World Debating Championships 1987 SPONSORED BY FURSTENBURG
The Literary & Historical Society
Uachtaran President
na of
hEireann Ireland
Baile Atha Cliath 8 Dublin
Fearaim na milte failte go hEirinn rompu siud go
le"ir ata tagtha anseo 6 na ceithre hairde chun pairt a ghlacadh i gComortas Diospoireachta Ollscoileanna an Domhain. Ta suil agam go mbainfidh sibh taitneamh agus tairbhe as
an seal a chaithfidh
sibh
inar mease agus go
gcuirfidh bhur liofacht agus bhur gcumas oraidiochta len bhur gclu fein agus le call an Chomortais iomraitigh a thug go Baile Atha Cliath
sibh.
It gives me very great pleasure to express a most
warm welcome to Ireland to all who have come here to take part in the World University Debating Championships.
May you enjoy your stay among us and take away
with you pleasant memories of a country whose people are not
unknown for their love of words or for their skill in persuasive
eloquence.
May you enjoy your participation in the World
University Debating Championships in Dublin, to which I wish every
success.
Uachtaran
na
hEireann
(fit/and.
On
behalf of
the
hearty welcome
People of
to
all
the
Debating
Championships.
Our City
is
famous
for
so
is
it
world's
entirely best
appropraite
debators
to
a
You
will
find
no
shortage
assure you,
and
With
will
persuaders;
best
memorable
every
in
extend
a
the World
literature and colourful
contribution to
to
the
participants
to
its
come
Make
wish
prestigeous
have
and
I
proud to host this
You
I
Dublin
of
demand I
your
welcome
is
speach,
the
wit
and
of opinion the
know you
stay
in
chat or
and
charm
argument here.
best of your talents will
Dublin
enjoy
-
are
I
the
know
as
plentiful Dublin,
speakers
challenge.
it will
be
a
happy
one.
good
wish.
ALDERMAN BERTIE AHERN LORD MAYOR OF
should
Dublin
our City.
City where
but
that we
event.
T.D.,
DUBLIN
Page 3
Oifig an Taoisigh Office of the Taoiseach December,
Mr.
1986.
Jonathan Barton,
Managing Director, World Debating Championships UCD Students1 Union Centre,
1987,
Dublin 4.
Dear
I
Mr.
Barton,
am delighted
to welcome
the participants
in
the World
University. Debating Championships to Ireland. This is the first time the Championships are being held in Ireland indeed, I believe, in Europe. The fact that we have been so honoured is due mainly to the very high calibre of the representatives from Ireland who participated Championships in recent years.
in the
Naturally, as an Irishman, I must be partisan and hope that we will secure our third straight victory but in the process I am looking forward to a dazzling display of wit an5 sophistry, leavened by profundity. In Ireland, we have a considerable
tradition of debating skills ranging from the public house philosopher best caputured in the pages of Myles na Gopaleen to a statesman with the polish and insight of Edmond Burke. We are, therefore, well placed to appreciate the excellence of our visiting teams. I feel they can be assured of a warm responsive and lively welcome and I hope they enjoy their stay in Iceland. May the best team win.
1 '
."•
^
I
Garret FitzGerald^ T.D.,
Oifig an Taoisigh, Tithe an Rialtais, Baile Atha Cliath 2. Office of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Dublin 2.
1O DOWNING STREET THE PRIME MINISTER
It
is
support to
with
great
pleasure
that
I
the United Kingdom teams
send
a
message
taking part
of
in the 1987
World Debating Championships. We
| j
live
in
attention when
an
age when
too many
they should be
arguing
people
shout
rationally.
for
So
it
is
important that the tradition of vigorous but peaceful debate
-
the bedrock
of
democracy -
thrives
on
a
global
scale.
j
| i
I
for
The success of Irish teams in winning the Championships
the
last
two
years
debate is as strong
is
evidence
that
tha
tradition
of
in Ireland as anywhere in the world.
I hope that one of the United Kingdom participants emulates the team success of Glasgow University in the 1983
| j i
Championships.
But my sincerest wish
is
for
the continuing
success of these Championships and for the strengthening of
our
shared democratic May
the
best
traditions
arguments
of
debate.
win.
NOVEMBER 1986
Page
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT'S OFFICK
PATRICK MASTERSON MA PhD
ADMINISTRATION BU: DUBLIN 4
TELEPHONE 693 244
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome the participants in the World Debating Championships. the organiser
The Literary and Historical Society,
of this championship,
is our oldest society in
University College Dublin, with a significant history back to its foundation in 1855 as the debating society of the Catholic
University of Ireland.
In the one hundred and thirty-two years
of its existence the Society has been the forum where students of every generation have learned the art of oratory and the skills of debate.
It numbers among its former members many renowned
speakers, who subsequently became distinguished in public life and in every profession and vocation.
I wish success to the competitors in this championship, which I am sure will be an event of interest and enjoyment to all those involved with it, whether as speakers or audience.
Patrick Masterson President
17 December
Page 6
1986
THE WORLD DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIPS OFFICIAL JOURNAL 1987
The Literary & Historical Society President: Dr. Patrick Masterson.
Vice-Presidents: Prof. Daniel A. Binchy, Dr. Conor Cruise-O'Brien, Dr. Cyril Cusack. Prof. R. Dudley Edwards Vincent Groean SC The Hon. John Kenny. Sean MacBrideS.C, Prof. James F.Meenan, Richie Ryan.
'
Editorial "DE BLINDS IS DOWN" An occasion such as the "Worlds", or a forum such as this, a commemorative magazine is no place to wash the dirty linen of the L & H. It does however afford an opportunity to highlight some of the possibilities if offers. To host this prestigious event is the greatest honour that the debating world can bestow on any society. It is a fitting tribute to the L & H but certainly no cause for self-congratulation. Such accolades can mask the reality.
That the L&H is healthy at grassroots level is clear to even the most casual observer. The level of energy and enthusiasm generated over the past two months exemplifies all that is good about the society. But that energy and enthusiasm must not be dissipated and squandered through fractious argument and internecine intrigue. We have had too much of that. Too many people have invested their time and energy in thie enterprise. Their faith and goodwill can no longer be taken for granted. The society must heed the warnings of recent times nad mend its ways. It is its members and not a mere junta or cabal.
This society has one of the proudest traditions of any debating union in the world. That tradition must be jealously guarded by the society's members. It must strive to maintain its preeminence at the forefront of Irish debating and it must pursue this aim ruthlessly.To fail is to accept the consequences of decline to the esoteric and the mediocre.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Conor Murphy Paul White Leslie Kelly
CONTRIBUTORS
ADVERTISING PROMOTION AND
DISTRIBUTION
Bernard Ryan Colm O'hOisin Susan Towers
Sean Me Bride S.C. Hugh Kenny Denis Carroll D.D. Cyril White Ph.D.
