The Annual General Meeting and Elections were held on Tuesday, in room C4 of the Hugh Owen Building.

Amendments

Both constitutional amendments were passed. The sponsorship director has become the Fundraising Officer, and the Public Relations Officer and Public Events Officer have been merged to form the Publicity & Events Officer.

Elections

The following people were elected to the committee:

• Auditor: Karolien Michiels
  
• Vice-Auditor and External Convenor: Saaramaria Kuittinen
• Internal Convenor of Debates: Andrew Gordon
• Treasurer: Sofi Newsham
• Secretary: Christian Denman
• Fundraising Officer: Katie Saint
• Publicity & Events Officer: Tom Trevarthen
• Social Secretary: Harry Hirsch-Bennion

Aberystwyth’s Annual debating tournament, the “Baillie Gifford Aber Open”, was held this weekend in the Old College.

Around one-hundred participants and adjudicators from universities across the UK attended the tournament to compete in four rounds of competitive debating: a record attendance. Debating was performed in the “British Parliamentary” style – in which four teams of two speakers each compete against one another.

Proceedings were opened by the Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, Professor April McMahon. It is, to the knowledge of the Debating Union, the first time in its one-hundred year history that the Vice Chancellor of the University has attended such an event – an occasion which was marked by the recognition of Professor McMahon as an Honorary Life Member.

The tournament has become known for its focus on setting debates about unusual subjects, fictional scenarios, and thought experiments. The motions for debate are set by the Chief Adjudicators: Imogen Parkes (University of Bristol), and Steven Rajavinothan (University of Warwick).

The victors of the grand final, held in the restaurant on Constitution Hill, were Megan Stodel and Toby Almy representing the University of Bristol. The Best Speaker award went to Amanda Moorghen from the University of Birmingham.

Former member Cal Paterson was also recognised as an Honorary Life Member for his outstanding contributions to the society.

The tournament is sponsored by Baillie Gifford, independent global investment managers, of Edinburgh.

Tournament Information

Motions:

1. On Feb 1st 1970 Betrand Russell produced definitive and categorical proof for the non-existence of God.
   
   He was found dead the next day.He had been assassinated on the orders of Pope Paul VI, and his proof was destroyed, although copies remain, in the hands of the Catholic Church. Since then a violent and covert conspiracy has acted to cover up knowledge of his proof and assassinationTHIS HOUSE, as Pope Francis I, would reveal the conspiracy
2. The Chief Adjudication Teams of debating competitions are currently chosen by the host institution.THIS HOUSE WOULD Require CA Teams to be democratically elected
3. THIS HOUSE SUPPORTS The creation of “petty karma gods’ which punish mean (but not criminal) actions
4. THIS HOUSE WOULD NOT Use nudity in women’s rights protests
5. (Final) The president of Burkina Faso is abducted by aliens, who mistake him for the representative of humanity. He is given a choice of providing the human race with three hundred years of utopia (no disease, war, poverty, etc.), at the price of eternal slavery following that utopia. Humans would not know that the aliens provided the utopia, and the memory of the President would be wiped.

   THIS HOUSE WOULD accept the offer

Tab: Aber Open 2013 – Tab

The AGM and elections will be held next Tuesday. Two constitutional amendments will be proposed.

The first Amendment is to replace the Public Relations Officer, and the notional position of the Public Events Officer, with a single position: the Publicity and Events Officer.

The second Amendment is to change the current Sponsorship Director, to a Fundraising Officer. The Fundraising Officer would be responsible for securing funding throughout the year, rather than simply raising sponsorship at the start of the year. This Amendment has two versions (2a and 2b) – 2a is the version that will be voted on if Amendment 1 fails, 2b is the version that will be voted on if Amendment 1 passes. The only difference between these two amendments is the wording of the committee position (Public Relations) which may or may not change.

• Amendment 1
• Amendment 2a
• Amendment 2b

Aberystwyth A (Tito Sarrionandia & Ollie Newlan) attended the UCL IV 2013 last weekend, and broke to the semi-finals of the competition with a perfect score of 12 team points. They progressed to the finals, but were defeated there by the team from Cambridge (Lapsed Pacifists). Tito also topped the speaker tab.

