| Abortion |
| Should
abortion be permitted? |
| |
| Adoption
of Children by Same Sex Couples |
| Should
gay couples be given the same legal rights as heterosexuals in adopting
children? |
| |
| African
Affairs, Intervention in from Outside |
| Should
African disputes and conflicts be handled by African countries
themselves, rather than by external international organisations? |
| |
| African
Languages in African Schools |
| Should
native tongues take precedence in African schools, or should English and
other non-African languages be the languages of the school room? |
| |
| AIDS
Drugs for Developing Countries |
| Should
AIDS drugs be made cheaper for developing countries? |
| |
| Alcohol |
| Should
the sale and consumption of alcohol – the world’s favourite drug –
be further restricted, or even banned? |
| |
| Animal
Experimentation |
| Is
it morally acceptable to experiment on non-human animals to develop
products and medicines that benefit human beings? |
| |
| Animal
Rights |
| Do
non-human animals have rights? |
| |
| Animals
in Sports and Entertainment |
| Should
human beings be allowed to use other animals as objects of sport and
entertainment? |
| |
| Assassination
of a Dictator |
| Can
the assassination of a dictator be justified? |
| |
| Assisted
Suicide/Voluntary Euthanasia |
| Should
assisted suicide be legalised? |
| |
| Biodiversity
and Endangered Species |
| Should
we be trying to prevent species becoming extinct? If so, why? |
| |
| Calendar
Reform |
| Should
the current Gregorian calendar be reformed? Should worldwide calendars
be standardised? |
| |
| Cameras
in Courtrooms |
| Should
cameras be placed in courtrooms so that criminal trials can be
televised? |
| |
| Capital
Punishment |
| Is
it ever justifiable to execute criminals? |
| |
| Censorship
of the Arts |
| What
is the right balance to strike between freedom of and restrictions upon
artistic expression? |
| |
| China,
Fear of |
| Does
China give the rest of the world reasons for fear, in political,
economic or social terms? Or is the ‘Terror from the East’ merely a
myth ? |
| |
| Civil
Disobedience |
| When
is it justifiable for protesters and activists to break the law for the
sake of their cause? |
| |
| Compulsory
Voting |
| Should
voting in elections be compulsory? |
| |
| Contraception
for Under-Age Girls (UK specific) |
| Should
doctors be allowed to prescribe contraception for girls under the age of
16? |
| |
| Corporal
Punishment (for Adults) |
| Is
physical force a justifiable method of punishing criminals? |
| |
| Corporal
Punishment (for Children) |
| Is
physical force a justifiable method of punishing children? |
| |
| Cultural
Treasures |
| Should
cultural treasures be returned to their country of origin? |
| |
| Democracy |
| Is
democracy, as is so often assumed, really the best form of government? |
| |
| Developing
World Debt |
| Should
developed countries cancel the debts of the poorest nations? |
| |
| Disestablishing
the Church of England (UK specific) |
| Should
we disestablish the Church of England? |
| |
| Divorce |
| Should
divorce be made even easier to obtain, or are there social and moral
reasons to discourage it? |
| |
| Drugs
in Sport |
| Should
the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport be legalised? |
| |
| Drug-Testing
in Schools |
| Should
school students face mandatory drug-tests? |
| |
| Energy
Crisis: Nuclear vs Renewable Sources |
| Is
nuclear power the best way to meet the ever-increasing energy needs of
the planet, or do alternative energy sources provide a viable
alternative? |
| |
| Environmentally
Linked Aid |
| Should
developed countries force developing countries to protect the
environment by making it a condition of aid? |
| |
| European
Common Agricultural Policy |
| Should
the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy be scrapped in favour
of free trade? |
| |
| European
Defence Force |
| Should
the European Union have its own standing army? |
| |
| European
Federalisation |
| Should
the European Union become a federal superstate, with consequent loss of
