Tuesday saw our final debate for 2008 bringing an end to our debates for the Autumn Term. Whether it's Nintendos, who should be the next US President, gay adoption or football we've covered more of a range than usual this term and a good thing that is too.
This Tuesday sees the party's Christmas get together which promises to be a lively affair complete with music (provided by Laurie Dudley), a quiz and of course sausage rolls. All members and friends of the society are welcome, the party is always a nice way to celebrate a year of debating.
Other notices worth mentioning are; a group of members will represent the society at Heaton Manor's school carol service on Thursday at Holy Trinity Church Jesmond; the Board are looking to put together a team to enter ICYD 2009, more details to come in the New Year; and finally the President's message will be published later this week and promises to be a reasoned and thoughtful reflection on the past year.
So don't forget to be good boys and girls for Santa Clause or you'll get coal this Christmas!
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Friday, 28 November 2008
Football
Who would have thought it, the Heaton Manor Union Society holding a debate on football, especially following he infamy of the 'Football Thread'. But next Tuesday's debate will indeed be on the issue of whether the Premiership season should be extended include a 39th game to be played overseas.
The motion will be 'This house believes the Premier League should add a 39th game to be played abroad' the debate will take place on Tuesday 2nd December at 2.45pm in L7. Speaking in proposition will be the Chair of last year's grand final, Jake Robinson who will be partnering David Larke, ICYD finalist 2008. On the opposition bench will be the Society President and former team mate of David Larke, James Bartle and Chris Redfearn who is already making an impression on the society since his arrival at the start of the year.
The motion will be 'This house believes the Premier League should add a 39th game to be played abroad' the debate will take place on Tuesday 2nd December at 2.45pm in L7. Speaking in proposition will be the Chair of last year's grand final, Jake Robinson who will be partnering David Larke, ICYD finalist 2008. On the opposition bench will be the Society President and former team mate of David Larke, James Bartle and Chris Redfearn who is already making an impression on the society since his arrival at the start of the year.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Debates unveiled
Hello, there. Perhaps you're still revelling, like many members of the Heaton Manor Union Society, in the delight that the United States of America elected its first African-American President this month. Well, as James has outlined, we celebrated in style with a Sixth Form Vs. Lower School extravaganza. And, two weeks, later, we have now organised our debates for the forthcoming season. Although these debates are subject to change, they're included here as a guide.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
This House believes that CCTV is restricting our freedom.
SPEAKER: David Lowes
PROPOSITION: Willem Evans & David Larke
OPPOSITION: Sahan Bentotage & Keir Mochrie
JUDGES: Miss M. Murphy, Laurie J. Dudley & Ben Wallace
Tuesday, 02 December 2008
This House believes that the Premiership League should add a 39th game, to be played abroad.
SPEAKER: Keir Mochrie
PROPOSITION: David Larke & Jake Robinson
OPPOSITION: James Bartle MYP & Chris Redfearn
JUDGES: Mrs M. Robinson, Laurie J. Dudley & Saskia Neibig
Tuesday, 09 December 2008
This House believes that religion is preventing world peace.
SPEAKER: David Larke
PROPOSITION: Ewan Gibson & David Lowes
OPPOSITION: TJ Bentotage & Andrew Burdis
JUDGES: Laurie J. Dudley, Miss M. Murphy & Willem Evans
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
This House believes that the media is unfairly demonising children.
SPEAKER: Andrew Burdis
PROPOSITION: Sophie Barker & Saskia Neibig
OPPOSITION: Chris Redfearn & Jake Robinson
JUDGES: Mrs M. Robinson, Laurie J. Dudley & Ewan Gibson
Please follow our 'Forthcoming debates' page at heatonmanorunion.org.uk for up-to-the-minute information. This will be an exciting few weeks at the Society.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
US Election - reflections
Congratulations to Mr Obama. If I am pleased about nothing else today, I am pleased that America has stood up to the racists within its borders and has shown it can elect a black man as President. It is a shame however the America people fell for his empty rhetoric and threw away the chance of electing one of the most experienced Presidential candidates the country has ever had the choice of electing (my own opinion of course).
But as the campaign is written in to the history books and Mr Obama prepares for inauguration day, it is nice to look back on what a gripping campaign this has been. Once again Britons have proven they seem to care more about an election state-side than we do about our own elections here, showing there is so much we can learn from the American electoral system.
For the society, the campaign has prompted 1077 views (at the last count) of our discussion on the issue and nearly 300 posts. In looking back on the past six months of campaign here are some of the highlights of our discussion:
"Although I quite agree with you that (apart from Afghanistan) Bush's response to the Twin Towers disaster was very good."
Laurie Dudley
"A far better way to diminish the capabilities of the Taliban would have been to use a controlled, small, nuclear explosion in the mountainous/hilly areas where the Taliban was known to be based."
James R Bartle
"I don't think TRUE Republicans can be very 'nice' in any sense really..."
David Lowes
"OBAMA FTW OKAY?"
David Shepherd
"I know that they [conservatives] are complete racist and sexist pigs, so they won't vote for Obama and Clinton, they might just not vote at all!"