Tab for the UCL IV.

The Union met on Tuesday 19th March. Private Members’ Bills, and a formal debate were heard.

Readers are reminded that members do not necessarily speak for their true political positions: The Union values the ability to make arguments that one does not personally hold as their own opinion.

Private Members’ Bills

THIS HOUSE WOULD Boycott the May ball

• The motion is proposed by Ryan Myles, who points out that the union are offering cheaper “early bird” tickets to students who participate in a treasure hunt. He notes that disabled students are unable to partake in the hunt, and also that students with anxiety or mental health issues might be unwilling to speak to strangers.
• The motion is supported by Sam Vincent, who tells us that the May Ball is not worth attending. Poor venues, sub-par food, and lack of good acts – combined with clothing difficulties and cost, means there is no utility to attending. In response to a POI, he rambles incoherently about societal pressure and consumerism.
• The motion is opposed by Chris Lascelles, who tells the house that pointless fun is still fun. He asks whether the government has a Freudian personal past experience to prejudice them against the concept of a ball.
• The motion is opposed by Zach Virgo, who says that the “early bird ticket” is a privilege  and that disabled students are not disadvantaged compared to last year. He also suggests that it is likely that disabled students would be given the tickets if they asked.

The motion fails by popular vote.

THIS HOUSE WOULD Ban football teams from major European tournaments for the racist behaviour of fans

• The motion is proposed by Andrew Gordon. He points to Italian football in particular, pointing out the racial abuse of Tottenham Hotspur players. He asks the house to consider teams and fans as a cohesive unit for which the club has a responsibility. He tells the house that racists can hide in the anonymity of crowds, and that teams rely on the attendance of fans.
• The motion is opposed by Zach Virgo. He urges the house to take an individualistic view of fan bases, and to consider the damaging effects on football.
• The motion is supported by Tito Sarrionandia, who points out that the existence of football is non-essential, whereas the non-existence of racism is essential. He asks the house to use the full power of the military state to crush dissent around racism in football.
• The motion is opposed by Katy Abrams, who points out that racist fans will move between clubs, leading to the eventual banning of all clubs. She suggests that this is a bad thing, because people enjoy football.

The motion fails by popular vote.

The Union met on Tuesday 12th March. An Election, Private Members’ Bills, and a formal debate were heard.

Readers are reminded that members do not necessarily speak for their true political positions: The Union values the ability to make arguments that one does not personally hold as their own opinion.

Private Members’ Bills

THIS HOUSE WOULD Mourn the death of the Auditor

• The motion is proposed by Ryan Myles, who suggests that the members wear black clothing, possibly including underwear. All motions following the death will be dedicated to the deceased. Occasion is rare, and the lives of all have been touched by the Auditor. 
• Dr. Michael Keary opposes the motion, pointing out that the principles must only be created if they stand in most circumstances. Possible that the ethical principles of the auditor are in conflict with the concept of mourning: such as the current Auditor, who is dedicated to the notion that other-motivated actions (such as mourning) are immoral, he rejects duty. Tito is dedicated to evil, so we must do things for destructive and amusing purposes: such as desecrating his corpse.
• Andrew Gordon supports the motion, telling the house that Tito is too dangerous to be kept alive, as he is about to be surrounded by children who he can indoctrinate. Assuming he is not a robot, we should mourn him, so that his spirit is aggravated, rather than bowing down to his preferences.

The motion passes by popular vote.

THIS HOUSE WOULD Teach swearing as part of GCSE English

• The motion is proposed by Chris Denman, noting that we can teach creative and constructive swearing. Thoughtless swearing is boring. Chris questions whether or not we should seek to avoid being offended, preferring a socially acceptable form of anger release.
• The motion is opposed by Tallis Ward, pointing out that swearing is intended as a shock, and the shock is lost when it is normalised.
• The motion is opposed by Zach Virgo. Zach tells the house that swearing is built up regionally and culturally as a rebellion against social norms, and that imaginative swearing is already the standard used to measure swearing quality.

