ESU Schools Mace International Final at the House of Commons

The 2006 International Final of the Schools Mace, the culmination of the largest and oldest parliamentary schools’ debating competition in the world, was held in the magnificent surroundings of the Palace of Westminster today.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer opened the proceedings for the final of an exciting competition that had attracted secondary schools from across the UK and Ireland. Lord Falconer informed the audience that the committee room which provided the venue for this occasion had done great service to political debate, most notably as the permanent venue for the Conservative 1922 Committee. He also emphasised the importance of debate in a democracy, noting that at no point has political debate been sidelined in Britain’s Parliament, even during the Second World War.

It was then time for the contest as the national champions of separate competitions in England,
Ireland, Scotland and Wales faced each other over two motions, chosen to celebrate the ESU’s partnership with the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Wales and Ireland argued the proposal "This House would introduce quotas for women in parliaments" and England and Scotland debated "This House welcomes the proposals to create a Supreme Court" for the UK.

The debate was chaired by ESU Chairman Lord Hunt of Wirral, who expressed the ESU's thanks to Lord Falconer for his help in securing such an impressive venue. The winners were the English team from City of London School for Boys, Andrew Rose and Timosha Goldfarb. Timosha was also awarded the Kenneth Harris ‘Best Speaker Trophy’. This was presented, for the first time, in memory of the late founder of the tournament, Kenneth Harris, who died last year. David Bussey, the Chairman of the Committee for the ESU Centre for Speech and Debate, spoke of Kenneth’s lasting impact on debate and discourse in Britain and the fondness with which he is remembered by all who knew him.

posted by Harold Raitt @ 10:04 PM |