Concern Debate 23rd October 2013.
"That this house believes that Foreign Aid is a luxury that Ireland cannot afford."
The debate began at 8pm and took place in the hall. Our team were on the proposition side and our team captain was Siobhán Marley; our second speaker was Georgina Cassidy, our third speaker Beth O'Reilly and our fourth speaker was Helen Maher. The timekeeper was Jamie Kearney and our chairperson for the night was Fiadh Little. Other TY students involved in the Concern Debates also attended as members of the house/audience.
The proposition team began and addressed points on the issue of the effectiveness of aid, the opportunity cost of sending aid to foreign countries and they also discussed the corrupt governments we send our aid to. They proved that Ireland really isn't in a position to be sending aid elsewhere, when this money is borrowed and desperately needed at home.
The opposition side from Scoil Mhuire approached the argument from a moral perspective and a Christian one. They stressed our responsibility as a developed country to help those in need, by referencing various aid we were given in the past, such as the Native American aid contributions to Ireland during the Famine. They argued the need for aid always, despite Ireland's dismal economic situation.
At the end of the debate, St. Aloysius team were announced the winning side (yay!) by independent adjudicators of Concern.
The debate was a great start to the competition and when it was opened to the house afterwards, a heated discussion followed. The parents who attended were very vocal of their opinions and had our proposition team hard-pressed for answers. Nonetheless, they handled the situation with eloquent and intelligent answers.
The tea and biscuits afterwards served as a peaceful reconciliation of the two opposing sides and on behalf of the Concern Debaters, I would urge anyone interested in debate or who is simply curious to attend.
(image taken from: http://lilliputlegend.com)
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