David Lowes
"It's not age that's the issue; it's experience. Obama was only sworn in as a Senator in 2005."
Laurie Dudley
"As I said ages ago, Hillary Clinton lights up the stage. Barack Obama just drones on about change in America. Snore."
Laurie Dudley
"A flu virus is more intelligent than an American."
David Lowes
"The notion that Hillary wants someone to assassinate Barack is the biggest joke I've ever heard."
Laurie Dudley
"She can't and won't win now, so the longer the [expletive deleted] fight amongst each other Republicans can win votes!"
James Bartle
"I would like to congratulate the Democratic Party on handing the Republican Party victory in this year's General Election. On behalf of the Heaton Manor Republican Supporters Association can I thank the Democratic Party and its supporters most sincerely. You have no assured us that we won't have a President come inauguration day who wants to end free-trade, negotiate with Iran and leave Iraq in the lurch."
Anon
"It's (and I quote) "too socialist" for the Americans, and, according to some, it's not in their constituents best interests, so, what they're saying is that mass unemployment is in the best interests of the people."
David Lowes
But as the campaign is written in to the history books and Mr Obama prepares for inauguration day, it is nice to look back on what a gripping campaign this has been. Once again Britons have proven they seem to care more about an election state-side than we do about our own elections here, showing there is so much we can learn from the American electoral system.
For the society, the campaign has prompted 1077 views (at the last count) of our discussion on the issue and nearly 300 posts. In looking back on the past six months of campaign here are some of the highlights of our discussion:
"Although I quite agree with you that (apart from Afghanistan) Bush's response to the Twin Towers disaster was very good."
Laurie Dudley
"A far better way to diminish the capabilities of the Taliban would have been to use a controlled, small, nuclear explosion in the mountainous/hilly areas where the Taliban was known to be based."
James R Bartle
"I don't think TRUE Republicans can be very 'nice' in any sense really..."
David Lowes
"OBAMA FTW OKAY?"
David Shepherd
"I know that they [conservatives] are complete racist and sexist pigs, so they won't vote for Obama and Clinton, they might just not vote at all!"
David Lowes
"It's not age that's the issue; it's experience. Obama was only sworn in as a Senator in 2005."
Laurie Dudley
"As I said ages ago, Hillary Clinton lights up the stage. Barack Obama just drones on about change in America. Snore."
Laurie Dudley
"A flu virus is more intelligent than an American."
David Lowes
"The notion that Hillary wants someone to assassinate Barack is the biggest joke I've ever heard."
Laurie Dudley
"She can't and won't win now, so the longer the [expletive deleted] fight amongst each other Republicans can win votes!"
James Bartle
"I would like to congratulate the Democratic Party on handing the Republican Party victory in this year's General Election. On behalf of the Heaton Manor Republican Supporters Association can I thank the Democratic Party and its supporters most sincerely. You have no assured us that we won't have a President come inauguration day who wants to end free-trade, negotiate with Iran and leave Iraq in the lurch."
Anon
"It's (and I quote) "too socialist" for the Americans, and, according to some, it's not in their constituents best interests, so, what they're saying is that mass unemployment is in the best interests of the people."
David Lowes
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
US Election
Did Heaton Manor vote the same way as the American people in our US election special debate this afternoon? Well we'll have to wait until tomorrow to know, but it was (as somewhat expected) victory for Team Obama in today's debate.
By Team McCain's own admission we simply didn't do the old man justice and looks like his own campaign team state-side will be guilty of the same. As a declared McCain supporter my tissues are at the ready and I'm looking forward to a miserable day tomorrow as the scale of the defeat becomes clear. Our Chair, Director of Communications and indeed most of the Society can celebrate victory for their candidate tomorrow.
By Team McCain's own admission we simply didn't do the old man justice and looks like his own campaign team state-side will be guilty of the same. As a declared McCain supporter my tissues are at the ready and I'm looking forward to a miserable day tomorrow as the scale of the defeat becomes clear. Our Chair, Director of Communications and indeed most of the Society can celebrate victory for their candidate tomorrow.
Friday, 10 October 2008
Independence for Scotland? - Tuesday 14th October
Will it be Rule Britannia or Scotland the Brave? At long last the issue of Scottish independence comes to the table as we tackle this emotive political issue. The speeches of Alex Salmon will no doubt have been exhausted for possible arguments, the finances of the union calculated to the exact penny. Then there are the questions on all of our minds; what about the Queen and the national anthem too?
Four of our debaters will be tackling this issue on Tuesday 14th October when the society debates the motion 'This House believes Scotland should become an independent state.'
Speaking in proposition will be newcomer Chris Redfearn and David Shepherd. Chris wowed us all with his first debate a few weeks ago when he stepped in at the last minute and pulled the floor and judges points in his first debate. David is the Society Vice-Chair and has been with us for quite a while; he's appeared in competition teams twice and is most well known in the society for his....thought provoking and stimulating contributions to the forum.
In opposition will be the Society Vice-President Adam Thompson who will be making his debut debate of the year. Sam Hunt, fresh from his antics at the RGS a few weeks ago will be Adam's partner. Adam and Sam are some what joined at the hip (metaphorically speaking) and have been debating partners on many occasions in the past.
