Debating at the Union

After working on a variety of tutorial assignments – Greg had an 1500 word essay, whilst Jess had readings on the philosophy of history - students honed their debating skills in the prestigious Oxford Union. The Unions has hosted leading public figures such as Winston Churchill, The Dalai Lama and Pierce Brosnan.

The workshop began with word games, and then moved on to debating controversial issues such as “This house believes that dogs are better than cats” and “This house believes that school uniforms should be abolished”.

Some impressive points were made, including Gordon bringing in the Ancient Egyptians, an impressive way of bringing new ideas to the floor! Daisy made an incredibly confident argument against uniforms, tackling arguments posed to her with ease. Jess also was a very captivating speaker, making excellent points.

Students were given instruction on debating technique, where they learnt about the structure of a British parliamentary debate. The variety of speaking styles were also discussed, some of which could be seen in the students : Ariana had a conversationalist way of speaking, Gordon took on a statesman style and Daisy was most definitely a firebrand!

Students split into groups and competed against each other – some excellent debates were had, with two winning teams entering the finals. The final debate was “This house believes the monarchy should be abolished immediately”. The proposition made some excellent points and Eleanor was an outspoken contributor to the debate. However the opposition made a very strong case and were pronounced the winners! Well done Tom, Leora, Jess and Natali!

Debate winners!