Yvonne Thunder Melanie Morris Kate Lennon Yvonne Judge Darius Whelan Joseph Me Donagh
Damien Crawford
COVER DESIGN Hubert Montag
David Norris
Gary Holbrook Shane Murphy
Page 7
TOLERANCE, LIBERALISM AND THE EIGHTIES
fast-chancing, upwardly mobile consumer society.
BY DENIS CARROLL D.D. I am asked to pen some brief reflections on tolerance. To bear with one another is not only
a Christian virtue. It is also a prime necessity for social living. If a
degree of mutual tolerance - to bear with difference is not attained then a society sinks into recrim ination, division and chaos. It is always a
sign of insecurity when
people cannot tolerate difference, when they victimise or ostracise the outsider, the non conformist and the loner.
In the first place, then, I want to contest the oppositions or dualisms we set up between black and white, man and woman, poor and rich.
All
too frequently, we set off mind against body, thought against feeling, rationality against spontaneity. Up to now, whites have oppressed blacks, men have oppressed women, rich have oppressed poor. I am always glad to see these oppositions and oppressions called in question. The best of Christian vision - which is also a humanist vision questions these dualisms and oppressions. Thus, it drives us to ask why these occur and what we can do to grow beyond them.
Simultaneously, we are brought to see that tolerance is not a weak, spineless thing. It is a demanding programme which demands self-criticism and cons iderable asceticism. I welcome the emphasis in the Christian tradition that the human person is sacred. The
medieval adage runs: Res sacra homo. Where such a principle is given effect, human rights have a base safe from the erosion of
political pragmatism religious fanaticism.
or
Likewise, I welcome the Page 8
more
recent
abortion and contraception. In a sense, liberalism did not go beyond endorsing the
stress
in
Christian circles on justice and sustainability. There is a very worthwhile study by the World Council of Churches entitled "towards a Just and Sustainable Society". This, for me, hits the right note. If we can bring together the sacredness of die person and me demands - both economic and ecological - of a sustainable society then we shall be doing well. For myself, I believe that a beacon light of that conjuncture of social justice and human rights is the people's revolution in Nicaragua. It is a scandal that the United States regime persists in its sordid attempts
to destabilise the democratically elected government mere.
Were I writing in the sixties or seventies I would have developed the theme of liberal tolerance. Without
denying the values of those
years I wish to make a different point now. I believe we have to move from a merely liberal to a radical agenda. The liberal promise with its optimism and love of
freedom seemed to herald an
emancipation from older structures which had become oppressive and confining. In the sixties one was proud to be part of the liberal programme in both civil and
ecclesiastical matters. Now, I am no longer sure of
how far liberalism can take
us. In Ireland, as elsewhere, the liberal programme has shown its own ambiguity. In the first place, it picked soft targets. The Catholic Church, the G.A.A., the Irish language became easy game for low cost moral indignation. The ideal of a desirable society seemed to be emancipation from restriction in sexual matters. Ironically, social legislation came to refer not to legislation for the distribution of scarce resources but to legislation on divorce,
I am not arguing for the restoration of authoritarian
values or outmoded traditional assumptions. Rather, I want to question die liberal "new right" which is vocal in business, political and university circles. Since my space is limited, I will simply detail some assumptions - dear to the "new right" - which I feel should be strongly contested. - that the growing gap between a deprived minority and a relatively well-off majority is to be tolerated. It is sometimes said that social progress must await further
economic advance. Eco nomics must not be allowed to dominate our values. I
would argue that we need to re-examine our social policies along the lines of the recent report from die Commission on Social Welfare. Yet, we have a duty as a society to afford a minimum income to those who otherwise cannot live in basic comfort.
- that Ireland's interests are best consulted by polite subservience to die U.S. and Britain. The Nobel and Lenin peace prize winner, Sean McBride, reminded us that Ireland's interests and natural sympathies lie with certain third world countries which struggle to throw off the yoke of post-colonial dependency. - tli at we need to show "good faith" to British politicians and that die "good faith" of British establishment can be taken for granted. The lesson of the Birmingham Six and die Guildford Four and the Maguire family may not yet nave sunk in. Thus we witness the unseemly haste of the present government to enact extradition proceedings which are grossly careless about possible injustice to Irish citizens who may fall foul of the British legal system.
A WORD FROM OUR DIRECTOR BY JONATHAN BARTON, CHAMPIONSHIP DIRECTOR
The success of this championships is
due to the dedicated work of a great bunch of students working voluntarily over many months,
missing lectures as well as a normal
social life, they are the reason we are here this week.
It ail started with Declan Kirrane - in his time as Championships Director, he laid the foundations of what we have this week, it was Declan's conception of what the World Debating Championships could be that provided us with a goal to aim for. Our wonderful venue, tonight is thanks to his hard work, both in organising the venue and in obtaining patronage for it. The State Reception is also a credit to his hard work as is the administrative framework set up in his time as Director.
In my time as Championships Director, in order to bring these championships to the point of being possible, I have called on and received the support of many dozens of people - too many to deal with in detail. However I feel I must select particular
the Visitor's guide - Peter Cross, Orla Dermody and Garret Breen have produced an admirable guide to Dublin. My thanks to Melanie Morris and Joe McDonagh who have kept the PR front buzzing. Joe has also been a great help to Colm as Debates Convenor. Stephen Brien has shown a consistent commitment to the many areas which he has
been assigned particularly with his flair as Systems Analyst in deciding the tournament
structure. I am very grateful to Mary Donnelly for her hard work in selling tickets for the final.
Apart from fellow students I wish to acknowledge the support and advice of Mr Gerry Horkan - Senior Administrator of the Student's Union and of the Registrar of the
College, Dr John Kelly, on behalf of the College, our Senior Treasurer, Mr Tom Cooney has been a constant support with his friendly and helpful advice.
Of professional help given freely to the Championships I should like to thank
people.
particularly Mr Finn Lyden for his financial and other advice and Mr Lorcan Walsh for his essential direction of PR.
