Friday, July 06, 2007

Liverpool John Moores declared mooting champions

Liverpool John Moores University were declared ESU-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition champions at the Grand Final of the 2006-07 competition on Thursday 28 June, after competing in five mooting rounds held over the course of the academic year. A record number of institutions participated in this year's contest, with 64 teams competing for the coveted silver National Mooting Competition Mace.

The semi-finals of the competition took place at Dartmouth House, with teams from Leeds Metropolitan, Southampton and Southampton Solent universities competing alongside Liverpool John Moores to win a place in the Grand Final. Southampton Solent joined Liverpool John Moores in the President's Court at the Royal Courts of Justice for the final on Thursday evening.
The judging panel, comprising Sir Anthony Colman, Roderick Cordara QC and Professor Dan Sarooshi, heard impressive submissions from both appellants and respondents before eventually declared Liverpool John Moores University champions.

Winners Satya Chotalia and Sara Anzani were presented with the National Mooting Competition Mace, with the runners-up receiving the Scarman shield. The four finalists also received cheques and will each be offered a mini-pupilage at Essex Court Chambers, with the remaining semi-finalists receiving £250 each in prize money.

This year the winners will also be given the opportunity to represent the UK at the Commonwealth Mooting Competition in Nairobi, Kenya in September.

Winner Sara Anzani said, "This competition has been an amazing experience. Mooting has helped me in the development of my skills and has impacted positively on my studies. I look forward to visiting Nairobi!"

The ESU would like to thank Essex Court Chambers for its generous sponsorship and support, and to Legal Week for their media partnership.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Unprecedented debate sees school children discuss Lords reform in the Chamber of the House

The ESU made history on Saturday 12 May when the International Final of the Schools Mace, the national debating championships for Britain and Ireland, saw more than 200 school children, teachers, ESU members, alumni and representatives of partner organisations fill the famous red seats of Britain's upper house. The occasion was the first event ever to use the Chamber of either of the Houses of Parliament for non-Parliamentary business, a recommendation of the Puttnam Commission on the Communication of Parliamentary Democracy. The event was evaluated by the Hansard Society and its success will no doubt set a precedent to inform future discussions on the use of the two Chambers.

Delivering a speech of welcome before the debates began, Lord Hunt, the chairman of the English-Speaking Union and a former student debating champion himself, said of the historic event, "I think it is vital that parliamentarians give their full support to programmes like this that teach the skills of debate and engagement in our schools, and that demonstrate the vital link between that engagement and the structures of parliamentary democracy."

Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker, chaired the two debates from the woolsack, although the rules of procedure were those of the ESU's competition. She expressed her delight and being to look around the chamber and see such a dramatic change from "the usual faces", and also spoke of her own association with competitive debate, from setting up a schools debating club in Wolverhampton and entering ESU competitions as a student, though to her entry into elected politics.

Four teams of two students each, the national winners of competitions in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, debated for the Silver Mace and the title of champions in the worlds' oldest and largest parliamentary schools debating competition. This year the tournament attracted a record number of schools - in total more than 800 took part across the UK and Ireland - and a significant number of those schools were taking part for the first time. Access to the competition has become easier in part thanks to a nationwide road show of free workshops for new participants, funded by the Ministry of Justice (formerly the Department for Constitutional Affairs), who see the programme as an effective way to encourage young people to examine and discuss current affairs issues.

In the first of two debates Howell's School, Llandaff, representing Wales proposed the motion "This House would create a fully-elected House of Lords" against opposition from Haberdashers' Aske's School for Boys, Hertfordshire, representing England. The motion for the second debate between Mount Mercy College, Cork, representing Ireland, and Grove Academy, Dundee, representing Scotland was "This House would make it illegal to advertise gambling."

During the judges' deliberation the audience heard from David Bussey, Chair of the Centre for Speech and Debate's committee, who spoke on the heritage of the contest, and Lewis Iwu, a former International Mace winner. The chair of the judging panel, Ndanga Kamau, eventually declared the team from Scotland, Netan Dogra and Kenny Nicoll from Grove Academy, to be overall champions. Grove is the first Scottish state school to win the competition, and they carry the Mace north after two years in a row of the title staying in England. As part of their prize Netan and Kenny will attend the annual ESU Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace later this year. Netan was also awarded the Kenneth Harris Prize for the best individual speaker in the final, named in memory of the competition's founder, an ESU alumnus and renowned Observer journalist. The prize was awarded by Kenneth's widow, Mrs Jo Harris.