We are all looking forward to Tuesday's debate and welcome all, members and non, to come along and watch what should be an interesting debate.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Organ donation - 7th October 2008
The chuckles of last week over, our Wii Fits away and having been spared from the red ring of death our debating calender returns to a more...serious nature this week as we take on the issue of presumed organ donation. Grand Final chair, Jake Robinson takes the Speaker's chair for this weeks debate as we debate the motion This house believes in presumed organ donation the interesting topic of whether or not we should have to 'opt out' as opposed to 'opt in' to organ donation.
Speaking in favour will be Andrew Burdis and Ewan Gibson whilst in opposition Thejana Bentotage will be hoping he has more success than his brother did last week as he accompanies newcomer the infamous David Lowes. David will have to hope that all of the newcomers luck wasn't used on Chris Redfearn last week whilst this President has no doubt that prayers that I will be absent from Tuesday's debate will have been said this morning by Mr Lowes.
The society looks forward to an interesting debate on Tuesday and as usual we welcome any guests who wish to pop by and see what we get up to.
Speaking in favour will be Andrew Burdis and Ewan Gibson whilst in opposition Thejana Bentotage will be hoping he has more success than his brother did last week as he accompanies newcomer the infamous David Lowes. David will have to hope that all of the newcomers luck wasn't used on Chris Redfearn last week whilst this President has no doubt that prayers that I will be absent from Tuesday's debate will have been said this morning by Mr Lowes.
The society looks forward to an interesting debate on Tuesday and as usual we welcome any guests who wish to pop by and see what we get up to.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Battle of the games consoles.
Join us tomorrow (Tuesday 30th September) as our debating calender takes on a more lighthearted note. Sahan Bentotage and ICYD finalist David Larke will be speaking in favour of the motion 'This Hosue believes that the Nintendo Wii is superior to the X-Box'. Speaking in opposition will be Luke Bendall and Willem Evans. Expect some fun and games (hahaha, aren't I witty) tomorrow as we take on a less philosophical nevertheless equally important issue.
Saturday, 27 September 2008
NJDC 2008: an absolute triumph
T
oday was an important day for Society members. We were represented at the Northern Junior Debating Championship (NJDC), which is the fourth competition we have entered in the two years since the Union Society was formed. Two teams were entered, comprising James Bartle MYP and Saskia Neibig; and Sam Hunt and Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani respectively.
Both teams performed magnificently. James and Saskia are competition veterans but had not been on the same team even at Society meetings until Tuesday’s practice round. They proved to be a winning combination, their different styles complimenting each other beautifully. Of 56 teams competing at the NJDC, they came in 11th place. James was awarded with a certificate, having received the sixth highest amount of speaker points of an incredible 112 students. Saskia finished in a fabulous 22nd place.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, Sam and Ghazaleh had never participated in external debates. Ghazaleh had in fact only debated twice before today! They decided to enter the NJDC after being left gasping for more following the Society trip to Oxford for the ICYD finals in May. Considering their novicehood, their 21st position is absolutely fantastic. Ghazaleh finished in 19th place, while Sam was in 50th. These are both superb positions.
The first motion the teams had to face was ‘This House would pay pregnant women to stop smoking’. The debaters had practised this on Tuesday at Heaton Manor, so were well-prepared. However, they were not expecting to be drawn in the same debate, against one another. James and Saskia opposed the motion with a pair from Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Gramm
ar School, whilst Sam and Ghaz proposed with a team from the Grammar School at Leeds. James began by outlining the practical implications of the scheme (research prompted by the Floor question by Chris Redfearn on Tuesday) and attacking the cost. Saskia went on to demonstrate that the programme would be blatant nanny stateism, discrimination and a massive gamble.
Ghazaleh and Sam argued that the cost will be recovered in the long term, that the scheme would reach the right people, and that it would break the cycle of dependence. Sam was left with the job of summarising the Proposition’s case. James and Saskia came first in this debate, whilst Sam and Ghazaleh followed in second. Tunbridge Wells came third; Leeds Grammar fourth. This was a massive boost to the debaters’ collective confidence, and a smashing result.
The second of the day’s debates was ‘This House would prevent employers from requesting the criminal records of potential employees except where they would be working with vulnerable groups’, a motion released only fifteen minutes prior to the start of the debate. James and Saskia were drawn in Proposition with Leeds Grammar, against George Heriot’s School and King Edward VI School. Sam and Ghaz opposed with another team from George Heriot’s, against RGS and Grove.
James and Saskia argued that the motion defended the justice system and meritocracy in the workplace. They finished in third, being told that they ought to take care in ensuring their arguments were different to the first Proposition’s, and use more examples. Sam and Ghaz came fourth, having failed to fill their time with their arguments of preventing criminals from staying concealed and that the motion defeated the object of keeping criminal records.
For the final debate, ‘This House would ban adverts that exploit gender stereotypes’, James and Saskia proposed with Cheney School, facing RGS and George Watson’s. Sam and Ghazaleh also proposed with Dundee High School, against King Edward VI and Tunbridge Wells. James and Saskia finished in a remarkable second, successfully defining the motion and arguing that advertising was too powerful to be left as the last trace of sexism in society. Ghazaleh and Sam, however, were chuffed with FIRST PLACE!
