This House Supports A Single Unionist Party

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The sixth ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Supports A Single Unionist Party".

The meeting was guest-chaired by Baroness Kate Hoey. Speaking for the Proposition were Peter Martin MLA, Jay Basra, Jeff Dudgeon MBE, and Grant Warren, and speaking for the Opposition were Timothy Gaston MLA, David Bingham, Moore Holmes, and Jack Steele.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:23) President's Questions

(00:04:23) Private Members’ Business

(00:13:38) Minutes

(00:27:50) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:29:32) Rules of the Debate

(00:31:52) Opening Remarks by Baroness Hoey, Guest Chair

(00:35:11) Peter Martin MLA, First Prop

(00:42:25) Timothy Gaston MLA, First Opp

(00:49:47) Jay Basra, Second Prop

(00:57:32) David Bingham, Second Opp

(01:05:15) Jeff Dudgeon MBE, Third Prop

(01:14:40) Moore Holmes, Third Opp

(01:23:31) Grant Warren, Fourth Prop

(01:30:55) Jack Steele, Fourth Opp

(01:39:04) Questions from the House

(01:50:58) The Vote

(01:52:58) Closing Remarks by Baroness Hoey, Guest Chair

(01:58:55) Announcements

(02:06:16) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Masculinity Is Inherently Toxic

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The fifth ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Masculinity Is Inherently Toxic".

Speaking for the Proposition were Paul Cunningham, William Browne, Luella Coley, and Beth Lynam, and speaking for the Opposition were Luke Coyle, Brandon Foster, Marc Ghaley, and Ashkya Chan Kaur.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:22) President's Questions

(00:07:50) Private Members’ Business

(00:20:01) Minutes

(00:35:07) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:36:37) Rules of the Debate

(00:38:09) Paul Cunningham, First Prop

(00:45:25) Luke Coyle, First Opp

(00:52:52) William Browne, Second Prop

(01:00:49) Brandon Foster, Second Opp

(01:06:04) Luella Coley, Third Prop

(01:12:29) Marc Ghaley, Third Opp

(01:18:53) Beth Lynam, Fourth Prop

(01:26:27) Ashkya Chan Kaur, Fourth Opp

(01:33:38) Questions from the House

(01:40:11) The Vote

(01:42:05) Announcements

(01:47:50) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Supports A Wealth Tax

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The fourth ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Supports A Wealth Tax".

Speaking for the Proposition were Eoin O'Neill, Tina Barghi, Maeve Gee, and Jack Murray, and speaking for the Opposition were Tom McCormack, Elliot Dickie, Cormac McSparron, and Emma Jane Culleton.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:57) President's Questions

(00:07:57) Private Members’ Business

(00:16:07) Minutes

(00:26:05) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:27:43) Rules of the Debate

(00:29:17) Eoin O'Neill, First Prop

(00:37:05) Tom McCormack, First Opp

(00:44:50) Tina Barghi, Second Prop

(00:52:01) Elliot Dickie, Second Opp

(00:59:40) Maeve Gee, Third Prop

(01:07:02) Cormac McSparron, Third Opp

(01:14:14) Jack Murray, Fourth Prop

(01:20:46) Emma Jane Culleton, Fourth Opp

(01:28:09) Questions from the House

(01:42:00) The Vote

(01:44:08) Announcements

(01:50:35) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Would Vote (Stormont Mixer 2025)

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The first special meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened for the annual Stormont Mixer to discuss the motion, "This House Would Vote".

Speaking for the Proposition were Peter Martin MLA, Luke Collins, Ashyka Kaur, and Tom McCormack, and speaking for the Opposition were Hugh Child, Nihal Bhatt, James Tourish, and Luke Coyle.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:49) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:01:48) Rules of the Debate

(00:02:58) Peter Martin MLA, First Prop

(00:10:23) Hugh Child, First Opp

(00:18:01) Luke Collins, Second Prop

(00:25:15) Nihal Bhatt, Second Opp

(00:32:53) Ashyka Kaur, Third Prop

(00:39:45) James Tourish, Third Opp

(00:47:08) Tom McCormack, Fourth Prop

(00:54:21) Luke Coyle, Fourth Opp

(01:02:33) Questions from the House

(01:10:44) The Vote

(01:12:07) Closing Remarks

(01:13:20) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Love Is Blind

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The third ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Love Is Blind".