The day concluded with a reception in the Scotland Office, Dover House, on Whitehall, by kind permission of the Secretary for State. The ESU will cooperate again with the Scotland Office when we hold a debate to mark 300 years of the Treaty of Union in September.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

England Crowned John Smith Memorial Mace International Champions

Representatives from Baillie Gifford had their first view of ESU debating programmes at the Honorable Society of King's Inns, Dublin on Wednesday 18 April. The Scottish-based independent investment managers are the new sponsors of the John Smith Memorial Mace, the national university debating championships for Britain and Ireland.
Richard Barry, the firm's HR Manager, said "In any team environment people will have different opinions and debating allows all options to be explored. Many companies look to recruit people with debating skills, the ability to construct a persuasive argument, the confidence to speak in front of others and the flexibility to be able to think on their feet. This contest plays an important role in encouraging students to get involved in debating and the skills they learn could benefit them hugely in later life."
As testament to this the Baillie Gifford delegation included not only people new to the ESU but also Ken Barker, no stranger to competitive debate himself as a former finalist in this competition.
A crowd of supporters from the four home nations filled the Inn's portrait-lined dining hall as the speakers prepared to deliver their speeches in the debate. Teams from the Glasgow University Union (representing Scotland), Cardiff University (representing Wales), the Cambridge Union Society (representing England), and University College Dublin Literary & Historical Society (representing Ireland) debated the motion "This House would create a directly-elected executive President of the European Union." Proceedings were opened by Jon Dye, Chairman of ESU Scotland, and chaired by Derek Lande, convenor of the competition in Ireland.
The judging panel, chaired by Clark McGinn, a member of the Centre for Speech and Debate's advisory committee and a winner of the competition for Glasgow University Union in 1983, declared the England team of Sam Block and Adam Bott as champions. Sam was also awarded and awarded the Kenneth Harris Memorial Prize for best speaker in the final, named after the late founder of the competition.
The Centre for Speech and Debate would like to thank Baillie Gifford for their sponsorship, Camilla McAleese and the Honorable Society of King's Inns, Clark McGinn, the rest of the judging panel, and the four national convenors for their time and support in running the competition and ensuring the success of the event.
For more information contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Victory in Slovenia

An ESU team of English secondary school students shone at the International High Schools' Debating Competition, held in Slovenia between the 13th and 15th of April. Emily Pearce from The Heathland School, Ben Lewy from Habadashers' Aske's School for Boys and Tom O'Reilly from Dulwich College went through the whole tournement undefeated, argueing motions such as 'The EU needs its own Army' and 'This House would stop EU expansion'. The competition, held in Ormoz, Slovenia, contained twenty four teams from across Europe. Emily Pearce was placed the Best Speaker of the competition, closely followed by Tom and Ben in second and third.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Annual No Confidence Debate at Dartmouth House

Some of Britain's brightest young political minds came together at the ESU Headquarters on Wednesday 4 April for the Dartmouth House Debating Society's annual No Confidence debate, where Suella Fernandes, a barrister and former Chair of the Cambridge University Conservative Association, and Mark Gettleson, Chair of the Liberal Democrat Youth & Students proposed the motion "This House has no confidence in Her Majesty's government." Defending the status quo were Tom Hamilton, a former World University Debating Championships Finalist and Labour Party Member, and Stephen Longden, Campaigns and Membership Officer at Labour Students.
Several insightful and impassioned floor speeches followed the debate, and after summations from Tom and Suella, the audience voted, with the majority supporting the motion.
The Centre for Speech and Debate would like to thank each of the speakers for giving up their valuable time to participate.
The next session of debates will start with the Shakespeare debate on Wednesday 3 October.
For more information please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org

Monday, March 26, 2007

Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School declared England Champions

The 50th England Final of the ESU Schools Mace, the national debating championship, was held on Friday 23 March at Dartmouth House. The six schools that won their regional round of the competition took part in the final, debating against each other on three motions. The standard of all three debates was extremely high, making the judges decision a tough one. The judging panel comprised Jack Anderson, World University Debating Champion 2003, Daragh Grant, World University finalist 2005 and 2006, Rose Grogan, Convenor of the Oxford Union Schools' Competition 2007, Krishna Omkar, Treasurer-Elect of the Oxford Union Society and Tim Savin, debating coach at the Latymer School. Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School were eventually declared 2007 England Champions. Their team of James Fox and Jamie Susskind will now go on to compete in the International Schools Mace Final in the chamber of the House of Lords on Saturday 12 May against schools from Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
For more information on the International Final contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Dartmouth House Debating Society - Economics Debate

The success of state education was up for discussion at the Dartmouth House Debating Society's Economics Debate, which was run in association with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), on Wednesday 7 March, when the motion was "This House believes that state education has failed."
In proposition were James Bartholomew, journalist and author of The Welfare State We're In and James Tooley PHD, Professor of Education Policy at the University of Newcastle. George Wiskin, a former member of the NUT National Executive and ESU Education Committee Member, and John Troake, Headmaster of Hailing Manor High School in Croydon opposed the motion.
After a lively and hard fought debate, and some excellent speeches from the floor, the motion was carried by 48 votes to 12 with 10 abstentions.
The ESU would like to extend its thanks to the IEA, each of the speakers, and to Professor Philip Booth, the IEA's Editorial and Programme Director, for chairing the debate.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

