Motions and Results of the 156th Session (UCG Annual 2003)

MOTIONS AND RESULTS OF THE 156^TH SESSION

MICHAELMAS TERM

First Meeting: 26^th September 2002

“That this House would write a letter to the Minister for Justice recommending electronic tagging for convicted paedophiles”

Pro: Stephen Nolan Con: Martin Collins

Defeated

“That this House is getting very excited about deaths in America and not very excited about deaths from Aids in Africa”

Pro: Kieran Duffy Con: Peter O’Brien

Carried

Main Business: The Gibs’ Symposium

Winner: Ruairí Talbot

Runners-Up: Ellen MacSweeney

Louise O’Connor

Barry Crushell

Second Meeting: 3^rd October 2002

“That this House would write a letter to the Taoiseach condemning the proposed destruction of Carrickmines Castle”

Pro: Tony McDonnell Con: Finbarr Murphy

Carried

“That this House would use child labour”

Pro: Peter O’Brien

Carried Unopposed

“That this House believes that if Nice falls, so should Bertie”

Pro: Enda Dolan Con: Martin Collins

Defeated

Main Business: The Denis Caulfield Herron Memorial Showpiece Debate

“That this House believes terrorism can be a force for good”

Winners: Team – Peter O’Brien & Mark Hanniffy

Individual – Martin Collins

Defeated

Third Meeting: 10^th October 2002

“That this House would expel the unionists from the Northern Ireland institutions of government”

Pro: Robert Rooney Con: Stephen Nolan

Defeated

“That this House would bring back fees”

Pro: Oliver Begley-Wall Con: Peter O’Brien

Defeated

Main Business: The Staff versus Students Debate

“That the University would be better off without students”

Pro: Mr. Brendan Flynn Con: Peter O’Brien

Dr. Brendan Wilkins Stephen Nolan

Fr. Diarmuid Hogan Sheelagh McGuinness

Defeated

Fourth Meeting: 17^th October 2002

“That this House would have its Men’s Club back”

Pro: Keith Maye Con: Louise O’Connor

Carried

“That the Society would write to the Minister for Education requesting that the theory of creation be included along with the theory of evolution in the school curriculum”

Pro: Ronan Gannon Con: Peter O’Brien

Defeated

Main Business: The Nice Treaty Debate

“That this House would support the second Nice Treaty referendum”

Pro: Joe McCartin, MEP Con: Niall Ó Brolcháin

Seán Ó Neachtain, MEP Daniel Callanan

Éamon Ó Cuív, TD Neil McCann

Michael D. Higgins, TD Trevor Sargent, TD

Carried

Fifth Meeting: 24^th October 2002

“That this House would ban the use of the words ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ in the Lit & Deb”

Pro: Eoin Grace Con: Stephen Nolan

Defeated

“That this House believes in free speech, but only for committee members”

Pro: Seán Butler Con: Sheelagh McGuinness

Defeated

“That this House would have its beer ads back”

Pro: Peter O’Brien Con: Enda Dolan

Carried

Sixth Meeting: 31^st October 2002

“That this House would abandon the Kirwan”

Pro: Eoin Ryan Con: Keith Maye

Defeated

“That this House believes tradition gets in the way of progress”

Pro: Brian Sharkey Con: Martin Collins

Defeated

Main Business: Hallowe’en Night with Eddie Lenihan

Seventh Meeting: 7^th November 2002

“That this House would write a letter to the Irish Times condemning the media for their hounding of Cardinal Connell”

Pro: Martin Collins Con: Stephen Nolan

Carried

Main Business: Maiden Speakers’ Final

“That this House would introduce the death penalty for minors”

Winner: Aaron Dubios

Second Place: James Hope

Third Place: Maria MacMullan

Defeated

Eighth Meeting: 14^th November 2002

“That all solicitors, politicians and weathermen should be shot”

Pro: Rory Browne Con: Stephen Nolan

Carried

“That this House believes the medical card is more important than the €670”

Pro: Enda Dolan Con: Tony McDonnell

Carried

Main Business: Showpiece Debate

“That this House would call time on the licensing laws”

Defeated

Ninth Meeting: 21^st November 2002

“That this House has lost faith in the Garda Síochána”

Pro: Tony McDonnell Con: Stephen Nolan

Carried

“That this House would cut itself open”

Pro: Robert Rooney Con: Dave Finn

Defeated

Main Business: The Inter-Societies Debate

“That this House would hold Bosco responsible for Ireland’s moral decline”

Pro: P.D.S. Con: Philosophy Society

Life Soc Law Soc

Choral Soc Bridge Soc

Winners: Life Soc (Myles Monaghan & Kevin Leavy)

Carried

Tenth Meeting: 28^th November 2002

“That this House would impose a minimum weight for models”

Pro: Peter O’Brien Con: Stephen Nolan

Defeated

“That this House would commemorate the dead”

Pro: Kevin Leavy Con: Dave Finn

Carried

Main Business: The West of Ireland Schools’ Mace Final

“That this House would compel tobacco companies to pay compensation to their victims”

Chairman: Prof. Jim Browne

Winners: 1^st: Lorcan Price (St. Joseph’s College, Galway)

2^nd: Ray Storan (St. Joseph’s College, Galway)

3^rd: Áine Máire Ní Ghiollabháin (Coláiste na Coiribe)

Defeated

HILARY TERM

Eleventh Meeting: 16^th January 2003

“That this House believes war on Iraq is unjustified”

Pro: Peter Malone Con: Keith Maye

Carried

“That this House abhors Mr Bush’s stance on affirmative action”

Pro: Tony McDonnell Con: Barry Crushell

Defeated

Main Business: The T. P. O’Connor Memorial Debate

“That this House believes Ireland’s neutrality is cowardice”