Speaking for the Proposition were Emma Jane Culleton, William Browne, and Beth Lynam, and speaking for the Opposition were Rea Thien, Elizabeth Noble, and Marc Ghaly.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:27) President's Questions

(00:05:57) Private Members’ Business

(00:13:36) Minutes

(00:23:36) Rules of the Debate

(00:25:38) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:26:55) Emma Jane Culleton, First Prop

(00:32:57) Rea Thien, First Opp

(00:40:26) William Browne, Second Prop

(00:48:07) Elizabeth Noble, Second Opp

(00:55:53) Beth Lynam, Third Prop

(01:03:26) Marc Ghaly, Third Opp

(01:10:33) Questions from the House

(01:17:02) The Vote

(01:18:34) Announcements

(01:24:48) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Degrees Are Overrated

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The second ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Degrees Are Overrated".

Speaking for the Proposition were Ryan Hoey, Nihal Bhatt, Luke Coyle, and Jack Steele, and speaking for the Opposition were Jacob Bain, Rosa Dullaghan, Leon Mewse, and Ella McMullin.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:56) President's Questions

(00:05:48) Private Members’ Business

(00:15:06) Minutes

(00:24:59) Rules of the Debate

(00:26:46) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:28:17) Ryan Hoey, First Prop

(00:36:21) Jacob Bain, First Opp

(00:44:07) Nihal Bhatt, Second Prop

(00:51:09) Rosa Dullaghan, Second Opp

(00:58:26) Luke Coyle, Third Prop

(01:06:16) Leon Mewse, Third Opp

(01:13:01) Jack Steele, Fourth Prop

(01:20:35) Ella McMullin, Fourth Opp

(01:28:01) Questions from the House

(01:44:41) The Vote

(01:46:29) Announcements

(01:54:57) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Our Brains Have Rotted

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The first ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-seventh session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Our Brains Have Rotted".

Speaking for the Proposition were Beth Lynam, Nihal Bhatt, and Rosa Ivory, and speaking for the Opposition were Luke Coyle, Mikayla Williams, and Henry O'Riordan.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:36) President's Questions

(00:06:09) Private Members’ Business

(00:11:28) Minutes

(00:21:11) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:22:28) Rules of the Debate

(00:23:53) Beth Lynam, First Prop

(00:31:37) Luke Coyle, First Opp

(00:39:17) Nihal Bhatt, Second Prop

(00:46:04) Mikayla Williams, Second Opp

(00:53:28) Rosa Ivory, Third Prop

(01:01:17) Henry O'Riordan, Third Opp

(01:09:33) Questions from the House

(01:19:29) The Vote

(01:21:13) Announcements

(01:35:56) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

LitTalk: In Conversation With Diona Doherty

On Tuesday, 13th May 2025, at 19:00, 0G/074 in the Lanyon Building hosted the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society's sixth LitTalk of the 176th Session. The event featured Diona Doherty, Northern Irish comedian and actor.

During the event, attendees had the chance to listen to an interview with Ms. Doherty conducted by Jess Donohue, On-Air Deputy Head of The Scoop at Queen's Radio. Following the discussion, participants were given the opportunity to pose questions to Ms. Doherty.

Thanks for listening!

175th Anniversary Alumni Reunion Bonus Content

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! A special binus recording of a gathering that occured during the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society!

The House convened on Saturday the tenth of May 2025 as part of the 175th Anniversary Reunion Dinner festivities to observe a panel discussion on the past, present, and future of the Society! This recording documents what followed that panel and concluded the evening - toasts, many expressions of gratitude, and much drunken rambling!

Thanks for listening!

175th Anniversary Alumni Reunion Panel

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! A special recording of a gathering that occured during the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society!

The House convened on Saturday the tenth of May 2025 as part of the 175th Anniversary Reunion Dinner festivities to observe a panel discussion on the past, present, and future of the Society! The panel was hosted by Secretary of the Society Trust Ryan Hoey, and featured Eternal Leader, Refounder of the Society, and President of the 163rd Session Paul Francis Shannon; Chair of the Society Trust, former Pro Vice Chancellor of QUB, and Professor-Emeritus of Education Tony Gallagher; and Outreach Officer of the 170th Session, Secretary of the 171st Session, former Vice President Campaigns and Engagement of QUBSU, and former NUS-USI President Chloe Ferguson.