In the last months, I have had many reasons to be grateful to Bernard Ryan - he has been my right hand man throughout and with his dedication and organisational ability we would not have a successful Championships. Together with Ian Carton, Bernard took on the mamouth task of dealing with competitor's problems by telephone and letter. The sheer volume of work involved was unique to this area. Colm O hOisin's enthusiasm and commitment, both as Debates Convenor and his many good ideas in all areas have been a constant boost. Yvonne Judge has managed to combine a full-time job with a tremendous amount of work in fields as diverse as sponsorship and Public Relations. The importance of this
Due to limited space, I can only thank the following in a general way, to all of them for their hard work I owe a great personal debt: Anna De Courcy, Adrian Fitzgibbon, Graham Hanlon, Aine Hynes, Leslie Kelly, Dave Kelly, John Chambers, Monica Leech, Conor Murphy, Johnny McDonald, Declan McHugh, Patricia O'Connell, Joe O'Sullivan, Declan O'Sullivan, Mark Humphries, Maeve Taylor, Margaret O'Riordan, Paul White, Philip Nolan, Louis Curran, Audrey Burke, Tim McNuIty, Kevin McDermott, Yvonne Thunder, Susan Towers. A very special word of thanks to Michelle Morris and Annette Treanor for putting up with us in the Union General Office for so long and for all their help.
particular theme of both Kate Lennon and
I am very grateful to our excellent adjudicators who gave up their Christman
Championships to UCD as a whole was a Darius Whelan's participation, at a crucial
time of low morale, Kate helped us renew our enthusiam and made us believe this
competition could actually happen. Darius at a time of personal bereavement showed great courage and dedication to the Championships in the unenviable job of making the books balance. Denise McDonald almost single handedly conducted the sponsorship drive. Her energy and good humour drove our sponsorship team to achieve great things. The editors of
holidays to help out, also our many stewards and ticket seller. Congratulations to Conor Murphy, Paul White and Leslie Kelly for
their excellent job on the Commemorative Magazine.
Finally, the World Debating Championships is the largest ever Intervarsity event to come to U.C.D. and I am very proud to have been involved with it.
JAMES JOYCE AND THE L & H BY DAVID P.B. NORRIS, B.A. Dept of Modern English.Trinity College Dublin
The Literary and Historical Society of U.C.D. has like all such university debating societies, its fair share of distinguished past members. However there can be no dispute as
to the brightest star historically speaking in this particular undergraduate firmament. The fact that James Joyce took membership of the society shortly after its re formation in 1897 was elected to its executive in 1898 and aspired to the splendidly inappropriate post of treasurer is almost as startling as if
Shakespeare had been a member of the Oxford union.
Meetings of the society were held in the old physics theatre of 86 St. Stephen's Green, a smallish auditorium by today's standards, then fitted with raked seating. Joyce attended the sessions regularly, often in the company of his acid-tongued younger brother Stanislaus, later to become Professor of English at the University of Trieste. Stanislaus was inclined to be dismissive of the proceedings writing later that "the timid or patriotic debates were almost uniformly depressing to hear", and recounts how when a rather precious young man called Hugh Boyle Kennedy delivered a paper on " The War Machine - a state necessity", a Jesuit member of staff, putting aside the discretion normally associated with that order was drawn to remark that "The sewing machine a domestic necessity" would have been a more appropriate topic. This same Kennedy was one of the first to attack Joyce for what was perceived as literary heresy when the young writer read the first of his two celebrated papers on 20th January 1899. This paper was "Drama and life" and was considered very advanced and daring because of its exploration of the ideas of Ibsen, Hauptman and Maeterlinck. On this occasion John Stanislaus Joyce - the author's father also attended more out of parental loyalty than interest in literature and has left as a
description of the event in which his skill as a raconteur captures some of the atmosphere that must have reigned in the Physics theatre "of course I knew Hugh Kennedy, now
Chief Justice of the Free State.' He was a
schoolfellow of Jim's. He was at Belvedere College with Jim. I don't know much about him except his ugliness. By the Holy God you could put him up to frighten anybody -
Pnot> M
he would frighten the horses off their feet.
Oh Yes! I saw him making a holy show of
himself in the college. Jim was reading a paper on some subject - You know Jim had a great flow of language. There was a debate and Kennedy took exception to something
Jim had said. At last Jim stood up and my God he spoke for half an hour and he left Kennedy in a condition that he was not fit to be washed. I often told Jim to go for the bar, for he had a great flair of language and he
speaks better than he writes". If Mr Joyce's contention that his son spoke better than he wrote then the meetings of the L & H at the turn of the century must have been remarkable indeed. Joyce's own description of the events of that evening can be found in the first draft version of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", published posthumously under the title "Stephen Hero".
Whatever the conflict of opinions on aesthetic matters a good deal of excitment was caused by Joyce's paper and the debate that followed it was continued well beyond the prescribed closing time of 10 p.m. despite strenous efforts on the part of the college porters to quench the symposiasts. Not everyone who took part in this intellectual Boston Tea party was equally equipped to deal with the issues involved. When Joyce on being asked who he would like to chair the meeting replied ironically "Henrik Ibsen" he was first startled when the secretary W.P. Coyne asked for his address, and then amused in glancing down to see that Coyne had noted the name as "Henry Gibson". Joyce's paper on Drama and life" had in part been regarded as so controversial that attempts were made by the college authorities to prevent its delivery. These manoevres were skillfully outwitted by Joyce who already exhibited considerable machiavellian skills. These were not to be required two years later when he read his second paper this time on the poet James Clarence Mangan. To his audience Mangan was familiar, safe and Irish and therfore preferable to the "foreign filth" he had previously afflicted on them. Neverthless the comparatively innocuous nature of the subject did not protect him from attack from the usual sources. Louis J. Walsh the boy orator and McGonaglesque bad poet in particular launched into high flown rhetorical invective. Joyce rewarded him by having Gerty McDowell in Ulysses select one of his most maukish ditties "Art
thou real my ideal" as an example of poetic
Joyce
beauty. There could be no more surreptitiously damning criticism. But in addition to his usual style of savage brilliance Joyce could also be generous and humane in debate' and Eugene Sheeny movingly recalls in the Centenary History of the L & H how when he made his maiden speech and overcome by nervousness broke down hopelessly, Joyce took him kindly by the arm as he left the theatre and said "Eugene, you have gone up a lot in my estimation!"
himself
was
seen
by
his
contemporaries as but one member of a bright and enthusiastic generation. James Fitzgerald-Kenney recalled "He had a very good appearance and an excellent delivery. But none of us thought we were listening to a man who would be, one day a world figure in literature". So let us all beware. It could happen again. Who knows with certainty what strange literary beast may this moment slouching towards theatre M in Bel field to be born.
The CHAMPIONSHIP
WEEK Sundav:
10am- 6pm 9 pm - 1 am
Registration of teams in the Montrose Hotel. Ceili. Ballroom of Montrose Hotel.
Mondav -
9 am - 5 pm
Three rounds of debate daily for all competitors,
Wednesday
Monday:
in UCD.
7 pm- 10 pm
Joint Embassies reception in conference centre, UCD.
Tuesdav:
Shoppingeveningin town. Disco at "Fresh"
Wednesday:
New Year's Eve Ball. Mansion House.
Thursday: 8 pm 9 pm Friday:
8 pm-10 pm
Racing at Fairyhouse. L & H meeting in Montrose Hotel. Announcement of top 16 teams. Quarter and semi-finals at UCD.
