the age of 16? |
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Corporal Punishment (for Adults) |
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Is physical force a
justifiable method of punishing criminals? |
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Corporal Punishment (for Children) |
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Is physical force a
justifiable method of punishing children? |
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Cultural Treasures |
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Should cultural
treasures be returned to their country of origin? |
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Democracy |
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Is democracy, as is
so often assumed, really the best form of government? |
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Developing World Debt |
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Should developed
countries cancel the debts of the poorest nations? |
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Disestablishing the Church of England [UK] |
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Should we
disestablish the Church of England? |
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Divorce |
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Should divorce be
made even easier to obtain, or are there social and moral reasons to
discourage it? |
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DNA Database for Criminals |
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Should we create a
database of DNA that can be used by police authorities in order to apprehend
criminals? |
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Drugs in Sport |
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Should the use of
performance-enhancing drugs in sport be legalised? |
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Drug-Testing in Schools |
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Should school
students face mandatory drug-tests? |
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Energy Crisis: Nuclear vs Renewable Sources |
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Is nuclear power the
best way to meet the ever-increasing energy needs of the planet, or do alternative
energy sources provide a viable alternative? |
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Environmentally Linked Aid |
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Should developed
countries force developing countries to protect the environment by making it
a condition of aid? |
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European Common Agricultural Policy |
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Should the European
Union’s Common Agricultural Policy be scrapped in favour of free trade? |
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European Defence Force |
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Should the European
Union have its own standing army? |
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European Federalisation |
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Should the European
Union become a federal superstate, with consequent loss of national
sovereignty for member countries? |
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European Union Expansion |
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Should the EU expand
to include all those European states which wish to join? |
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Exams |
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Should examinations
be replaced with other forms of assessment? |
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Federal Government |
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Is a confederation
the best way to run national or supra-national affairs? |
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Freedom of Speech, Restrictions on |
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Is it ever right for
Governments to restrict freedom of speech? |
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Gay Marriages |
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Should homosexual
couples be allowed to marry? |
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Gays in the Military |
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Should gays and
lesbians be allowed into the armed forces? |
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Gene Patenting |
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Should genes be
patented? |
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Genetic Screening |
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Should we intervene
in the genetic makeup of our children? Should genetic screening be used to
produce genetically healthy or even "designer" babies? |
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Genetically Modified Food |
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Are there
environmental, moral, or health issues associated with genetically modified
food? Should it be banned? |
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George W. Bush |
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Is George W. Bush
good for America, and for the wider world? |
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Global Warming: Is More Action Needed? |
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Although still a
controversial subject, there is a growing consensus that global climate
changes are being caused by environmental pollution, especially by greenhouse
gases. Do we need to take more urgent action to halt this trend? |
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Globalisation: Marginalisation of the Poor |
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Has the rise and
spread of trans-national companies exacerbated global economic inequalities? |
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Graduate Tax |
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Should Higher
Education be funded by a tax on graduates? |
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Greenhouse Gas: Trading of Quotas |
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Should countries be
allowed to buy greenhouse gas quotas from other countries and so, in effect,
pay for the right to pollute more? Or should polluters simply be heavily
taxed if they exceed their own quotas? |
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Gun Control |
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Should laws be
passed to limit gun ownership further? |
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Harmonisation of Taxation within the European Union |
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Should the EU
further restrict the powers of its member states to set their own tax rates?
Should proposed harmonisation measures be passed by majority voting or remain
subject to national vetoes? |
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Hate Speech on Campus |
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Is it correct for
university authorities to ban hate speech? |
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Hollywood’s Influence |
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Does Hollywood have
a negative impact on the world? |
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House of Lords: Reform [UK] |
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Should the House of
Lords continue in its present form? Or should it become a partly or entirely
elected chamber? |
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Human Cloning |
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Should human cloning
be banned ? Should reproductive human cloning always be prohibited? |
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Human Organs, Sale of |
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Should we legalise
the sale of human organs? |
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Human Rights: Imposition by Force? |
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Should force be used
to protect human rights? |
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Identity Cards |
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Should everyone have
to carry an identity card? |
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Immigration Laws, Relaxation of |
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Should governments
in rich countries relax the laws controlling immigration? |
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Internet Censorship |
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Should governments
censor material on the world wide web? |
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Islam, Fear of |
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Is Islam, especially
as embodied in its militant forms, something to be feared as a threat to
global peace and stability? |
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Ivory Trading |
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Should the present
international ban on trading elephant ivory be lifted? |
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Licensing Laws: Reform of [UK] |
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Should the opening
hours of pubs and bars be extended? |
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Life on Mars |
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Has there ever been
organic life on Mars? |
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Mandatory Retirement |
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Should the
government enforce a mandatory retirement age? Is there an age when one is
"past it"?! |
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Marriage |
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Is marriage an
outdated institution? Is co-habitation replacing the institution of marriage,
and will this affect the security and stability of children? |
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Minimum Voting Age of 16 |
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Should the minimum
voting age be reduced to 16, or remain at 18? |
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Museums, Entrance Fees to |
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Should museum entry
be free? |
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Myanmar (Burma) |
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Should international
sanctions against Myanmar (Burma) be lifted? |
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National Lotteries |
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Should national
lotteries be abolished? |
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National Service / Conscription |
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Should National
Service be reintroduced? |
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NATO, Disbanding of |
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Should NATO be
disbanded? |