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Queen's Prepared Us For Life After University

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The third special meeting of the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened as part of the 175th Anniversary Reunion Dinner festivities to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Queen's Prepared Us For Life After University".

Speaking for the Proposition were Jonny Finlay, Rebecca McMinn, Daniel Toft, and Olcan McSparron, and speaking for the Opposition were Matthew Sullivan, Cllr. Dr. Stephen Goss, Tailte McSparron, and Dermot Hamill.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Introductory video

(00:02:01) Order, order!

(00:02:53) The Eternal Leader

(00:05:03) Private Members’ Business

(00:07:40) Presidents’ Questions

(00:13:00) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:14:57) Rules of the Debate

(00:15:55) Jonny Finlay, First Prop

(00:24:07) Matthew Sullivan, First Opp

(00:31:58) Rebecca McMinn, Second Prop

(00:37:27) Cllr Dr Stephen Goss, Second Opp

(00:45:51) Daniel Toft, Third Prop

(00:53:45) Tailte McSparron, Third Opp

(01:00:16) Olcan McSparron, Fourth Prop

(01:07:48) Dermot Hamill, Fourth Opp

(01:16:57) The Vote on Speaker Ability

(01:18:02) Closing remarks

(01:19:23) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes the PSNI is Not Fit for Purpose

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The twenty-third and final ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes the PSNI is Not Fit for Purpose".

Speaking for the Proposition were Gavin Booth, James Tourish, and Rea Thien, and speaking for the Opposition were Jon Burrows, Fintan Lawlor, and Jonathan Massey.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:36) Minutes

(00:07:37) Announcements

(00:08:17) Private Members’ Business

(00:19:22) President's Questions

(00:24:54) Speaker Introductions

(00:26:07) Rules of the Debate

(00:27:22) Gavin Booth, First Prop

(00:36:50) Jon Burrows, First Opp

(00:44:47) James Tourish, Second Prop

(00:51:25) Fintan Lawlor, Second Opp

(00:58:19) Rea Thien, Third Prop

(01:05:17) Jonathan Massey, Third Opp

(01:13:29) The Vote

(01:15:02) Closing Remarks from President-Elect Daniel Devenney

(01:21:09) Farewell Address from President Dermot Hamill

(01:24:27) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Trump's First 100 Days Have Been a Success

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The twenty-second ordinary meeting of the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes Trump's First 100 Days Have Been a Success".

Speaking for the Proposition were Jonathan Massey, Veronica Lam, Liam Harte, and Matthew Shanks, and speaking for the Opposition were Hugh Child, Jack Murray, Thea Karkera, and Noah Ralphs.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:32) Minutes

(00:07:25) Announcements

(00:08:12) Private Members’ Business

(00:14:55) President's Questions

(00:22:17) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:23:45) Rules of the Debate

(00:24:50) Jonathan Massey, First Prop

(00:32:28) Hugh Child, First Opp

(00:41:00) Veronica Lam, Second Prop

(00:47:51) Jack Murray, Second Opp

(00:54:32) Liam Harte, Third Prop

(01:00:16) Thea Karkera, Third Opp

(01:08:34) Matthew Shanks, Fourth Prop

(01:15:53) Noah Ralphs, Fourth Opp

(01:23:51) Questions from the House

(01:31:45) The Vote

(01:33:05) Announcement Recap

(01:34:15) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

Annual General Meeting Of The 176th Session

Hello! Hello! And welcome to this! The annual general meeting of the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! On this particular occasion, the House convened to elect the council for the next academic year.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:04) Presidential Report

(00:02:17) Constitutional Amendments

(00:37:54) Bestowment of Honorary Life Memberships

(00:43:03) Election for President

(00:53:26) Election for Vice President

(01:01:07) Election for Secretary

(01:06:38) Election for Treasurer

(01:20:44) Election for Internal Convenor

(01:31:43) Election for External Convenor

(01:41:11) Election for Schools Convenor

(01:51:02) Election for Events Officer

(02:09:14) Election for Social Officer

(02:18:45) Reopening of Bestowment of Honorary Life Memberships

(02:23:08) Closing Motion and Remarks by the President-Elect

(02:24:49) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!