State reception hosted by An Taoiseach, Dr. Garret
Fitzgerald at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. Saturday:
6 pm 7 pm 8 pm
Civic reception in Mansion House. Pre-final reception, Earlsfort Terrace. Final in National Concert Hall. Chairman, Mr. John Hume, MEP, MP.
Page 11
GOING WEST
INTERNATIONAL
COMPETITION
IS
A
RELATIVELY
NEW
DEPARTURE FOR IRISH DEBATERS. PROFESSOR GARY HOLBROOK IS THE MAN BEHIND THIS PHENOMENON.
Since its inception in 1960, The IRISH TIMES debating competition has developed into the most important
The giant American brewers Adolph Coors
debating calender.
fund the series until the tour of 1983 and since then the venture has been jointly sponsored by the IRISH TIMES and the FRIENDS OF THE IRISH DEBATERS SERIES, a non-profit organization set up by Holbrook and based in Denver. Host colleges are required to pay $200 per visit and to provide the Irish speakers with food and lodgings. It is a system which Holbrook says has worked well. The Irish Debate Series is one of the most concrete achievements of the Irish debating industry, renowned more for its production of ideas than for their execution. Holbrook sees its success as generated by the contrast of debating styles practised in Ireland and the U.S. He clearly regards the Irish style as
national
event
in
the
university
In recent years, the competition has gained even more prestige among Irish students by virtue of the prize awaiting the best team and best individual. Since 1980, the victorious threesome have been treated to a three week
tour of American colleges, debating a series of topics, under the paternal eye of Prof. Gary H. Holbrook from the Speech
Communications Metropolitan
State
Department College
at
of
the
Denver.
Colarado. Professor Holbrook sees his annual co ordination of the series as a ten-year obligation which heinitiated in 1980 and which he hopes will have sufficient momentum of its own to carry on without him at the helm into the next decade. Holbrook had always been aware that since
1924, teams from Oxford and
Cambridge had been making an annual debating tour of the U.S. When he realised in 1979 (what has been clear to Irish debaters for much longer) that the standard of debate among Irish students is never less than equal to their British counterparts, he began to organise what has since become the annual tour.
Page 12
were persuaded by Holbrook to sponsor the initial tour which took place early in 1980 and was a complete success. Coors continued to
superior and readily admits that from an oratorical point of view, the Americans gain
far more than the Irish.
However, he points
out that the Irish Debates Series has given many Irish students their first taste of transatlantic travel and that the overall experience gained on tour is more than enough to ensure the continuation of the series indefinitely.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE WORLD DEBATING COUNCIL The L & H is proud to host this year's World Debating Championships and to continue the role which Ireland has played at the forefront of international debating. The event marks a historic point for the society. Never before in the 132 years of its history has it organised an event of such magnitude. It is my hope that through this competition the world may have something to learn both from the Irish debating tradition and from the ideas and values which have caried this country through its long and varied history.
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Competitors Attendim AUSTRALIA
Adelaide University
Simon Stretton Anthony Durkin
FRANCE
Ecole Normale Superieurc
Francis Greenslade
Peter Salu
Melbourne University
Jenny Buckland Peter Collins Greg Hunt Mary Woolridgc
Monique Labrur Catherine Lame Frederic Limare Benoit Tadie
GREECE
Athens College, Greece
CANADA
McGill University
Matthew Mendelsohn
Charles O'Brien Sarah Cross Baila Lazarus Domcnic Romano Paul Fitzgerald Royal Military College, Canada
Darrin Grey Ian Rcnnic
Saint Lawrence University
Brian Pcnrod
Kathcrine Walsh University of Western Ontario
Nicholas Bull David Mutimcr
University of Ottawa
Thomas Fournicr Keith Egli
University of Toronto
(sponsored by Fred llanna's Limited)
Paul Paton Tom Jonson Stuart OHcy
Justin MacGrcgor
Victoria University/Toronto
IRELAND
Trinity College Dublin
David Langwalli Anthony Whela
Trinity College Dublin Philosophical Society
Malachy McAll: Alex Bell Paul Gavin
Law Society
Aidan Kane
University College Galway Literary and Debating Society
JAMAICA
Queen's University Kingston
NEW ZEALAND Peter Shand Clare Ryan Sharron Came Rhcma Vaithiam
Victoria University Auckland
Payton Kan Peter Sainsbury
Diane Brady
Brascnose College, Oxford
Robin Harper
Cambridge University
Bradley Lander Martin Todd
Union
William O'Shccr
Imperial College, London Inner Temple Debating Society
London School of Economics
University of Bristol
University of Swansea
University of Liverpool
Page 14
Nikita Nanos Matt Collcdge
Auckland University
Shirley Ann Brady
ENGLAND
Conor Bowman Brendan Wilkin! Michael Howard Maire McNally
SCOTLAND
Aberdeen University
Andrew Webster Linzi Birni
Dundee University (Catherine Davy Adam Oycbanji Charles Marquand Susan Carr Rory O'Driscoll Jonathan Pulsnam Paul Wood J.J. Jones
Edinburgh University (Diagnostic)
Simon McGrath
(Union)
Edinburgh University
Jean Rogcrson Trista Johnson
Glasgow University (Dialectic)
John Fletcher David Rennie
David Thomas
Glasgow University (Union)
Saint Andrews University
Deborah Watson Gavin Bowd Mark Sedwill
Gillian Kellock
the 1987 Championships UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amhcrsl College
Heather Houlahan Alexander Meerovich Daniel Kaplan Kathleen Smith
' Barnard College
Michelle Coulon Suclette Daniel-Dreyfus
' Brandcis University
David Collins Maxim Cantor
Brown University
Aaron Belkin Jeffrey Graham Jason Grumet Barry Fishman
Columbia University
Cornell University
Joshua Prober Ralph Stone Jennifer Grace Peter Del Toro Naseer Hashim Curtis Dengcnfcldcr Ramon Reyes
Princeton University
Providence College
Serena Gallagher Annemarie Matosky Michael Fitzgerald Mark Pasquale
Rhode Island University
Simon Lono Richard Farley Mara Dolan Paul Yeats
Smith College
Elise Yablonski Felice Batlan
Sacred Heart University
Edward Devine Arthur Lobdcll Robert Robinson Gloria Kelly
Swarthmore College
Josh Davies Reid Ncureitis Jim Buckley Miriam Jorgenscn
University of Texas
Lawrence Hoffman Geoffrey Harrison
Aaron Spitz
Illir Zhcrka Kristina Robbins
University of Chicago Law School
Sharon Zezima Andrew Ostrognai
I sponsored by the First National Bank of Chicago) Fordham University Pat Cippolane
Thomas Massara Roberta Oldenborg David Smith Liam O'Brien Jeanctt Samra
David Proshan
John Dorfman Bernard Roberts Daniel Robinson
University of Pennsylvania
Andrew Lutz
Thomas Rinaldi Neil Tuch Matthew Gendlcr Christopher Smith Bradley Handler
Gouchcr College
Barbra Bate men Judy Dunscomb Judith Weredyk Elizabeth Cohen
Harvard University
Ray Vasvari Randy Cohen
Academy
United States Naval
Frederick Smith William McKinlcy
Evan Williams Joe Mirabella
Vassar College
Scott Cooper Steve Kaval Jim Ralston Beth Freed man Scott Kirkpatrick Ann-Louise Gibbons
Weslcyan College
Christopher Burn John Richardson
West Point Academy
Jeffrey Tronvold Charles Gamcros Mark Elfcndahl
John Hopkins University
Todd Gillman Debbie Kravitz Thomas Hall Joe Swanson
Mount Holyoke College
Elizabeth White Heidi Little
William Ragan Heather Matlikow New York University
Stephen Levine Jeff Geist Rafael Chiu
Frank Donno Oberlin College
Scott Fehlan Christopher Joyce
John Eppcrly
Yale University
Victor Miller Simon Mcndclson Bart Aronson Tarnar Gendlcr
"Come back with the shield or on it..."
