Topic Guides: archive

This is a list of all of our older Topic Guides in alphabetical order of topic. Please note that some of these topics have been revisited in our current Topic Guides.

A

ACCESS TO MODERN MEDICINE
“NICE does a good job of recommending which new drugs should be made available on the NHS”

ACCESS TO MODERN MEDICINE SCOTLAND
“The Scottish Medicines Consortium does a good job of recommending which new drugs should be made available on the NHS”

AGEING
“Attempts to extend radically the human lifespan should be welcomed not feared”

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND INDIAN HEALTHCARE
“Alternative medicine should be embraced as an essential part of healthcare in India”

ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION
“Animal experimentation cannot be justified”

ART CENSORSHIP
“Artistic expression should never be censored”

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
“Humanity should fear advances in artificial intelligence”

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (REVISED 2018)
“Humanity should fear advances in artificial intelligence”

ARTISTIC FREEDOM (INDIA)
“There should be no curbs on artistic freedom”

ARTS FUNDING
“State funding of the arts is essential to a civilised society”

ASSISTED DYING
“Physician assisted suicide should be legalised”

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
“Autonomous vehicles will make driving safer”

B

BANKERS PAY
“The UK government should impose limits on bankers’ pay”

BASIC INCOME FOR ALL (GERMANY EDITION)
“Universal Basic Income is not a solution to our social and economic problems”

BBC
“The television licence fee should be abolished”

BERLIN 2017: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
“Humanity should fear advances in artificial intelligence”

BERLIN 2017: COMPULSORY VACCINATIONS
“Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory”

BERLIN 2017: CONTACT SPORTS
“We should accept the risk inherent in contact sport”

BERLIN 2017: TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
“Technological progress will not solve society’s environmental issues”

BIOFUELS
“Governments should stop supporting the biofuels industry”

BNP
“It is undemocratic to treat the BNP differently from other parties”

BOOZY BRITAIN
“Minimum alcohol pricing would be good for Britain”

BOXING
“Competitive boxing is beneficial for young people”

BURQA BANS
“European countries should take a lead from France and ban the burqa”

C

CCTV
“Closed circuit television (CCTV) is a threat to our freedom”

CELEBRITY POLITICS
“Celebrities should keep out of politics”

CHEAP FLIGHTS
“The expansion of air travel is a good thing”

CLICKTIVISM
“Social media is rejuvenating political protest”

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
“India should pay more attention to economic development than climate change”

CLINICAL TRIALS
“Clinical Trials in developing countries are exploitative”

COAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE
“Western countries should not encourage coal-fired power stations in the developing world”

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
“Complementary and alternative medicine should not be provided on the NHS”

COMPULSORY VACCINATIONS
“Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory”

CONGESTION CHARGING
“The London Congestion Charge model should be adopted by all major cities”

CONTACT SPORTS
“We should accept the risk inherent in contact sports”

COPENHAGEN
“China and India are right to resist binding carbon emission targets”

COPYRIGHT AND THE ARTS
“Copyright benefits the arts”

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
“Cultural appropriation should be welcomed not feared”

D

DESIGNER BABIES
“Human genetic engineering is a step too far”

DM BERLIN: DOPING IN SPORT
“We should permit the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport”

DM BERLIN: GENTRIFICATION
“Gentrification is good for neighbourhoods”

DM BERLIN: OFFENCE
“Nobody has the right to not be offended”

DM BERLIN: REPATRIATION OF ARTEFACTS
“Western museums should agree to repatriate cultural artefacts “

DM ISRAEL: ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION
“Animal experimentation cannot be justified”

DM ISRAEL: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
“Artistic expression should never be censored”

DM ISRAEL: ASSISTED SUICIDE
“Physician assisted suicide should be legalised”

DM ISRAEL: COMPULSORY VACCINATIONS
“Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory”

DM ISRAEL: LIBRARIES
“There is no longer a need for public libraries”

DM ISRAEL: MEGACITIES
“Megacities are bad for the developing world”

DM ISRAEL: ONLINE ACTIVISM
“Social media is rejuvenating political protest”

DM ISRAEL: ONLINE PRIVACY
“In a digital age we should not expect our online activities to remain private”

DM ISRAEL: SPACE EXPLORATION
“Space exploration is a waste of time and money”

DOPING IN SPORT
“We should permit the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport”

DRUGS POLICY
“The UK should liberalise its drugs policy”

E

EMBRYO SCREENING
“The genetic screening of embryos devalues human life”