UK Debate Tour

The English-Speaking Union played host to the American National Debate Team this February, which toured the UK for three weeks as part of an exchange run by the Centre for Speech and Debate. Francesca Smith and Gavin Humes, both from Pepperdine University, California, were selected by the Committee for International Debate and Discussion (CIDD) to represent the United States from a pool of hundreds of American university debaters.
Francesca and Gavin's tour, which covered the length and breadth of the UK, was designed in order to allow them to experience British debating traditions and UK culture whilst acting as ambassadors for American style debating, and American culture in general. Highlights included debating at the Oxford Union, attending Prime Minister's Questions, conducting a debating workshop at Mulberry School, East London, and participating in various debating tournaments, including the Edinburgh and Cardiff IVs.
The team also participated in the US v UK Debate against the UK National Debate Team at the American Embassy, and learned more about the ESU Branch system from Holly Shakespeare and Don Miller (ESU London Branch) at a lunch at Dartmouth House. When asked to comment on her time in the UK, Francesca enthused "it was truly an unforgettable experience that will last a lifetime."
The Centre would like to express its gratitude to all those who helped to ensure the success of the tour.

Monday, February 12, 2007

US v UK Debate

The US National Debate Team, Francesca Smith and Gavin Humes, who are currently undertaking a three week tour of the UK under the auspices of the ESU, took on the UK National Debate Team, Fraser Campbell and Gavin Illsley, at the February meeting of the Dartmouth House Debating Society. The motion was "This House envies America's sense of patriotism." The US Embassy in London generously hosted the event.
An audience of over one hundred people witnessed a world-class standard of debate with the proposing UK team securing a narrow victory.
The ESU wishes to extend its thanks to The US Embassy and the American School in London for their support of the event, and to each of the speakers and the chairperson John Wilson of the American School.
For more information please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org

Thursday, February 01, 2007

BBC documentary on England Schools Team

A documentary, "Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People", about the England Schools Team's progress in the World Schools Debating Championships in Cardiff last summer, was shown tonight on BBC4. It's repeated tomorrow at 10pm.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Refugee Debating Program

The ESU, in co-operation with The Children's Society, began preparing a group of young refugees to take part in the National Youth Parliament Competition. The day started with a tour of the Museum of London's 'Belonging' exhibition, which traces the stories of 150 refugees' experiences of living in London. The young refugees then recieved a lecture from a representative of the Children's Society about the rights of young refugees in the UK, and were given an opportunity to ask questions about their own situations. Finally Andrew Fitch, the ESU's Debates and Education Officer, gave the young refugees a debating training session, culminating in them holding a debate of their own about refugees' access to higher education.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Capitol Hill Programme Briefing Day

Dartmouth House played host to eleven UK university students on Friday 19 January who were attending the Capitol Hill Programme Briefing Day. The programme offers internships in the office of a congressperson or senator, giving participants the opportunity to gain first hand experience of the American political system.
This year's interns heard talks from ESU staff, including Elizabeth Stokes, Director of Education, and Alison Wardrop Alumni Officer, and Chris Dunnett, Assistant Cultural Attache at the US Embassy, who delivered an interesting lecture on the workings of congress.
The students then heard from programme alumni including Mehreen Malik (2005), Jonathan Bailey (2006) and Jatin Sharma (2006), who took part in a discussion about their experiences on the Hill.
The Washington DC placements will run from June-August and will include the chance to attend Speakers' Series lectures and a range of briefings, hearings and receptions.
For more information about the ESU Parliamentary Exchange Programme, please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org.

ESU becomes founding sponsor of the World Schools Debating Championships

The ESU today announced that it would fund the executive of the World Schools Debating Championships in its bid to incorporate as a registered charity. The ESU and World Schools have a long and close history - in 1999 the ESU in London hosted what was at the time the largest Championships ever held, and has been responsible for selecting, training and funding the England team since the mid 1990s. Other ESUs around the world also have or have had important relationships with World Schools - including Scotland, Pakistan and Mongolia.

The funding will allow the tournament to create a central legal body to aid in fundraising and to provide support for national hosts of the Championships.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Davos welcomes the voice of youth, trained by the ESU

The ESU delivered a morning of training in public speaking to outstanding young people from around the world at the British Council's Greenwich Forum today.

The three-day long series of workshops, sponsored by Gordon Brown, aims to prepare a small group, selected by a debate from the 60 participants, to take a campaign they have developed to the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland.

James Probert, Head of the ESU Centre for Speech and Debate, worked with ten of the Forum's delegates, one of whom will form part of the six-person team presenting in front of world leaders at Davos next week.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Speech and Debate Squad selected

The ESU chose students for its series of overseas public speaking and debating tours today, from amongst the most outstanding debaters in the UK. Twenty young people were chosen to support the ESU's work in Argentina, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, and Mongolia during 2007. The visits will involve workshops in persuasive spoken English with children and adults; demonstration debates; judging; and will offer a cultural experience for the British trainers. Click here for more information and a full list of this year's squad.

Later in the year the ESU will select the two members of the British National Debate Team, who will spend three months in the autumn touring around the United States as part of an exchange than has been running since 1922. The ESU will also support debate activities in Armenia, Estonia andKorea this year.