From right: Shane Murphy fex-Auditor), Damieu Crawford, Ben Cohen
( World Convenor 1985).
Those were the parting words of our
colleagues as we
left
Dublin
to
?o«P6t^in tlie WorIds in Montreal in 1985. The phrase is attributed to the
women of ancient Sparta (we think)
^o used it to bid farewell to "hi
menfolk going off the war "Win or
bust" would be a modern translation.
On arrival in Montreal frostbite seemed to be
the only thing we'd return with. Minus 15 degrees is a weather condition the Irish only read about, they are not designed for walking around in it. It was but one of the many little
things wed go on to notice during the
tournament that would add to the sense of
adventure we felt in being there in the first
pJ3C6,
Anyone flying in to Dublin this year will probably have the same little questions tucked
away m the back of their heads as we had
SKV WAX!& laUghhighat **J°kes? Will we be f destroyed by the standard?
In Ireland debating centres around the main
societies in each University. Crowds of 300 or more gather weekly to enjoy the fare at the regular meeting. As a result Irish (and indeed Scottish and English) debaters tend to hanker atter the large crowd with the cut and thrust of a debate where not only is the opposing team (or teams - we may have up to 8 teams in one heat!) out to get you, but the entire
audience may be as well!
So the near-empty rooms in Montreal with
only the adjudicators present seemed strange to put it mildly. What was not only strange
but awesome, was the level of organization McGilI University supplied to the proceedings. "Ralph" (the moose - symbol
or the society) was obviously pleased, as were all the visitors although there were the old queries. How come the door to our hotel is actually the upside-down door of a ladies toilet? How come the Scottish get to stay in a
hotel next door to an establishment called Le cave du Sex1?? In any event of this
The unfamihanty of the surroundings and a feeling of unease about the format of the
magnitude hiccups will inevitably occur and
dissipates any ideas you might have
expected in Dublin. Deoole will come here to
compotion adds to the tension and quickly
entertained about taking the place ty storm1
what we found in Montreal will doubtless be
win the trophy (and quite spectacular it is too!) but they will also come to meet up with
their worldwide counterparts and have some fun. Therefore the hiccups will be seen as just that and won't interfere with the enjoyment of the event.
The "league" section of the competition will prove to be wearying. You'll wake up in the
morning thinking of a brilliant rebuttal you should have used the day before yesterday in a debate you think you might have won if you'd correctly interpreted what the last adjudicator said. Or maybe not. You'll think
on your feet, stand on your head and tell jokes you thought were stupid when you first heard them just to try and get some inspiration. You'll get by and probably a lot better than you expect.
The most stimulating aspect of the Debates derived from the short notice of motion received by the speakers i.e. 15 minutes prior to the debate. This ensured that all speakers
had .to be constantly vigilant throughout in order to counter the many ingenious interpretations of the motions formulated by inventive opponents.
Further challenge was often presented by the occasional disparity between the American and European vocabulary eg "What is a Fuzz Buster?". Altogether the competitive meeting
of minds gave little scope for relaxation or complacency. With 17 debates in 6 days the
battle against mental exhaustion was
constant. To ensure progress in this competition you will need a fund of old
jokes, a keen sense of teamwork, a willingness to commit yourselves fully to the oratorical combat, a strong competitive sense and the stamina to preserve a cohesive team effort for the full distance.
We got lucky and made the knock-out section. This format seems to favour the Irish and Scottish Teams (we'd have said
English but they haven't got that far yet) who seem to be able to 'kick' into a higher gear when the occasion requires it. Watch
for the Canadians and Australians at this
point as well and, unless they're too busy sampling Guinness, expect to see the Americans in there too.
You won't get to the final. No-one can expect to, there's always that element of chance. Ask John Duffy and Jeff Nankwell
University of Toronto, who lost out 3-2 in the quarter finals at Montreal with no adjudicator scoring more than one point between the teams! Enjoy the week, the city , the people, the debating. Come back and
see us again.
Watch those you compete
against and learn from them. And if, just if, you make the final throw, throw caution to
the wind and go for glory. Come back with the shield or on it
Shell
BEST WISHES TO THE WORLD DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Irish Shell Limited Shell House
20-22 Lower Hatch Street Dublin 2 Telephone 613633 Telex 93634 Fax 613448
Pnoo 17
THE IRISH-AMERICAN CONNECTION Cyril M. White
Department of Sociology University College Dublin
Dr. Cyril M. White is the former President of the Irish Association for American Studies, the Associate Director of the Semester in Irish Studies at University College Dublin and biographer of Charles Thomson. Ireland's relationship with ihe United States is now more lhan two and a
half centuries in existence. While Irish people had
visited and settled in North America, (one, Saint Brendan the Navigator is said to have been the first European to have discovered
the place in the sixth Century A.D.) the date of the first
mass
emigration
from
Ireland is 1719, when the first wave of emigration from Ulster in the North of Ireland, reached the British Middle Atlantic colonies. For most of the next half of the 18th Century many
hundreds of thousands of
Irish people mostly but not all from Ulster, emigrated to the Colonies of
Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York,
Delaware, Virginia and North and South Carolina. By the 1750's Irish born James Logan, the acting Governor of Pennsylvania, and William Penn's former Secretary, could write that if
Ulster did not awake to this exodus all of the people of the Irish Province would be in Pennsylvania. He was also to remark that his fellow countrymen
were
more
trouble to him than all the other European emigrants put together. He in fact said that "one Irishman gave him more trouble than twenty
Germans". By this time Ulster emigrants were arriving in the Delaware River on a weekly basis in
every second or third ship
that saided to the ports on this river, New Castle and Philadelphia in particular.