A million ‘well done’ messages to the fabulous James Bartle MYP, the wonderful Sam Hunt, the brilliant Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani and the smashing Saskia Neibig! Here’s to the ICYD competition in Durham in January; unfortunately Saskia is the only of today’s competitors eligible to compete in 2009. Also, our thanks to Miss M. Murphy and Mrs M. Robinson for leading the squad, and for the support of Ms L. Dixon, Kaisa Polvikoski and Adam Thompson. Check out our podcast on Tuesday, which will include interviews with the participants.
oday was an important day for Society members. We were represented at the Northern Junior Debating Championship (NJDC), which is the fourth competition we have entered in the two years since the Union Society was formed. Two teams were entered, comprising James Bartle MYP and Saskia Neibig; and Sam Hunt and Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani respectively.Both teams performed magnificently. James and Saskia are competition veterans but had not been on the same team even at Society meetings until Tuesday’s practice round. They proved to be a winning combination, their different styles complimenting each other beautifully. Of 56 teams competing at the NJDC, they came in 11th place. James was awarded with a certificate, having received the sixth highest amount of speaker points of an incredible 112 students. Saskia finished in a fabulous 22nd place.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, Sam and Ghazaleh had never participated in external debates. Ghazaleh had in fact only debated twice before today! They decided to enter the NJDC after being left gasping for more following the Society trip to Oxford for the ICYD finals in May. Considering their novicehood, their 21st position is absolutely fantastic. Ghazaleh finished in 19th place, while Sam was in 50th. These are both superb positions.
The first motion the teams had to face was ‘This House would pay pregnant women to stop smoking’. The debaters had practised this on Tuesday at Heaton Manor, so were well-prepared. However, they were not expecting to be drawn in the same debate, against one another. James and Saskia opposed the motion with a pair from Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Gramm
ar School, whilst Sam and Ghaz proposed with a team from the Grammar School at Leeds. James began by outlining the practical implications of the scheme (research prompted by the Floor question by Chris Redfearn on Tuesday) and attacking the cost. Saskia went on to demonstrate that the programme would be blatant nanny stateism, discrimination and a massive gamble.Ghazaleh and Sam argued that the cost will be recovered in the long term, that the scheme would reach the right people, and that it would break the cycle of dependence. Sam was left with the job of summarising the Proposition’s case. James and Saskia came first in this debate, whilst Sam and Ghazaleh followed in second. Tunbridge Wells came third; Leeds Grammar fourth. This was a massive boost to the debaters’ collective confidence, and a smashing result.
The second of the day’s debates was ‘This House would prevent employers from requesting the criminal records of potential employees except where they would be working with vulnerable groups’, a motion released only fifteen minutes prior to the start of the debate. James and Saskia were drawn in Proposition with Leeds Grammar, against George Heriot’s School and King Edward VI School. Sam and Ghaz opposed with another team from George Heriot’s, against RGS and Grove.
James and Saskia argued that the motion defended the justice system and meritocracy in the workplace. They finished in third, being told that they ought to take care in ensuring their arguments were different to the first Proposition’s, and use more examples. Sam and Ghaz came fourth, having failed to fill their time with their arguments of preventing criminals from staying concealed and that the motion defeated the object of keeping criminal records.
For the final debate, ‘This House would ban adverts that exploit gender stereotypes’, James and Saskia proposed with Cheney School, facing RGS and George Watson’s. Sam and Ghazaleh also proposed with Dundee High School, against King Edward VI and Tunbridge Wells. James and Saskia finished in a remarkable second, successfully defining the motion and arguing that advertising was too powerful to be left as the last trace of sexism in society. Ghazaleh and Sam, however, were chuffed with FIRST PLACE!
A million ‘well done’ messages to the fabulous James Bartle MYP, the wonderful Sam Hunt, the brilliant Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani and the smashing Saskia Neibig! Here’s to the ICYD competition in Durham in January; unfortunately Saskia is the only of today’s competitors eligible to compete in 2009. Also, our thanks to Miss M. Murphy and Mrs M. Robinson for leading the squad, and for the support of Ms L. Dixon, Kaisa Polvikoski and Adam Thompson. Check out our podcast on Tuesday, which will include interviews with the participants.
Friday, 19 September 2008
Should we pay pregnant women to give up smoking?
Debating gets underway again next week at Heaton Manor as the society's competition teams take part in a practice debate for the Northern Junior Debating Championships which take place on Saturday 27th September at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle.
Debating the motion 'This House would pay pregnant women to give up smoking' will be:
Proposition
James Bartle
James is the Society's President and won 2008's Grand Final debate alongside Laurie J Dudley. He competed in ICYD 2007 alongside David Shepherd, partnered Laurie J Dudley in NJDC 2007 and reached the finals of ICYD 2008 held in Oxford earlier this year with David Larke. NJDC 2008 will be James' final competition at junior level.
Saskia Neibig
Saskia Neibig is Chair of the Executive and will partner James at NJDC 2008. Saskia previously competed in ICYD and NJDC 2007. Saskia and James are considered two of the society's strongest debaters although Tuesday's debate will be the first time they've ever competed on the same team in a debate.
