The Inter-House Debating final came to an explosive end just before the Easter holidays. Having been through many rounds previously, having argued on topics such as the renewal of Trident and issues around fracking, the teams through to the final were Orchard Lapping, Skipwith Eggar, Gilson and Burr. The teams were battling it out to win the trophy. Two debates were taking place, one between Orchard and Skipwith, and the other between Gilson and Burr. The winning team from either debate with the higher number of points would walk away with the trophy, whilst the other winning team would receive the newly instated salver. Taking place in the packed Lecture Theatre, the teams had the difficult job of impressing judges Headmaster Mr Gregg Davies, Deputy Head Academic Mr Ian Munro, and Director of Music Mr Richard Curran.
Ollie Riley and Ed Warren took on the debate for the Orchard Lapping team, whilst Elliot Jordan and Marcus Bagshawe argued for Skipwith Eggar. The topic for the debate was ‘this house believes that the National Debt is a greater threat to Britain’s future than terrorism’, and Orchard assumed the proposition, whilst Skipwith argued against the topic. Ollie and Ed pointed out the threat that rising National Debt poses to the UK, highlighting the vast sum owed and the difficult position, globally and economically, in which this puts England. Larger debts may require higher rates of taxation, difficulties arranging loans and affecting the economy in the long-term. It is not a question of if the national debt will affect the general public, the Orchard team argued- it’s a question of when, and to what extent. Whilst taking this on board, the Skipwith team suggested that terrorism poses a far greater threat to the people of the UK, both physically and mentally. Living with the constant threat of attack is exhausting, and, in the event of an attack, the loss of life and impact on families in Britain is heart-wrenching and painful. The debate was difficult and intense, and the teams did the topic justice with their thoughtful and insightful points of discussion. Whilst an incredibly close result, Orchard Lapping beat the opposition by a small margin.
Claire Fifield and Emily Wilkinson were the debaters for Gilson House, whilst Matt Brown and Harry Ibbitson were on the team for Burr. The topic, ‘this house believes that leaving the EU would be a catastrophe for Britain’, saw Gilson assume the proposition and Burr argue the opposition. The topic- a very relevant one- was thoughtfully debated. Gilson took into account the economic impact leaving the EU would have on Britain, looking at the damage to growth and the likely implications for monetary policy. The Gilson team also looked at trade barriers and foreign investment. Burr had a difficult job of arguing that remaining in the EU is not beneficial to the UK. The team suggested that Britain would experience a major growth-boosting period, establishing free trade and intelligent regulation, freeing itself of EU regulations and capitalising on a global economy. A tough and topical debate, and the judges had the unenviable task of choosing a winner. After much deliberation, Burr House were announced victorious!
After comparing the scores of the two winners, Mr Tristan Elby (who organised the debating competition) had the pleasure of awarding the trophy to overall winner Burr House, for the second year in a row! Orchard House received the salver for second place.
Judge Mr Curran commented that he ‘thoroughly enjoyed the final and thought that all of the speakers were eloquent and succinct, setting very high standards for next year’s debaters and firmly establishing debating at Shiplake. Congratulations to Mr Elby for a fantastic competition!’