By the time of the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, who had visited Ireland (staying in Dublin for
a week) in 1771, remarked
that Page 18
one
third
of
the
population of Pennsylvania
were English, one third German and the remaining
third, Irish.
While the
population of other Middle American Colonies would not have as large an Irish population as Pennsylvania,
many of its most prominent citizens were either Irish born or the children of Irish born parents or grand parents.
This
would
continue well into the 19th Century. Perhaps some of
later.
Dobbs
was
responsible for completing
the Irish Parliament Building in College Green, now the Bank of Ireland. Mr Dobhs was not content with the
original design, so he had a
long, imposing balustrade placed on top of the building. In addition, he designed the forecourt of the building and
had this included in the final
completion. Both of these conditions are visible today and add greatly to the overall
the most prominent names in this middle to late 18th Century are recognisable to
beauty of this most prominent of Dublin's 18th Century buildings.
World Debating Championship. Besides James Logan, (the real maker of Pennsylvania) Logan Circle in Philadelphia is named after him - there
completed what is now the
our American visitors to this
were the Lynches and the
Rutledges of South Carolina, the Carrolls of Maryland, Charles Thomson of Pennsylvania, Matthew
Thornton
of
New
Hampshire, and George Taylor and James Smith of Pennsylvania all signatories of the Declaration of Independence. James Smith, one of the signatories was actually born here in
Dublin in about 1719. Other prominent Irish born
Americans were John Dunlap, who printed both
the Declaration Independence and present
of the
American
Constitution,
William
Paterson of New Jersey, after whom Paterson, New Jersey is named and Arthur Dobbs the last Royal
Governor of North Carolina. Arthur Dobbs, who was the Surveyor-General of Ireland before he was appointed
governor of North Carolina,
has left his mark on Dublin which can still be seen to this day, more than two centuries
Shortly after Arthur Dobbs
Bank of Ireland another Irishman, who this time would design and build America's most famous building, the White House, was
born
in
County
Kilkenny.
James Hoban
profession
of
came to Dublin to learn the
Mason-
Builder, the forerunner of
the modern architect, from
James Gandon.
Gandon
was the designer-builder of
The Customs House, The
Four Courts, The City Hall
and The King's Inns, four of Dublin's greatest public buildings. After working with Gandon on these buildings, Hoban emigrated first to Philadelphia and then to South Carolina where he designed some homes and
some
public
However,
in
buildings.
1792,
he
entered and won a competition for a design for
a "President's House" as it was then called.
Placed
second in this competition was the design submitted by the soon to be President of the United Stales, Thomas Jefferson. James Hoban built the walls of the "President's House" with standstone quarried at Aquia Creek, Virginia and it is said
that his inspiration in design
came from one of the buildings he had worked on in Dublin. In 1814 during President Madison's term of office, the British returned to
the United States and captured Washington D.C., burning both the Capitol Building and the "President's House", leaving
only the walls of the "President's House" standing. James Hoban was again called upon, this time to rebuild the house and he managed to complete this
new assignment by Ocotber, 1817. As the walls were now stained and streaked by black carbon as a result of
the burning, Hoban decided to paint the exterior walls white to obliterate the black
markings and streakings. This caused the rebuilt Presidential building to be termed "The White House" which it is so called to the present.
Perhaps the most politically prominent of those born in Ireland in the 18th century was Charles Thomson of Pennsylvania. Mr Thomson was the sole Secretary of the American Congress between 1774 and 1789, and the final writer and attester of the Declaration of Independence. In addition, it was he who took charge of the elections to the First Federal Congress and the election to the First Presidency of the United
States. Secretary Thomson directed the States to elect their Senators, Representatives and
Presidential Electors to "transmit the votes as certified, signed, sealed and directed, as the constitution requires, to the Secretary of the United States in Congress Assembled". In other words to Charles Thomson.
Finally, when
the results of the Presdiential Election were known, Congress delegated Charles Thomson to officially and personally notify George
Washington of his election as the First President of the United States of America. This Thomson did by going to Washington's Home at
Mount Vernon, Virginia and on April 24th 1789 informed General Washington, in a short formal speech, that he had been elected President. Two days later PresidentElect Washington set out for New York and his
inauguration accompanied by Secretary Thomson and Washington's wartime aide David Humphreys.
Charles Thomson's most easily recognised and lasting contribution to American
Government was his design of the Great Seal of the United States, with its
striking centrepiece - the American Bald Eagle. Not only is the Great Seal America's symbol of independence and sovereignty, but it is used to certify and authenticate official Government Acts, Executive Order, Peace Treaties and Diplomatic Credentials. The most convenient place to find the Great Seal today is on the back of a one dollar bill.
With President Andrew Jackson's election in 1828 the previous century's descendants now had reached the highest office in America. President Jackson's parents had been born in Carrickfergus in Co.Antrim. Four subseqent American Presidents in the 19th Century would be descendants of the emigrant Irish of the previous centurv. Their emi grant successors
in
the
19th
Century would also see this pattern repeated in the 20th
Century for them with first President Kennedy, then President Nixon and finally
the present President of the United States, President Ronald Reagan. But politics were not the only road to
success
for
the
Irish
in
America, Business and Industry would also have their Irish success story with
the Mellons in Pittsburg and Henry Ford in Detroit.
The second large tide of emigration from Ireland to America occurred after the "Potato Famine" in the late 1840's. From this time until
about 1930, millions ot Irish men and Irish women left
Ireland for the United Suites. After World War II the level of emigration to America
diminished considerably although a steady flow continued from the West Coast of Ireland. Since U.S. Immigration Laws
were changed in 1965 only ;i minute number now emigrate offically to the U.S. although there is said to be a much larger number
of unofficial emigrants since the 1970's.
Today the traffic between the United States and Ireland is no longer a one way process. Many Americans visit Ireland on vacation, on
business on educational dips or to Congresses like the World Debating Championships now in session. At the same time many Irish people visit America as tourists, to visit relatives, on business, or as students. An interesting
sidelight on this to-ing and
fro-ing is the ancestral backgrounds of recent
American Ambassadors to
Ireland.
During the past
twenty-five
years
the
majority of the U.S. Ambassadors to Ireland have been Irish Americans, from Ambassador
Sheridan
through Ambassadors Moore, Curley, Shannon and Daley to the present Ambassador, Mrs. Margaret Heckler.
Perhaps the relationship which today is the most relative to young Americans is the number of American students who come to Ireland to study. All Irish Universities and Colleges have American students enrolled in their academic programmes.
However,
University College Dublin (The Dublin Campus of the National University of Ireland) offers each year,
between September and December, a Semester in Irish Studies. Sixteen units of academic credit are awarded for successful completion of the
programme
which
is
designed specifically for
THE L & H HOME OF THE 'FUTURES LEADERS OF IRELAND1 ? By Hugh Kenny
During the early years of the L&H visiting chairmen used to
remind the house that
they had among them the future leaders of
Ireland.
was
Whilst there
much
arrogance
and presumption in such a statement there was much truth also.