Opposition
Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt is an experienced debater who has been with the society since its beginning. He is an accomplished campanologist and is currently Assistant to the Executive Committee. Like his partner in NJDC 2008, Sam is a competition novice although he did attend the finals of ICYD 2008 as an observer.
Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani
Ghazaleh has been debating for little over five months but quickly came to the attention of the society's leaders and has been partnered with Sam for next week's competition. Ghazaleh and Sam have debated together before but Ghazaleh has no experience of competitive debating although like Sam was an observer in Oxford.
The debate will take place on Tuesday 23rd September at 2.45pm in L7. Adam Thompson, Vice-President of the Society will be in the Chair whilst Sophie Barker is the Student Judge.
Debating the motion 'This House would pay pregnant women to give up smoking' will be:
Proposition
James Bartle
James is the Society's President and won 2008's Grand Final debate alongside Laurie J Dudley. He competed in ICYD 2007 alongside David Shepherd, partnered Laurie J Dudley in NJDC 2007 and reached the finals of ICYD 2008 held in Oxford earlier this year with David Larke. NJDC 2008 will be James' final competition at junior level.
Saskia Neibig
Saskia Neibig is Chair of the Executive and will partner James at NJDC 2008. Saskia previously competed in ICYD and NJDC 2007. Saskia and James are considered two of the society's strongest debaters although Tuesday's debate will be the first time they've ever competed on the same team in a debate.
Opposition
Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt is an experienced debater who has been with the society since its beginning. He is an accomplished campanologist and is currently Assistant to the Executive Committee. Like his partner in NJDC 2008, Sam is a competition novice although he did attend the finals of ICYD 2008 as an observer.
Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani
Ghazaleh has been debating for little over five months but quickly came to the attention of the society's leaders and has been partnered with Sam for next week's competition. Ghazaleh and Sam have debated together before but Ghazaleh has no experience of competitive debating although like Sam was an observer in Oxford.
The debate will take place on Tuesday 23rd September at 2.45pm in L7. Adam Thompson, Vice-President of the Society will be in the Chair whilst Sophie Barker is the Student Judge.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
And so it all begins again...
Having avoided any attempts to depose our leader, unaffected by recent flooding and refreshed from our summer (what summer?) holidays, Heaton Manor Union Society is back for another year of debating.
Here's an update on happenings over the summer and since we've returned to school...
Change of day
Heaton Manor Union Society has changed its meeting day. The society will now meet each week on Tuesday's, 2.40pm in room H7. This new arrangement seemed to be the best option for most members and has also meant we've been able to take on lots of new members too. We welcome all our new members.
Debating Programme
We've only had one meeting so far and we've already planned our debating programme for the coming weeks. Members will be debating which is better, the playstation or the xbox; whether or not Scotland should leave the United Kingdom and go its own way; whether presumed organ donation should become law; and whether gay people should be banned from adopting. An exciting programme that covers a range of topical issues, we look forward to all of those debates.
Committee
The new Committee was due to take office on 1st August but due to a number of complications new Committee members won't take office just yet. An ad-hoc Committee of the President (James Bartle), ex-Chair (Laurie Dudley) and Saskia Neibig (former Treasurer and Chair-designate) is currently working on a plan to overcome the present problems.
We look forward to seeing new faces and old over coming weeks as we get back in to the swing of things.
Here's an update on happenings over the summer and since we've returned to school...
Change of day
Heaton Manor Union Society has changed its meeting day. The society will now meet each week on Tuesday's, 2.40pm in room H7. This new arrangement seemed to be the best option for most members and has also meant we've been able to take on lots of new members too. We welcome all our new members.
Debating Programme
We've only had one meeting so far and we've already planned our debating programme for the coming weeks. Members will be debating which is better, the playstation or the xbox; whether or not Scotland should leave the United Kingdom and go its own way; whether presumed organ donation should become law; and whether gay people should be banned from adopting. An exciting programme that covers a range of topical issues, we look forward to all of those debates.
Committee
The new Committee was due to take office on 1st August but due to a number of complications new Committee members won't take office just yet. An ad-hoc Committee of the President (James Bartle), ex-Chair (Laurie Dudley) and Saskia Neibig (former Treasurer and Chair-designate) is currently working on a plan to overcome the present problems.
We look forward to seeing new faces and old over coming weeks as we get back in to the swing of things.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Debates over for the year!
It's been a fantastic year at the Heaton Manor Union Society, and it's now over. The Grand Final saw James Bartle MYP and Laurie J. Dudley become this year's Champions in a dramatic clash with David Larke and Saskia Neibig over votes at 16. You can get the low-down on the event in the final newsletter until Autumn. Click here for that. It's also available as a podcast, which includes additional interviews with James and Saskia, as well as the Board's take on the debate. See here.
Next week's Zimbabwe debate has been cancelled due to the unavailability of participants, meaning that we won't meet as a Society until the summer party on 10 July. If you're reading this as a Society member, go to the discussion forums now to give your opinion on what we ought to get up to at the party.