ENERGY
“It would be better for new fossil fuel reserves to remain in the ground”

ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION
“Anyone can become an engineer”

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
“Behaviour change is the best route to sustainability”

EU REFERENDUM 2016
“The UK should leave the EU”

EUROPEAN UNION
“The UK should withdraw from the European Union”

EXTREMISM ON CAMPUS
“Extremist religious and political groups should be banned from university campuses”

F

FACTORY FARMING
“Factory farming is necessary”

FAIR TRADE
“Fair trade holds back the developing world”

FAKE NEWS
“Social media sites should filter out fake news stories”

FERTILITY TOURISM
“Commercial surrogacy in poorer countries is exploitative”

FILTERING FALSE NEWS (GERMANY EDITION)
“Social media sites should filter out fake news stories”

FOOTBALL
“Premiership footballers deserve all the rewards they get”

FRACKING
“The UK must embrace the use of fracking”

FREE SPEECH
“Free speech is not an absolute”

FREE SPEECH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
“There should be limits to free speech on social media”

FUTURE OF DRIVING
“All vehicles should be automated”

G

G4S: DOPING IN SPORT
“We should permit the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport”

G4S: OFFENCE
“Nobody has the right to not be offended”

G4S: THE BBC
“The television licence fee should be abolished”

G4S: VOTES FOR PRISONERS
“No prisoner should have the vote”

GENDER QUOTAS
“Gender quotas in the workplace are good for equality”

GENOME EDITING
“We should welcome the advent of human genome editing”

GENTRIFICATION
“Gentrification is good for neighbourhoods”

GM FOOD
“It is time to embrace the commercial planting of GM crops”

GREAT APES
“Great apes should have rights”

GREEN BELT
“We need to build on the Green Belt”

GREEN BELT (REVISED 2017)
“We should build on the green belt”

GREEN ENERGY
“We should invest now in a low carbon economy powered by renewables”

H

HAPPINESS
“Happiness is the business of government”

HATE SPEECH
“Extreme views should not be given a public platform”

HEALTH MONITORING
“The constant monitoring of our health does more harm than good”

HEALTHY BEHAVIOUR
“Government should use economic incentives to encourage healthy behaviour”

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS
“Monuments to controversial historical figures should remain”

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (GERMANY EDITION)
“Monuments to controversial historical figures should remain”

HS2
“We should build HS2”

HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
“Western Humanitarian Intervention is a valid tool of foreign policy”

I

INDUSTRIALISATION IN INDIA
“Industrialisation in India does not benefit the rural poor”

INTERGENERATIONAL FAIRNESS
“The baby boomers have squandered their children’s future”

INTERNET
“The internet needs to be regulated”

IVF
“It is irresponsible to provide IVF to women in their fifties”

L

LADS MAGS
“Lads’ mags degrade women and should be covered up”

LIBRARIES
“There is no longer a need for public libraries”

LONDON OLYMPICS
“The greatest show on Earth is worth it”

M

MEDIA CULTURE
“The media are responsible for lowering the level of public debate”

MEDIA VIOLENCE
“People need protecting from violent lyrics, films and video games”

MEDICAL DATA SHARING
“Medical data sharing is a threat to our privacy”

MEGACITIES
“Megacities are bad for the developing world”

MIGRATION
“We should have an open borders policy for migrants”

MONARCHY
“An unelected head of state should have no place in 21st century Britain”

MPS EXPENSES
“The response to the 2009 MPs expenses scandal will strengthen democracy”

N

NEUROSCIENCE AND THE LAW
“Neuroscience should transform our understanding of criminal responsibility”

NO PLATFORM
“Student Unions are justified in retaining ‘No Platform’ policies”

NO PLATFORM 2017
“No platform policies damage free speech”

NUCLEAR POWER
“After Fukushima, we should abandon nuclear power”

O

OFFENCE
“Nobody has the right to not be offended”

OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE
“There should be no legal curbs on ‘offensive’ language”

ONLINE PRIVACY (REVISED 2015)
“In a digital age we should not expect our online activities to remain private”

ONLINE PRIVACY (REVISED 2017)
“In the digital age we should not expect our online activities to remain private”

ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION
“Financial incentives provide the best solution to the crisis of organ and tissue donation “

ORGAN DONATION
“We should introduce a system of presumed consent for organ donation”

ORGANIC FOOD
“People should embrace organic food”

P

PARTY FUNDING
“The state should regulate the funding of political parties”

PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS
“Allowing the use of enhancement drugs will not undermine the spirit of sport”

