April
At the April session, those present discussed a variety of topical issues including whether Mental Health problems are becoming fashionable, Research into Near Death Experiences should be properly funded, Joe Biden is too old for another Presidential term and the BBC should read out the names of all 32,000 killed in Palestine not just the British Aid Workers. A lot of lively and thoughtful views were shared and debated.
March
For the February debate, Helen Rees proposed the motion: "Our political leaders have only represented one side of the conflict in the Middle East”. She provided a succinct history of events leading up to the current day crisis starting with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 which expressed the British Government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. She felt that no foreign power should have imposed the sectioning of an Arab land for another nation as it would not have been tolerated anywhere else in the world and had only served to worsen the relationship between Jews and Arabs. She stated that in recent times, the mortality rate was much higher for Palestine but despite this, our politicians only appeared to be supporting Israel.
Opposer Chris Lane disagreed citing numerous articles where both Conservative and Labour leaders had spoken out against the use of violence on both sides and had specified their support for a more normalised, stable and secure two state solution acting within international, humanitarian law. However he believed that our politicians were right to make it clear that Israel should be able to defend itself against acts of terrorism as long as only reasonable force was used and consideration was given for human life. Furthermore he asserted that our politicians were trying to encourage a future where the prospect of progress could be made in enabling peace for all concerned.
Following a variety of thought provoking responses from the floor, the motion was overwhelmingly defeated.
January