The motion fails by popular vote.

THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT Public sector employers should not allow workers to do union work during their employers time.

• The motion is proposed by Daniel Blackburn, pointing out that paying somebody to do union work might legitimise their efforts, yet cheapens the rationale for union existence, making them not wholly independent from the employers. He tells the house that he left the rest of his arguments on a piece of paper at home.
• The motion is opposed by Andrew Gordon, who claims the motion will increase the divide between workers and unions, and weakens unions when they are at their weakest. The status quo shows respect for the wishes and legitimacy of the union

The motion fails by popular vote.

Harry Hirsch-Bennion, a first year undergraduate from the department of Psychology, has been elected as the interim Social Secretary.

Candidates:

• Harry Hirsch-Bennion
  
• Tallis Ward
• Simon Sardeson-Coe (Rejected own nomination)

Elected as Interim Social Secretary

An election for the post of Social Secretary will be held on Tuesday the 12th of March. The winning candidate will become the Social Secretary of the Union, until the annual elections happen later this semester. At that point, as with all other members of the committee, they will be replaced by their newly elected counterparts.

You should be familiar with the duties the constitution binds you to before running for this post. All members can stand for election. Winning this election does not preclude you from winning the main elections later this semester: You can be elected to the committee as many times as you like.

In order to stand for election, you must secure the support of:

• A member to nominate you for the post
• A separate member to second your nomination.

The Auditor will ask nominating members to present their nominations at the beginning of the election. All candidates who are nominated and seconded will be given the opportunity to address the house for three minutes. After the three minutes have elapsed, questions will be taken from the floor.

It is important that you have specific, actionable plans before you run for the post. The house will expect to be told what you have planned, what your priorities are, etc. It would be unwise to forgo creating such plans between now and the day of the election. For this post, you might consider explaining what social activities you have planned, what (if anything) you would change about the regular socials, etc.

Best of luck,

-Tito (Auditor)

Last weekend, we attended the 2013 Swansea Open.

Speaking:

• Ollie Newlan (with Richard Sims from Swansea) – Composite Men of History and Knowledge
• Sofi Newsham (with Matt Szeto from Birmingham) – Composite Honorary Welsh
• Sam Vincent and Andrew Gordon – Aber No Potatoes
• Chris Lascelles and Christian Denman – Aber Chris
• Nicole Hyatt and Daniel Blackburn – Aber Janet Street Power Station

Judging:

• Michael Keary (CA)
• Tallis Ward

Friday night for some of the Aber contingent was spent in a beautifully appointed seaside apartment, while others came in on Saturday morning happy that their crash made them bacon sandwiches but complaining about the incessant snoring.

The competition itself featured a variety of interesting and exciting motions, including one about Belfast that we really should have seen coming from an all-Irish CA team. After the last motion, Ollie and Richard broke to the final in third.

The final and social was held at Walkabout, whose strict policy on IDs led one debater to have to scale a fence and a 30-foot outside wall to attend. The buffet was delicious, and demolished so quickly the manager was quoted as saying ‘they don’t f**k around, do they?’

After the final, things get mildly hazy and for most of Aber the night ended with terrible dancing in the back of Walkabout.

Congrats to Ollie and Rich for breaking. Huge thanks to the CAs Michael and Kate and the whole of Swansea Debating Society for running such a fun tournament.

Last weekend, we attended the Cardiff IV.

Speaking:

• Tito Sarrionandia (with Zal Shukla from Kaplan) – Composite Would you kindly
• Karolien Michiels (with Ed Mancey from Warwick) – Composite Cheating on Tito
• Christian Denman & Nicole Hyatt – Aber Punk
• Angelita Damola & Molly Dunn – Aber Mod

Judging:

• Ollie Newlan (DCA)
• Sofi Newsham

Hurricane Katrina Style

Crash was unconventional: We curled up on the floor of an old community hall. To get into the blitz spirit, we listened to the shipping forecast and anthem on Radio 4.

The social featured enough free cheap beer and pizza to stave off a famine.