PLAIN PACKAGING
“Plain packaging for tobacco products is a good idea”

POLITICAL PARTIES
“Political parties are bad for democracy”

POP ARTISTS
“Pop artists should be judged on their work, not their lifestyle”

POPULISM
“Populism is a threat to democracy”

POPULIST POLITICS (GERMANY EDITION)
“Populism is a threat to democracy”

PRISON VIOLENCE
“Blaming staff shortages for prison violence is overly simplistic”

PRIVACY ONLINE
“We should not expect our online activities to remain private”

PRIVATE LIVES
“The media should be prevented by law from intruding into the private lives of public figures”

PUBLIC HEALTH
“The government should take tougher action on unhealthy behaviour”

R

REPATRIATION OF ARTEFACTS (UPDATED 2019)
“Western museums should agree to repatriate cultural artefacts”

RECYCLING
“Household recycling is a waste of time”

REGULATION OF THE MEDIA
“The British press requires tougher regulation”

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
“A secular society should not prevent people from acting on their religious beliefs”

REPARATIONS
“Britain should pay reparations for its role in the slave trade”

ROLE MODELS
“Sportspeople should not be seen as role models”

S

SCEPTICISM AND SCIENCE
“Scepticism is crucial to debates about climate change”

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE
“We should maintain the Union”

SECULARISM
“A secular society should not prevent people from acting on their religious beliefs”

SECURITY VS PRIVACY
“We should be willing to compromise our privacy in the interests of national and international security”

SEX SELECTION
“The UK ban on using assisted reproductive technology for sex-selection should be lifted”

SEX SELECTIVE ABORTION
“The UK should ban sex selective abortion”

SHARING ECONOMY
“There should be tougher regulation on the sharing economy”

SHARING PATIENT RECORDS (GERMANY EDITION)
“Medical record sharing should be welcomed and not feared”

SMACKING
“The UK should ban smacking of children”

SMART DRUGS
“We should embrace the use of smart drugs”

SOCIAL EGG FREEZING
“Social egg freezing empowers women”

SOCIAL MEDIA
“Social media improves our understanding of major world events”

SPACE EXPLORATION
“Man not machines should explore space”

SPACE EXPLORATION
“Space exploration is a waste of time and money”

SPONSORSHIP OF THE ARTS
“Corporate sponsorship is good for the arts”

SPORT AND COMPETITION
“In sport, winning is everything”

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: CURRENCY
“An independent Scotland needs an independent currency”

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: MONARCHY
“Scotland should have an elected head of state”

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: NATIONALISM
“Nationalism is an idea that has no place in the 21st Century “

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: NATO
“An independent Scotland should be a member of NATO”

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: REFERENDUM QUESTION
“Should Scotland be an independent country?”

STV/DEBATING MATTERS THE REFERENDUM SCHOOLS DEBATE: SMALL NATIONS
“Scotland has more in common with other small nations than with its neighbour England”

SUGAR
“The UK should introduce a levy on sugary drinks”

SUPERMARKETS
“Supermarkets are bad for local communities”

T

TAX AVOIDANCE
“Tax avoidance is morally wrong”

TAX INCENTIVES
“It is wrong for countries to offer tax incentives to attract investment”

TAX INCENTIVES (REVISED 2018)
“It is wrong for countries to offer tax incentives to attract investment”

TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
“Technological progress will not solve society’s environmental issues”

TERRORISM AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
“Protecting the public from terrorism should come before civil liberties”

THREE PARENT BABIES
“We should embrace the advent of three parent IVF”

TOURISM
“Tourism benefits the world”

TOURISM (REVISED 2018)
“Tourism benefits the world”

TRADE NOT AID
“We should pursue a policy of ‘trade not aid'”

TRIAL BY JURY
“Trial by jury is the best guarantor of justice”

TRIDENT
“The UK should renew Trident”

TRIGGER WARNINGS
“Trigger warnings stifle debate”

U

UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES
“Unhealthy lifestyles are not the business of government”

UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME
“Universal Basic Income is not a solution to our social and economic problems”

UNPAID INTERNSHIPS
“Unpaid internships are exploitative”

V

VEGETARIANISM
“We should not eat meat”

VOTES FOR PRISONERS
“No prisoner should have the vote”

VOTING
“Voting should be made compulsory in the UK”

W

WATER SCARCITY
“Solutions to water scarcity in the UK are technological, not environmental”

WIKILEAKS
“Wikileaks is good for democracy”

Y

YOUTH LEADERSHIP
“Young politicians offer the best hope for India’s political future”