national sovereignty for member countries? |
| |
| European
Union Expansion |
| Should
the EU expand to include all those European states which wish to join? |
| |
| Exams |
| Should
examinations be replaced with other forms of assessment? |
| |
| Extension
of Pub Licensing Hours |
| Should
the opening hours of pubs and bars be extended? |
| |
| Failure
of the UN |
| Should
the United Nations be judged a failure? |
| |
| Federal
Government |
| Is
a confederation the best way to run national or supra-national affairs? |
| |
| Fighting
for Human Rights? |
| Should
force be used to protect human rights? |
| |
| Freedom
of Speech, Restrictions on |
| Is
it ever right for Governments to restrict freedom of speech? |
| |
| Gay
Marriages |
| Should
homosexual couples be allowed to marry? |
| |
| Gays
in the Military |
| Should
gays and lesbians be allowed into the armed forces? |
| |
| Genetic
Screening |
| Should
we intervene in the genetic makeup of our children? Should genetic
screening be used to produce genetically healthy or even
"designer" babies? |
| |
| Genetically
Modified Food |
| Are
there environmental, moral, or health issues associated with genetically
modified food? Should it be banned? |
| |
| Global
Warming: Is More Action Needed? |
| Although
still a controversial subject, there is a growing consensus that global
climate changes are being caused by environmental pollution, especially
by greenhouse gases. Do we need to take more urgent action to halt this
trend? |
| |
| Greenhouse
Gas: Trading of Quotas |
| Should
countries be allowed to buy greenhouse gas quotas from other countries
and so, in effect, pay for the right to pollute more? Or should
polluters simply be heavily taxed if they exceed their own quotas? |
| |
| Gun
Control |
| Should
laws be passed to limit gun ownership further? |
| |
| Harmonisation
of Taxation within the European Union |
| Should
the EU further restrict the powers of its member states to set their own
tax rates? Should proposed harmonisation measures be passed by majority
voting or remain subject to national vetoes? |
| |
| Hate
Speech on Campus |
| Is
it correct for university authorities to ban hate speech? |
| |
| Hollywood’s
Influence |
| Does
Hollywood have a negative impact on the world? |
| |
| Human
Cloning |
| Should
human cloning be banned ? Should reproductive human cloning always be
prohibited? |
| |
| Identity
Cards |
| Should
everyone have to carry an identity card? |
| |
| Internet
Censorship |
| Should
governments censor material on the world wide web? |
| |
| Ivory
Trading |
| Should
the present international ban on trading elephant ivory be lifted? |
| |
| Legalisation
of Cannabis |
| Should
Cannabis/Marijuana be legalised? |
| |
| Life
on Mars |
| Has
there ever been organic life on Mars? |
| |
| Mandatory
Retirement |
| Should
the government enforce a mandatory retirement age? Is there an age when
one is "past it"?! |
| |
| Marriage |
| Is
marriage an outdated institution? Is co-habitation replacing the
institution of marriage, and will this affect the security and stability
of children? |
| |
| Minimum
Voting Age of Sixteen |
| Should
the minimum voting age be reduced to 16, or remain at 18? |
| |
| Myanmar
(Burma) |
| Should
international sanctions against Myanmar (Burma) be lifted? |
| |
| Naming
and Shaming of Sex Offenders |
| Should
sex offenders be named and shamed? |
| |
| National
Lotteries |
| Should
national lotteries be abolished? |
| |
| National
Service/Conscription |
| Should
National Service be reintroduced? |
| |
| Nazi
War Crimes |
| Should
we continue to prosecute Nazi war criminals? |
| |
| New
Labour Landslide (UK-specific) |
| Specifically,
was the 1997 New Labour Landslide good for Britain? Generally, are the
‘landslide’ majorities sometimes produced in first-past-the-post
elections good for democracy? |
| |
| North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Disbanding of |
| Should
NATO be disbanded? |
| |
| North
Korea |
| Should
the West establish diplomatic relations with North Korea ? Should the