This week also saw the last meeting of the Executive Committee under Laurie J. Dudley, who stepped aside for Saskia earlier this month. The Committee officially voted in the next office-holders, the full details of which is available at our Executive page.
Multimedia-wise, the Grand Final is truly live. James' video, 'A Year In Pictures', is available now on YouTube. Plus, our Flickr site is the place to be for the snaps we've taken this year.
'On that point...' will return in Autumn if not before.
Next week's Zimbabwe debate has been cancelled due to the unavailability of participants, meaning that we won't meet as a Society until the summer party on 10 July. If you're reading this as a Society member, go to the discussion forums now to give your opinion on what we ought to get up to at the party.
This week also saw the last meeting of the Executive Committee under Laurie J. Dudley, who stepped aside for Saskia earlier this month. The Committee officially voted in the next office-holders, the full details of which is available at our Executive page.
Multimedia-wise, the Grand Final is truly live. James' video, 'A Year In Pictures', is available now on YouTube. Plus, our Flickr site is the place to be for the snaps we've taken this year.
'On that point...' will return in Autumn if not before.
Friday, 13 June 2008
Grand Final 2008
The last pieces of the jigsaw have been put into place this week for the Grand Final 2008. Likely to be even bigger an event than last year, this year's debate will take place in the Drama performance area of Heaton Manor School. The motion has been released as 'This House would lower the voting age to 16'. It will be proposed by David Larke and Saskia Neibig. James Bartle MYP and Laurie J. Dudley will oppose. Members are inviting parents, teachers and friends to come and join in the fun. Refreshments will no doubt be provided, and a presentation on the Society's activities will be given before the clash.
Stay tuned to the blog, RSS feed, and to final.heatonmanorunion.org.uk for all the latest news on preparations.
Stay tuned to the blog, RSS feed, and to final.heatonmanorunion.org.uk for all the latest news on preparations.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Podcasting our way into the twenty-first century!
The Heaton Manor Union Society is delighted to make available much of its content in podcast form. The newsletter, the league and, this week, the Chair's retirement statement (see James' post from earlier today!), are all available today.
Follow these links:
'the weekly conversation' Issue #28
League
Retirement of the Chair
Enjoy!
Follow these links:
'the weekly conversation' Issue #28
League
Retirement of the Chair
Enjoy!
Grand final, Chair's retirement & next year's executive - News update
Here is an update on this week's important developments in the society...
Bartle, Dudley, Neibig and Larke confirmed as Grand Final '08 participants
We can now confirm that James Bartle MYP, Laurie Dudley, Saskia Neibig and David Larke (in order of league placings) have broken to this year's Grand Final debate, for which the motion is yet to be announced. Following a 5 votes to 4 win over Ewan Gibson and Andy Burdis in today's debate on the Royal Family and with the Judge's bonus point, James moved to first in the league table. The cancellation of next week's debate means Saskia Neibig will be unable to move James from the top spot and this week's league positions will be the final ones for the year. A copy of the final league positions can be found here.
Cancellation of next week's Zimbabwe debate
The debate on the motion 'This House believes we should intervene in Zimbabwe', scheduled for 12th June, has been cancelled due to a planning meeting for the Grand Final the following week.
Laurie Dudley announces his resignation as Chair
Laurie Dudley, the Society's Director of Communications has announced his resignation from the position of Chair. Society President, James Bartle, formally received Laurie's resignation this afternoon. Laurie is retiring from the position after holding it since the start of the academic year. He succeeded James Bartle to the position in September having previously served as Vice-Chair. A full copy of his retirement letter to society members can be found here.
Next year's Committee announced
After a meeting of the Social Committee this afternoon, the composition of next year's Executive Committee received its final approval next year. The Committee has undergone a significant reshuffle following Laurie Dudley's retirement from the Executive. Adam Thompson and Sam Hunt both rejoin the Committee following their departure last year. Adam becomes Vice President and Sam becomes the Committee's Assistant. David Shepherd remains Vice-Chair whilst Amy Maughan becomes Treasurer. James Bartle remains as President. The new Committee will be formally elected in the coming weeks and will take office on 1st August.
Bartle, Dudley, Neibig and Larke confirmed as Grand Final '08 participants
We can now confirm that James Bartle MYP, Laurie Dudley, Saskia Neibig and David Larke (in order of league placings) have broken to this year's Grand Final debate, for which the motion is yet to be announced. Following a 5 votes to 4 win over Ewan Gibson and Andy Burdis in today's debate on the Royal Family and with the Judge's bonus point, James moved to first in the league table. The cancellation of next week's debate means Saskia Neibig will be unable to move James from the top spot and this week's league positions will be the final ones for the year. A copy of the final league positions can be found here.
Cancellation of next week's Zimbabwe debate
The debate on the motion 'This House believes we should intervene in Zimbabwe', scheduled for 12th June, has been cancelled due to a planning meeting for the Grand Final the following week.
Laurie Dudley announces his resignation as Chair
Laurie Dudley, the Society's Director of Communications has announced his resignation from the position of Chair. Society President, James Bartle, formally received Laurie's resignation this afternoon. Laurie is retiring from the position after holding it since the start of the academic year. He succeeded James Bartle to the position in September having previously served as Vice-Chair. A full copy of his retirement letter to society members can be found here.
