European Youth Parliament 

A debating team from the lower sixth won their European Youth Parliament regional semi-final at St Hugh’s College on the 5th of February and will return to Oxford next month for the Thames Valley final, the last round before the UK finals in Durham.

Ten schools attended from all over South East England and the West Midlands and the standard of debate was high throughout the day. As well as winning their own debate on nuclear armament, aided by strong speeches from William Harris and Cullum Welch opposing the presence of USA missile defence systems on European territory, the team stepped in at the last moment to propose a motion on the EU’s role in Afghanistan. Christopher Campbell won praise from the judges for his improvised opening speech and summation, which highlighted the need to develop sustainable industries, ensure a strong NATO presence and consult the Afghan people with regard to policy formation in the region. Hafizuddin Hassan played a key role in the discussion on reform of the banking sector and Will Simmons, Timothy Ho, Peter Devaney and Davod Kaffash contributed to the floor debates on matters as diverse as the UK’s position in the European Union with regard to constitutional affairs, climate change and renewable energy, and the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights for the national security of member states.

The adjudicators noted the team’s ability to mobilise specific evidence and respond directly to arguments as they were presented on the floor. With six of the eight boys students of Government & Politics and many of them also studying History, Economics, Philosophy and Geography, they were able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of European politics and current affairs and drew out some interesting comparative points.

The team is looking forward to the challenge of competing in the European Youth Parliament again in March.