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Nazi War Criminals |
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Should we continue
to prosecute Nazi war criminals? |
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New Labour Landslide [UK, 1997] |
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Specifically, was
the 1997 New Labour Landslide good for Britain? Generally, are the
‘landslide’ majorities sometimes produced in first-past-the-post elections
good for democracy? |
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North Korea |
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Should the West
establish diplomatic relations with North Korea ? Should the West lift all
remaining trade sanctions against North Korea? |
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Northern Ireland |
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Is the Good Friday
Agreement the best way forward for Northern Ireland? |
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Nuclear Weapons |
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Should Nuclear
Weapons be abolished? |
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Nursery Education for Free |
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Should the state
provide free nursery education for all children? |
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Olympic Dream |
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Is the Olympic Dream
Dead? |
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Ordination of Gay Priests |
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Should Christian
churches allow gays and lesbians to be ordained as priests? |
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Outing of Gay Celebrities |
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Is it justifiable to
force gay and lesbian celebrities out of the closet, in the interests of gay
rights? |
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Overpopulation and Contraception |
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Is there a global
crisis of overpopulation? Is so, is increased use of contraception the
solution? |
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Pacifism |
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Is the rejection of
all violence a valid principle by which to live? |
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Performance-Related Pay |
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Should professionals
be paid according to their performance? |
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Politicians’ Outside Interests |
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Should elected
representatives be banned from pursuing outside interests? |
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Pornography |
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Should pornography
be banned for moral, religious, feminist or crime-prevention reasons? Or is
censorship of this sort ill-advised? |
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Positive Discrimination/Affirmative Action |
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Should the use of
positive discrimination be increased? |
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Private Lives of Public Figures |
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Should the private
lives of public figures be open to press scrutiny? |
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Private/Public Education |
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Should parents have
the right to educate their children privately? |
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Privatisation of the NHS [UK] |
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Should the NHS be
privatised? |
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Proportional Representation |
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Should a more
proportionate system of voting be used to elect political representatives? |
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Prostitution |
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Should prostitution
be legalised ? Do the benefits of legalisation or decriminalization outweigh
the possible dangers? |
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Public Control of Broadcasting |
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Should government
ownership of the broadcast media be ended? |
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Referendums |
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Should the use of
referendums be increased? |
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Religious Belief |
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Are religious
beliefs irrational or rational? Have they done more harm than good? |
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Republic or Monarchy? |
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Should the monarchy
be abolished? |
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Sado-Masochism |
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Should
sado-masochism be legalised? |
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Salary Capping |
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Should a mandatory
maximum salary be imposed by governments? |
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Sanctions versus Engagement in International Affairs |
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Should we attempt to
democratise states through engagement, free trade and conciliation or by the
use of punitive sanctions and belligerence? |
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School Uniform |
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Should schools
require their students to wear a school uniform? |
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Science: a Threat to Society? |
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Science has shown
itself capable both of killing and curing – on balance, for which does it
have more potential? |
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Scottish Independence |
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Should Scotland
become an independent nation? |
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Sex Education |
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Should children be
given sex education in schools, or should this be the responsibility of the
parents? How should it be taught? |
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Sex Offenders, Castration of |
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Should men found
guilty of sex crimes be chemically castrated? |
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Sex Offenders, Naming and Shaming |
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Should sex offenders
be named and shamed? |
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Single-Sex Schools |
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Do boys and girls
benefit more from being taught together or separately? |
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Smoking |
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Should there be
further restrictions on the advertising, selling, and smoking of tobacco?
Should it be banned? |
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Space Exploration |
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Should mankind
invest in the exploration of space? |
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State Funding of Political Parties |
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Should political
parties be funded by the state rather than by individual and corporate
donations? |
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Stem Cell Research / Therapeutic Cloning |
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Should medical
research involving the use of human stem cells be permitted? Should clinical
treatments that utilise these cloned cells be allowed? |
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Sunday Entertainment and Shopping |
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Should shops and
other commercial services be able to open on Sundays? |
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Surrogate Mothers |
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Should surrogate
motherhood be allowed? |
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Taiwan |
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Should Taiwan
declare independence? |
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Term Limits for Elected Representatives |
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Should we place
restrictions upon the length of time served in office by elected
representatives? |
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Terrorism |
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Should governments
negotiate with terrorists? |
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Trial by Jury |
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Should the right to
trial by jury be decreased? |
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UN Security Council Veto |
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Should we press for
the abolition of the power of veto held by the permanent members of the Security
Council? |
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United Nations Standing Army |
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Should the United
Nations have its own permanent standing army? |
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United Nations: A Failure? |
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Should the United
Nations be judged a failure? |
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University Tuition Fees [UK] |
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Should students in
higher education be charged tuition fees? |
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USA, Fear of |
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Is the USA a threat
to world stability or a political force for good? |
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Vegetarianism |
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Should we stop
eating other animals? What are the moral, environmental, and health issues
involved? |
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Workfare |
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Should unemployed
people be made to work for their welfare money? |
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Written Constitution for Britain |
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Should Britain have
a written constitution? |
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Zero Tolerance |
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Is zero tolerance
policing (strict and set responses to all crimes by police) a good way of
reducing crime? |
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Zoos |
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Should we ban the
keeping of animals in zoos? |