Winner: James Hope

Runner-Up: Damien Guihan

Defeated

Twelfth Meeting: 23^rd January 2003

“That this House would crash the Law Ball”

Pro: Eoin Ryan Con: Martin Collins

Carried

“That this House would write a letter to the Irish Times deriding the IRFU for their stance on Connacht rugby”

Pro: Stephen Nolan Con: Eoin Ryan

Carried

Main Business: Showpiece Debate

“That this House believes Ireland has a lot to thank the empire for”

Winners: Mark Hanniffy & Stephen Nolan

Carried

Thirteenth Meeting: 30^th January 2003

“That this House would smoke in pubs”

Pro: Peter O’Brien Con: Stephen Nolan

Defeated

“That this House would ban human cloning”

Pro: Nora Lydon Con: Brian Sharkey

Defeated

Main Business: Hat Night 2003

Winner: Kevin Leavy

Fourteenth Meeting: 1^st February 2003

Main Business: Irish Times Semi-Final

“That this House believes the farmers’ protest is worthy of support”

Pro: UCD Law Soc Con: UCC Philosoph

Tom Ward & Enda Curran Claire McHugh & Fiona de Londras

UCD L&H TCD Hist

Mark Murphy & Louise Acheson Brendan Bruen & Alison McIntyre

UCC Philosoph UCG Lit & Deb

Derek Lande Declan Burke

UCD L&H TCD Hist

Louisa Ní Eadain John Cleary

Winners: Team – Brendan Bruen & Alison McIntyre (TCD Hist)

Individual – John Cleary (TCD Hist)

Defeated

Fifteenth Meeting: 6^th February 2003

“That this House would cut down the trees on Eyre Square”

Pro: Stephen Nolan Con: Aaron Dubois

Carried

“That this House would write a letter to Her Most Gracious Majesty, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, inviting her to address the Society”

Pro: Keith Maye Con: Tony McDonnell

Carried

Main Business: The Students’ Union Debate

“That this House has no confidence in its Students’ Union”

Pro: Daniel Duffy Con: Paddy Reilly

Martin Collins Leona Byrne

Keith Maye Tony McDonnell

Carried

Sixteenth Meeting: 8^th February 2003

Joint Meeting with the Law Society: The Irish National Law Debates Final 2003

“That this House believes there is no place for God in a European Constitution”

Chairman: Pat Rabbitte, TD

Pro: Boston University Con: Southampton University

Aaron Dubois Philip Whittington

Stephen Nolan Emily Gore

UCD Law Soc UCC Law Soc

Caroline Wynne Michelle McCarthy

Eoghan Casey Kieran Walsh

Winners: Team – Michelle McCarthy & Kieran Walsh (UCC Law Soc)

Individual – Eoghan Casey (UCD Law Soc)

Seventeenth Meeting: 20^th February 2003

“That this House would welcome the extension of Rag Week”

Pro: Bernard O’Connor Con: Stephen Nolan

Defeated

“That this House would write a letter condemning the Auditor for his use of a plastic gavel, relegating us to the level of Law Soc”

Pro: Peter O’Brien Con: Mark Hanniffy

Carried

“That this House believes Sinn Féin are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites”

Pro: Martin Collins Con: James Hope

Carried

Main Business: Literary Evening and Launch of Criterion 2003

Speakers: Eileen Battersby Fred Johnston Rab Swannock Fulton

Conor Farnan Sharon Dillon-Lyons Micheal Henry Martin

Declan Burke Jennifer Allen

Eighteenth Meeting: 27^th February 2003

“That this House would restructure the United Nations Security Council”

Pro: Barry Crushell Con: Martin Collins

Carried

Main Business: The Inter-Faculties Final

“That this House believes the State should not pay for the mistakes of the Church”

Winners: Team – Peter Malone & Eoin O’Connor (Law)

Individual – Martin Collins (Law)

Defeated

Nineteenth Meeting: 6^th March 2003

“That this House would purchase a copy of “Busy at Maths” for our Students’ Union”

Pro: Eoin Grace Con: Stephen Nolan

Carried

“That this House believes the Science Faculty is superior”

Pro: Brian Sharkey Con: Eoin Ryan

Defeated

Main Business: The Past Versus Present Debate

“That this House believes the University would have stood taller had it stood still”

Pro: Paula Walsh Con: Keith Maye

Elaine Dobbyn Daniel Duffy

Kieran Duffy Martin Collins

Defeated

Twentieth Meeting: 13^th March 2003

“That this House believes the government should open reception centres for asylum seekers”

Pro: Sheelagh McGuinness Con: Stephen Nolan

Amended: Bríd Curran

“That this House believes the government should open reception centres staffed by Dave Finn for asylum seekers”

Defeated

Main Business: The ESB West of Ireland Schools Final

“That this House would abolish the dual mandate for Oireachtas members”

Chairman: Enda Kenny, TD

Winners: Maeve Connolly & Roisín McGrogan (Dominican College, Taylor’s Hill)

Áine Máire Ní Ghiollabháin (Coláiste na Coiribe)

Runners-Up: Ray Storan & Lenny Antonelli (St. Joseph’s College)

Lorcan Price (St. Joseph’s College)

Defeated

Twenty-First Meeting: 20^th March 2003

“That this House believes television is the cleaver which is butchering Irish society”

Pro: Myles Monaghan Con: Peter O’Brien

Defeated

“That this House would support the war on Iraq”

Pro: Keith Maye Con: Aaron Dubois

Defeated

Main Business: Speaker of the Year

“That concern for Ulster has been the ruination of Ireland”

Winner: Peter Malone

Runner-Up: Martin Collins

Defeated

Twenty-Second and Annual General Meeting: 27^th March 2003

J.M.H.