West lift all remaining trade sanctions against North Korea? |
| |
| Nuclear
Weapons |
| Should
Nuclear Weapons be abolished? |
| |
| Olympic
Dream |
| Is
the Olympic Dream Dead? |
| |
| Ordination
of Gay Priests |
| Should
Christian churches allow gays and lesbians to be ordained as priests? |
| |
| Outing
of Gay Celebrities |
| Is
it justifiable to force gay and lesbian celebrities out of the closet,
in the interests of gay rights? |
| |
| Overpopulation
and Contraception |
| Is
there a global crisis of overpopulation? Is so, is increased use of
contraception the solution? |
| |
| Pacifism |
| Is
the rejection of all violence a valid principle by which to live? |
| |
| Patenting
of Genes |
| Should
genes be patented? |
| |
| Performance-Related
Pay |
| Should
professionals be paid according to their performance? |
| |
| Politicians’
Outside Interests |
| Should
elected representatives be banned from pursuing outside interests? |
| |
| Pornography |
| Should
pornography be banned for moral, religious, feminist or crime-prevention
reasons? Or is censorship of this sort ill-advised? |
| |
| Positive
Discrimination/Affirmative Action |
| Should
the use of positive discrimination be increased? |
| |
| Private
Lives of Public Figures |
| Should
the private lives of public figures be open to press scrutiny? |
| |
| Private/Public
Education |
| Should
parents have the right to educate their children privately? |
| |
| Privatisation
of the National Health Service (UK specific) |
| Should
the NHS be privatised? |
| |
| Proportional
Representation |
| Should
a more proportionate system of voting be used to elect political
representatives? |
| |
| Prostitution |
| Should
prostitution be legalised ? Do the benefits of legalisation or
decriminalization outweigh the possible dangers? |
| |
| Referendums |
| Should
the use of referendums be increased? |
| |
| Reform
of the House of Lords (UK specific) |
| Should
the House of Lords continue in its present form? Or should it become a
partly or entirely elected chamber? |
| |
| Religious
Belief |
| Are
religious beliefs irrational or rational? Have they done more harm than
good? |
| |
| Republic
or Monarchy? |
| Should
the monarchy be abolished? |
| |
| Salary
Capping |
| Should
a mandatory maximum salary be imposed by governments? |
| |
| Sanctions
versus Engagement in International Affairs |
| Should
we attempt to democratise states through engagement, free trade and
conciliation or by the use of punitive sanctions and belligerence? |
| |
| School
Uniform |
| Should
schools require their students to wear a school uniform? |
| |
| Scottish
Independence |
| Should
Scotland become an independent nation? |
| |
| Sex
Education |
| Should
children be given sex education in schools, or should this be the
responsibility of the parents? How should it be taught? |
| |
| Single-Sex
Schools |
| Do
boys and girls benefit more from being taught together or separately? |
| |
| Smoking |
| Should
there be further restrictions on the advertising, selling, and smoking
of tobacco? Should it be banned? |
| |
| Space
Exploration |
| Should
mankind invest in the exploration of space? |
| |
| State
Funding of Political Parties |
| Should
political parties be funded by the state rather than by individual and
corporate donations? |
| |
| Surrogate
Mothers |
| Should
surrogate motherhood be allowed? |
| |
| Term
Limits for Elected Representatives |
| Should
we place restrictions upon the length of time served in office by
elected representatives? |
| |
| Terrorism |
| Should
governments negotiate with terrorists? |
| |
| Trial
by Jury |
| Should
the right to trial by jury be decreased? |
| |
| University
Tuition Fees (UK-specific) |
| Should
students in higher education be charged tuition fees? |
| |
| Vegetarianism |
| Should
we stop eating other animals? What are the moral, environmental, and
health issues involved? |
| |
| Written
Constitution for Britain |
| Should
Britain have a written constitution? |
| |
| Zoos |
| Should
we ban the keeping of animals in zoos? |