Many of the leading figures in Irish society served apprenticeships in the society and Michael Tiemey as President of U.C.D. used boast that there was no better training in "persuasion, oratory and the management of men" than the rough and tumble of the L&H. John Dillon, the Nationalist MP and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party was a member of the old society and served as Auditor for the session 1874-75, Tom Kettle, Nationalist MP, Professor of Economics in University College and a renowned poet, who died in 1916, while serving with the Royal Dublin Fuseliers in the First World War held office in 1898-99. A contempory of his, James Joyce was defeated in the election of 1900. Joyce,
who needs no introduction, was beaten by Hugh
Contd from Page 19 American students. In addition to the formal academic programme, all courses are augumented by
guest lectures given by leading politicians, authors, dramatists and personalities from die media and other walks of Irish life. During October, and prior to the mid-term break, a four day field trip is offered. This field trip is to a region of fage 20
Kennedy, a man who was to have a formative influence in the new state, serving on die drafting committee of the Irish Free State constitution
and as its first AttorneyGeneral from 1922 and Chief Justice from 1924. At this time O'Higgins and
Kevin Rory
O'Connor were both members of the society, frequently supporting each other in debate. O'Higgins as Minister for Justice and Home Affairs in the Free State Government was later to sanction O'Connor's execution as a reprisal for the killing by Republicans of Free State T.D.'s. The irony is further underlined by the fact that O'Higgins was best man at O'Connor's wedding.
John Dillon and a future leader of Fine Gael was the most outstanding orator Dail Eireann has heard. He
typified in many respects the values and ethos of the old Irish Party and was politically fearless. He resigned from Fine Gael during the war years because he opposed neutrality and believed that Ireland should have entered the war on the Allied side. In contrast Me Bride became Chief of Staff of the I.R. A. for a period and held strong Republican views. He led Clann na Poblachta into coalition with Fine Gael, Labour and Clann Talmhan: a government of widely
diverging opinions united only by their opposition to de Valera's Fianna Fail.
The society has always been a breeding ground for aspiring politicians. Several Taoisigh and countless Ministers have been members and served as Office holders. John Costello, Taoiseach 194951,1954-57, was defeated by Arthur Cox in 1912. Two of Costello's mini sterial colleagues, James Dillon and Sean McBride both served on the same committee in 1920-21 Dillon, son of the IPP leader
1933-34 and in 1933 was awarded the Society's Gold Medal for Oratory. In the 1933 election de Valera defeated Brian O'Nolan, since immortalised as Flann O'Brien and Myles Na gCopalleen. Anthony Cronin, another giant of Irish letters was also
Ireland outside Dublin offering special sociological,
die theatres and concert halls offer varied and interesting
archaeological and cultural interest. Through the
Semester, students avail of visits to such places as die Irish Parliament, the National Library, the National Art Gallery, the National Museum and odier places of historical, sociological and archa eological concern in and around Dublin. In addition,
De Valera's son Major Vivian de Valera, who later became a Fianna Fail T.D. and Managing Director of the Irish Press served as Auditor for the session
programmes Semester.
during
the
So after more than two and a half centuries Ireland is now offering attractive activities to young Americans in exchange for all diat America has offered the Irish since the first days of emigration in the early 18th Century.
The
Literary and Historical Society
would like to thank
FURSTENBERG Sponsors Of The Championships defeated for the Auditorship. He lost ot Frank Martin in 1946. Cronin served on Eamonn Walsh's committee and along with Kevin B. Nowlan succeeded Rory Roberts as the leaders of the socialist wing of the society. During Walsh's year he very nearly persuaded the pre dominantly conservative wing of the society to elect Jim Larkin as Vice President He failed by only one vote to secure the necessary two thirds
majority.
Cearbhall O'Dalaigh who won the society's Gold
Medal for Oratory in 1931-
32, the same year he served as Auditor and the last session in which the Auditor was eligible for such an aware, was a former Chief
Justice and President of Ireland. Both tenures were surrounded by controversy. As Chief Justice he championed a liberal interpretation of the constitution and drew heavily from American case
law a significant innovation and important break with tradition. O'Dalaigh incurred the wrath of the governemnt by
referring
anti-terrorist
legislation to the Supreme court
to
test
its
constitutionality, and provoked one minister to insult and admonish him publicly. The Taoiseach Li am Cosgrave stood by his minister and refused to request
his
resignation.
O'Dalaigh resigned on the principle that the Office had been degraded by such a refusal.
The most senior minister in that goverment, the Minister for Finance, Richie Ryan, was himself a former Auditor, having served in 1950-51. He tied in the election on two occassions with Michael McDevitt and the issue was decided on the toss of a coin.
O'Dalaigh
was
also
Clare the Psychiatrist served
as Auditor in 1963-64. Henry Kelly the former Irish
Times journalist and television presenter servd in 1967-68, and Gerald Barry, the political commentator, in 1969-70. Patrick Cosgrave who served as an aide to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was Auditor in 1964-65 and
Owen Dudley-Edwards the
distinguished Historian in 1958-59.
In more recent years MaeveAnn Wren of the Irish Times was Auditrix in 1978-79 and Aidrean Hardiman the prominent Progressive Democrat Barrister and
former Fianna Fail local
government candidate was Auditor in 1972-73.
succeeded as Chief Justice by another former Auditor T.F. O'Higgins. O'Higgins who served in 1938-39, was a nephew of Kevin
hosted as members cannot
Presidency.
does serve to show that the contentions of past Chairmen that among the
O'Higgins and became a leading parliamentarian and defeated candidate for the
In latter times the society has bred a number ofjournalists, broadcasters, and television personalities. Anthony
Such a cursory look at the
personalities the L & H has
be discriminatory.
Many
and perhaps more appropriate names have been
ignored but the exercise
members of the house sat the "future leaders of
Ireland"
were not entirely
without foundation.
Pnno I I
"IRELAND'S CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS WORLD PEACE"
BY SEAN MACBRIDE, S.C.
HOLDER NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, LENIN PEACE PRIZE I have been asked to contribute
piece
on
a
short
Ireland's
contribution to world peace for this comm emorative magazine, and I am delighted to do so.
It so happens that this year has been proclaimed united Nations International Year of Peace by resolution of the General Assembly. As
it's own contribution the Irish United Nations
Association hosted a major international conference in Dublin in September, to which we invited many leading figures in the field of Disarmament, such as the
Hon. Duncan Francis O'Flynn, who gave us the
New Zealand position on nuclear policy, the
Secretary-General
of
"War on Want", professors from Peace Departments in Bradford University, and Magee College in Ulster, the former Secretary General of the World Federation of United Nations Associations in Geneva, as well as our own Christy Moore who gave a rendering of some songs for peace. However, perhaps the most interesting of our contributors was Mr Peter Ingelse, of the Dutch
Lawyers "Foundation to
Ban the Cruise Missiles". We learned from Mr Ingelse just what a small country
can
do
in
opposing the spread of nuclear weapons.