Next year's Committee announced
After a meeting of the Social Committee this afternoon, the composition of next year's Executive Committee received its final approval next year. The Committee has undergone a significant reshuffle following Laurie Dudley's retirement from the Executive. Adam Thompson and Sam Hunt both rejoin the Committee following their departure last year. Adam becomes Vice President and Sam becomes the Committee's Assistant. David Shepherd remains Vice-Chair whilst Amy Maughan becomes Treasurer. James Bartle remains as President. The new Committee will be formally elected in the coming weeks and will take office on 1st August.
Monday, 2 June 2008
Should members of the Royal Family fight on the front line?
With Prince William beginning his deployment with the Royal Navy and the press still recovering from keeping quiet for so long about Prince Harry's trip to Afghanistan. Heaton Manor Union Soceity takes the bull by the horns and tackles the question of whether he should have gone to Afghanistan in the first place.
Speaking on the motion 'This House believes members of the Royal Family should not fight on the front line' will be:
Proposition
Andrew Burdis - Year 9; placed joint 7th in the league
Ewan Gibson - Year 9; also placed joint 7th in the league
Opposition
James Bartle MYP - Year 10; ICYD 2008 finalist; 3rd in the league
Luke Bendall - Year 8; 19th in the league
Thursday's debate will be a crucial one as James Bartle will attempt to move in to first place in the league (he needs only two out of a possible four points to do this) and other members of the society try to boost their final league positions as the debating year nears its end before the Grand Final later this month.
We look forward to welcoming everyone along to the debate in L7 - 2.40pm - Thursday 5th June 2008.
Speaking on the motion 'This House believes members of the Royal Family should not fight on the front line' will be:
Proposition
Andrew Burdis - Year 9; placed joint 7th in the league
Ewan Gibson - Year 9; also placed joint 7th in the league
Opposition
James Bartle MYP - Year 10; ICYD 2008 finalist; 3rd in the league
Luke Bendall - Year 8; 19th in the league
Thursday's debate will be a crucial one as James Bartle will attempt to move in to first place in the league (he needs only two out of a possible four points to do this) and other members of the society try to boost their final league positions as the debating year nears its end before the Grand Final later this month.
We look forward to welcoming everyone along to the debate in L7 - 2.40pm - Thursday 5th June 2008.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
'the weekly conversation'
Hello and welcome to an advance edition of 'the weekly conversation'. Unfortunately, due to a right old kerfuffle with a memory stick, our template is unavailable, so our official and final edition will be published on Friday if possible. Without further ado, let's get our top headlines.
The week's debate
'This House believes that embryonic stem cell research should be allowed for scientific progress.'
Motion rejected, 9 votes to 0.
Judges' choice: Opposition
In a debate that saw the Proposition confuse their science, there were dramatic consequences, with the rare result of nine-nil. The head judge described some of the Proposition's arguments as 'bizarre' but congratulated the speakers, Sahan Bentotage and David Larke, on their confident and calm manner. Sahan used notes but for his first debate, performed magnificently. David was the only debater to use Points of Information.
However, the man that stole the show was Sahan's brother, Thejana Bentotage. He, along with Jake Robinson, wowed the audience and the panel with their interesting mix of ethics and science. Faced with heated questions from the Floor, all debaters worked well.
Get well soon to Miss Murphy!
Board member and AfD judge Miss M Murphy was absent from this week's debate having had a tooth removed and being in pain. The Society wishes her all the best for a speedy recovery.
Nothing bell-ow par here.
The Society welcomed its latest edition this week's debate: a souvenir bell from Oxford University. Purchased in Oxford by Committee representatives, Speakers will have to bang on the table no more. Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani was the lucky member who was granted the first use of the bell. Ring-ring!
Executive News
The Executive Committee agreed unanimously to make Mr K Gray; Mr N Holmes; and Mrs K Morrey Patrons of the Heaton Manor Union Society for services to the Society. Welcome to the team.
The week's debate
'This House believes that embryonic stem cell research should be allowed for scientific progress.'
Motion rejected, 9 votes to 0.
Judges' choice: Opposition
In a debate that saw the Proposition confuse their science, there were dramatic consequences, with the rare result of nine-nil. The head judge described some of the Proposition's arguments as 'bizarre' but congratulated the speakers, Sahan Bentotage and David Larke, on their confident and calm manner. Sahan used notes but for his first debate, performed magnificently. David was the only debater to use Points of Information.
However, the man that stole the show was Sahan's brother, Thejana Bentotage. He, along with Jake Robinson, wowed the audience and the panel with their interesting mix of ethics and science. Faced with heated questions from the Floor, all debaters worked well.
Get well soon to Miss Murphy!
Board member and AfD judge Miss M Murphy was absent from this week's debate having had a tooth removed and being in pain. The Society wishes her all the best for a speedy recovery.
Nothing bell-ow par here.The Society welcomed its latest edition this week's debate: a souvenir bell from Oxford University. Purchased in Oxford by Committee representatives, Speakers will have to bang on the table no more. Ghazaleh Mohammadi-Zaniani was the lucky member who was granted the first use of the bell. Ring-ring!
