University Lecturer to Judge School Debate

Dr Trevor Stammers, Programme Director of the postgraduate Bioethics and Medical Law programme at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, is to be on the judging panel of the annual Debating Matters competition. The competition, which is run by the Institute of Ideas, sees sixth form students across the UK engage in intellectual debates about modern topics while being challenged by a panel of judges and the audience. Dr Stammers will be judging three of the four debating rounds as students from four schools battle it out to represent Merton in the London South regional final of the contest. The Merton qualifying round will be held on Monday 1st December at Richmond upon Thames College, Twickenham with 16-18 years old students from the College along with Esher College, Southborough High School and St John’s School competing against one another. Judging alongside Dr Stammers is Holly Pattenden, from international energy company Statoil; Richard Collins, owner of brand communication company ecobrand; Fr Christopher Jamison of the Catholic Church of England and Wales; Benjamin Thiele-Long from Pagefield Communications; and Matthew Elliott, Business for Britain and Big Brother Watch. The judges will examine the students’ ability to research a topic and their responses to questioning when their ideas are put under intellectual pressure, with content ruling over style. Dr Stammers said, “Debating Matters is now a well-established national arena for sixth-form debates and it is a real privilege to be able to participate in this way. Almost certainly, some of the movers and shakers of this century will be taking part and it will be exciting to see how their careers progress in future years and know that you first recognised their potential in this competition.” The subjects that students will discuss at the Merton debate include: whether artistic expression should ever be censored, if unhealthy lifestyles are the business of government, and whether we should sacrifice our privacy in the interest of national and international security. With the controversy surrounding Exhibit B, the Barbican’s slavery show also referred to as the human zoo, and ongoing impact of the post-Snowden period which highlighted issues of national and international privacy and security, the students hope to make a significant contribution to public debates on these topics. The winning team of the Merton qualifying round will go on to compete at the London South regional final, which takes place early next year. The three-day national final will be held in summer 2015.