Mr Ingelse informed us that in 1979 Nato decided to deploy 572 intermediate nuclear weapons, 464
Cruise, and 108 Pershing weapons.
The
Netherlands finally had to
accept the deployment of
48 Cruise missiles. This decision was not accepted
quietly by the Hague, and eventually Mr Ingelse and
Phon van den Biesen of the Amsterdam Bar were charged with the task of examining the legality or otherwise of nuclear weapons. Concurrently, the Ban the Cruise Missile Foundation was set up, and they instructed Mr Ingelse and Mr van den Biesen to start Court proceedings, and within six weeks, there were
20,000
Plaintiffs.
Unfortunately, the Dutch Court came to the conclusion that the Court could not intervene in Parliament's work, despite Dutch jurisprudence that the court is always competent to judge a claim, if the Claim is based on civil tort like this case. So the Foundation have now appealed to the Court of Appeal in The Hague.
Mr Ingelse's conclusion was quite clear: that the decision to site nuclear
weapons all over Europe cannot be left to the politicians alone. The people have to interfere, and he stated "by civil disobedience, which is obedience to the international law and therefore not unlawful; and by asking lawyers and judges to comply with the rules."
What I find so encouraging about this case is that it demonstrates
diat concerned individuals
are not helpless, and can act against decisions of
politicians that endanger the survival of mankind. The Foundation's "Wrii of Summons has now been printed in English at
a cost of £8.00. It portrays all the legal arguments aginst the
siting of nuclear missiles and
should
everyone
interest
who
is
concerned with our future.
I would like the Irish Government to play a
much more important and
dynamic role at the United Nations in taking three steps.
These are: ■
Call for a
complete moratorium on
the research, development and deployment of new weapons
destruction.
of
societal
■ Promote at
the General Assembly a short and simple Convention outlawing the manufacture, stockpiling, deployment.or use of nuclear and other weapons of destruction.
societal
m Become an
active member of the neutral group of states, andparticipate in an
observer capacity, meetings and conferences of the group of non-
aligned States.
It is also desirable that our
Government should make it crystal clear when attending meetings of the
EEC that Ireland is a
neutral State, and does not regard itself bound by any decision which would be
incompatible with our
neutrality or that might in
any way jeopardise our status as a neutral state. We do have reason to be concerned, by reason of Sellafield across the water, and by reason of the threat of nuclear pollution of the Irish sea from the American and English submarines travelling our coastal waters. We have also reason to be concerned over the unauthorised overflights of our territory which took place during 1985. According to Mr Barry, Minister ' for Foreign Affairs, over 3,000 high level overlfights took place. These may well endanger our neutrality if they continue. In connection with recent bombing raids by the U§ on Libya, it will have been noticed that France and Spain refused to allow the American airforce to overfly their territory in order to carry out their raids on Tripoli. How can we know if these unauthorised overflights were carrying nuclear weapons. Sooner or later one of these aircraft may lead to a nuclear disaster over our territory. In my view the use of our airspace for the transport of nuclear weapons would constitute a violation of the NonProliferation Treaty.
It is 41 years since we
entered the nuclear age, and I find that one of the most surprising features
of this age has been the failure of governments and establishment scientists to make full and frank analysis of the problems with nuclear energy, whichever form it takes, has created. There
Page 24
has also been a failure on the part of most of the
religious leaders of the world to denounce and identify the immortality which is in the manufacture, use and deployment of nuclear
weapons. Yet, it is now conceded that a nuclear war would be likely to
destroy the entire planet and all its inhabitants. One of the most worrying aspects of the nuclear industry is the present reliance on nuclear reactors for electricity. The Irish Sea is now the most polluted sea in the world because of emissions from Sellafield. The British authorities say they monitor levels of
radioactive waste, but Windscale/Sellafield has a
history of accidents, and I think it will not be long before there is another accident on the same scale as Chernobyl, which will be extremely dangerous for Ireland. It has been admitted by the Sellafield authorities that some of the earlier leaks there had been underestimated by a factor of 40%. I fail to understand how our establishments, scientific, bureaucratic, or political, have allowed the Irish Sea to become the most contaminated sea in the world and continue to tolerate a situation wherein the Irish Sea is massively polluted by emissions from British nuclear establishments.
Surely the first duty of our Government and our
administration should be to protect the health and
lives of our population,
and that duty includes the protection of our environment. Incidentially, under the Constitution, our Government is responsible for the island of Ireland and the surrounding seas. That responsibility extends to the protection of our ecology and the life and health of our people.
And in the close of the International Year of Peace, we must remember that each nuclear power station is capable of producing weapons grade plutonium, used in the manufacture of the most horrible missiles, incapable of distinguishing between civilians and combattants. Remember, 10 million people lost their lives in World War 1, and in World War II, 50 million people died, and 24 million were civilians . The International Law in regard to the protection of civilians in Wars had been totally ignored, and in August 1945 the first two nuclear bombs were used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For the first time, man had acquired the capacity to destroy the human race, and had also appeared to lose all sense of moral responsibility. It is our duty, and the duty of the Irish Government, to ensure that such a catastrophe never again takes place.
THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Auditor. Richard F. Humphreys Championships Director: Jonathan Barton
THE COLLEGE DEBATING UNION UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN.
Hosts
World Debating Championships 1987 (Sponsored by Furstenberg )
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin
Saturday January 3rd 1987
Patrons: Matheson Ormsby and Prentice. Trophies: Waterford Glass. Plaques: Furstenberg.
HATTHE WE
C! Mr John Hi
Leader, Social Democratic a:
SP
'Government Speaker
College
Warren Lee University of Sydney Paul Fletcher
Austin Laliy
Glasgow University Union
Kevin Sneader
ADJt
Gary Kolbrook, Professor of Argumenta }'so?>ei Murrav, ex-Auditrix, L & K. 19<
Shane iViurpiiv, Team Winner, VVorid D« Pat vV'yms, inciividuai Winner. Irish Time ylzrk ivloric:!. Marketing Manager, Furs;
:angotohell!
I!
urn:
M.E.P., M.P.
hour Parly, (Northern Ireland)
IRS:
Opposition
Speaker
College
Parlho Ghosh St. Edmund's College, Cambridge Chi'lstooher Kellv
Reid Neureiter
Swarthmore College, U.S.A Josh Davis
ietropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado
Cha:n;-ions!iiD. i9S5 ating Charrioioiish;"'. 1984 i (ireksnd) Limited.