Friday Headlines

Debaters Consider the Issues

Senior School

24 March 2023

It’s been a busy term for debating. The debating captains continue to run the lunchtime clubs on Mondays and Tuesdays, and this term have enjoyed debating abortion, legalising guns, homework, and the environment. We held our online debate on Wednesday 15 March. The joy of debating in the evening on Teams is that it gives us the time and space to have a developed discussion that we simply don’t get on our busy school days.  

We never shy away from controversial or current topics and this time was no exception.The motion was ‘We should not be held accountable for the sins of our ancestors’. Muneera Hassani in Year 11 did a great job opposing the motion. This was the first time she has spoken in a debate. She raised a wide range of issues including slavery and war crimes. Ecatarina Dima, also in Year 11, proposed the motion. She considered the practicalities of accountability and if reparations were just a way of assuaging guilt. We are particularly grateful to Ecatarina as she volunteered to speak with only a day’s notice after another speaker was unable to attend. 

The debate was superbly chaired by debating captain Costanza Vecchio who, by broadening the motion and asking pertinent questions, developed the floor debate. 

There were lots of excellent contributions, but we should particularly thank the two other debating captains Keeranjit Kalirai and Mona Abras. Their breadth of historical knowledge meant that this was an informative as well as challenging discussion.  

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