Executive News
The Executive Committee agreed unanimously to make Mr K Gray; Mr N Holmes; and Mrs K Morrey Patrons of the Heaton Manor Union Society for services to the Society. Welcome to the team.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Yesterday: amazing, amazing, amazing!
With the support of Mrs Robinson; newly-appointed Patron Mr Holmes; Sam; Ghazaleh; Chris; Kaisa (apologies if misspelt!); and myself, our compeititon finalists James and David headed for the Oxford Union Society yesterday for the most challenging day - by far - of their debating careers. No one was optimistic. James was convinced that they would receive four last places...in fact, they received only one.
In their first debate they bagged second place, beating notorious Winchester and Bradford Grammar. Throughout the day they'd go on to beat Guildford High and Westcliffe too. These are all private schools whose curriculums include debating for students of even a young age. James and David have been debating for less than two years. What a feat to be able to debate at the Oxford Union without the years of practice usually expected!
One of the greatest things for me as a spectator to see was how little there was in it between our own Society members and the private school debaters. Plus, the judges in each debate gave some fantastic feedback that will prove useful for the Society's standard to continue to progress as it has. Consistency; bringing new material in one's speech; clear definition of the motion; making the expansion speech interesting; prioritisation; and identifying clash in the summaries are all things that we can work on in the future.
David even spoke in a floor debate in the Oxford Union debating chambers! That's something fantastic to be able to say you've done. There were moments when we were on the edges of our seats, and moments when we had to step back and remember just where we were and how amazing it was that we were there.
There'll be more information on the debates on our website and at the Society meeting on Thursday.
In their first debate they bagged second place, beating notorious Winchester and Bradford Grammar. Throughout the day they'd go on to beat Guildford High and Westcliffe too. These are all private schools whose curriculums include debating for students of even a young age. James and David have been debating for less than two years. What a feat to be able to debate at the Oxford Union without the years of practice usually expected!
One of the greatest things for me as a spectator to see was how little there was in it between our own Society members and the private school debaters. Plus, the judges in each debate gave some fantastic feedback that will prove useful for the Society's standard to continue to progress as it has. Consistency; bringing new material in one's speech; clear definition of the motion; making the expansion speech interesting; prioritisation; and identifying clash in the summaries are all things that we can work on in the future.
David even spoke in a floor debate in the Oxford Union debating chambers! That's something fantastic to be able to say you've done. There were moments when we were on the edges of our seats, and moments when we had to step back and remember just where we were and how amazing it was that we were there.
There'll be more information on the debates on our website and at the Society meeting on Thursday.
Friday, 9 May 2008
Competition Day Eve
Hello from the University City of Oxford.
It’s the eve of competition day, or as one member of our group has been referring to it, massacre day. Tomorrow will see myself [James Bartle] and David Larke challenge fellow debaters from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the finals of the International Competition for Young Debaters.
We’re primed with our points of information, our rebuttal and our summations to attempt to try and pull one over on the private schools and win for Heaton Manor.
But before all of that, we spent a rather nice day today in Oxford which was made even better by glorious sunny weather. Our day began with a 9.10am start at Newcastle Central Station and after a couple of train journeys we finally arrived at the site of our greatest test yet. A bit of shopping, a few drinks and tea in a pub, and a walk by the river made our first day in Oxford a rather splendid occurrence.
Tomorrow, though, is why we’re here and with our army of fans behind us, the zeal to win deep in our hearts and a determination to succeed, we will do well tomorrow! Okay; maybe there isn’t a need for such rousing words but we’re going to try our best anyway.
This is James Bartle, signing out for On That Point!
P.S. There has been a slight technical hitch as far as uploading the videos of our exploits to our YouTube channel is concerned. However we have captured many happy images today and as soon as possible these will be made available to you.
It’s the eve of competition day, or as one member of our group has been referring to it, massacre day. Tomorrow will see myself [James Bartle] and David Larke challenge fellow debaters from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the finals of the International Competition for Young Debaters.
We’re primed with our points of information, our rebuttal and our summations to attempt to try and pull one over on the private schools and win for Heaton Manor.
But before all of that, we spent a rather nice day today in Oxford which was made even better by glorious sunny weather. Our day began with a 9.10am start at Newcastle Central Station and after a couple of train journeys we finally arrived at the site of our greatest test yet. A bit of shopping, a few drinks and tea in a pub, and a walk by the river made our first day in Oxford a rather splendid occurrence.
Tomorrow, though, is why we’re here and with our army of fans behind us, the zeal to win deep in our hearts and a determination to succeed, we will do well tomorrow! Okay; maybe there isn’t a need for such rousing words but we’re going to try our best anyway.
This is James Bartle, signing out for On That Point!
P.S. There has been a slight technical hitch as far as uploading the videos of our exploits to our YouTube channel is concerned. However we have captured many happy images today and as soon as possible these will be made available to you.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
The Heaton Manor Union Society launches a blog!
Welcome to the official blog of the Heaton Manor Union Society. For more information, you can go to our website, heatonmanorunion.org.uk. Enjoy!
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