Assuming that rapid, fair online referenda are possible, THBT significant public health measures such as lockdown should be subject to referenda
2
THBT Democrats should not use this strategy.
Info Slide
In close US House, Senate and Gubernatorial races in some states with incumbent centrist representatives, the DNC has spent money in the Republican primary to elevate far-right candidates over more mainstream conservatives in the hope that voters will reject a more far-right candidate in the general election in November.
Semifinals
1
THO celebrities remaining ambiguous about their sexuality or gender identity while marketing themselves towards the LGBT community
2
THR the tik-tok-ification of pop music.
Info Slide
The tiktokification of pop music refers to the way that music that is popular on tiktok is streamed heavily and in turn charts highly. Generally only small parts of songs are featured on tiktok.
Round 8
1
THP a world where people would not know the physical appearance of prospective romantic partners until after they had formed a significant connection.
2
That we embrace the normalisation of the parasocial relationship with famous people.
Info Slide
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other's existence.
Round 7
1
THBT match officials should be required to have post-match press conferences.
2
THW eliminate time period restrictions on player transfers in professional sports.
Info Slide
In many professional sports leagues, players can only be transferred (bought and sold) between teams during certain time periods set by the league’s governing body.
Round 6
1
That, in the event of a war over Taiwan, New Zealand should remain neutral
Info Slide
An example of neutrality is Switzerland which has remained neutral since 1815. It does not involve itself in international military or political conflicts. This means no participation in wars; international cooperation but no membership in any military alliance; and no provision of troops or weapons to warring parties
2
THBT US should not exchange Russian state agents or criminals for US citizens detained in Russia.
Info Slide
Brittney Griner, a US basketball player, was arrested with hashish vape cartridges when she entered Russia in February 2022. She has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. The US has offered Russia a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer.
Round 5
1
THP a New Zealand in which people feel entitled to involve themselves in the lives of those around them, e.g. their neighbours.
2
THR the workplace as a social centre.
Round 4
1
THW take the pill.
Info Slide
A pill exists which will allow you to permanently tell what other people are thinking.
2
THW reveal yourself to the general public rather than remaining anonymous
Info Slide
You discover that you have superman-esque super powers.
Round 3
1
THS the new caps placed on the price of energy in the United Kingdom.
Info Slide
The UK are implementing new caps on the price of household energy for a period of two years. Power bills will still be proportional to consumption, but the unit price will be capped. These caps seek to protect UK consumers from anticipated increases in wholesale energy costs. With these new caps, the typical household will pay £1000 less annually than they would have with the previous price structure.
2
THBT the West should offer debt relief to Sri Lanka conditional on Sri Lanka taking on no new belt and road projects
Info Slide
The Belt and Road Initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government
Round 2
1
TH prefers a world where people do not get deported for criminal offending.
2
THBT lawyers should be free to choose which prospective clients they represent (assuming that there is no conflict of interest).
Round 1
1
THBT Dall-E and similar technologies will render the physical production of visual art by humans redundant
Info Slide
Dall-E is an AI which generates artworks based on text descriptions inputted by humans. The AI is trained on millions of images. The text description can be as specific as you like, allowing the generation of very detailed images in any style. Dall-E is one of several AIs recently developed which can do this.
2
That national artistic organisations e.g. the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet, should be required to have New Zealanders as a majority of their performers.