The Irish Times Debate Final 2025

Hello! Hello! And welcome to this! The Irish Times Debate Final hosted by the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! The event took place on the evening of Friday the 28th of February 2025 in the Elmwood Hall, and was the second time since the refounding of the Literific in 2011 that the Society had the privilege of hosting the final round. On this particular occasion, the House convened to discuss the motion "This House Believes Dialogue is Dead". 

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:15) Prof Geert Dewulf, Opening Remarks

(00:04:15) Louise Cullen, Convenor, Opening Remarks

(00:08:04) Mrs Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, Chair, Opening Remarks

(00:08:33) Matilda Brewe, First Prop

(00:16:10) David Rattigan, First Opp

(00:23:40) Stéphane de Bairéid, Second Prop

(00:31:40) Rob Fitzpatrick, Second Opp

(00:39:30) Irene Kellegher, Third Prop

(00:46:57) Tom Francis, Third Opp

(00:55:42) Mary Woods, Fourth Prop

(01:03:12) Liam Boyce, Fourth Opp

(01:10:55) Annika Ramani, Fifth Prop

(01:18:32) Emer Nolan, Fifth Opp

(01:26:25) Coleman Hegarty, Sixth Prop

(01:33:44) Adrianne Ward, Sixth Opp

(01:42:04) Convenor Remarks

(01:43:25) Question 1, Martin Craigs

(01:45:36) Question 2

(01:48:26) Question 3, Tom Burns

(01:52:21) Question 4, Ryan Hoey

(01:54:17) Question 5, Olcan McSparron

(01:56:35) Question 6

(02:02:28) Question 7, James McAlister

(02:03:40) Question 8

(02:04:59) Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, Closing Remarks

(02:11:14) Announcement of Winners

(02:13:44) Meeting Adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

Annual General Meeting of the 168th Session

Hello! Hello! And welcome to this! The annual general meeting of the one hundred and sixty-eighth 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.

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This meeting lasted approximately five hours and nine minutes.

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It contained two extremely improbable election mishaps, the most contested positions possibly ever, and one legendary game of Just A Minute.

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It has taken over eight years to edit and release.

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May God(kin) have mercy on our souls.

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Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:01:55) Constitutional Amendments

(01:11:41) Council Reports

(01:47:26) Rules of the Elections

(01:49:12) Election for President

(02:11:10) Just A Minute

(02:19:11) Election for Secretary

(02:35:39) SECRETARY CHAOS, IT'S A TIE

(02:53:42) Election for Treasurer

(03:02:56) Election for Internal Convenor

(03:10:07) Election for Outreach Officer

(03:19:07) An Omen of Future Chaos

(03:21:14) Election for Training Officer

(03:28:31) SECRETARY CHAOS 2, THERE WAS A MISCOUNT

(03:37:00) Election for External Convenor

(03:43:24) Election for Social Officer

(03:48:38) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

167th Session Council on Queen's Radio

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! A glimpse into the past, when five members of the Council of the 167th Session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society ventured onto unfamiliar territory and participated in the Queen's Radio Clubs and Societies Open Day! This delightful half hour of chat and banter took place on approximately the 17th of February 2016. Thanks for listening!

The Gown's Big EU Referendum Debate

Hello! Hello! And welcome to this! This recording was made on the 14th of April 2016 by the Literific's Tech Department as a favour to our good friends at The Gown, QUB's student newspaper. The event was a special debate on the 2016 United Kingdom referendum to determine whether or not the country should remain a member of the European Union, hosted by The Gown! The speakers were Elodie Fabre, Glynn Roberts, Lee Reynolds, Deirdre Heenan, Chris Colvin and Cillian McBride and the chair was Conor Houston. Rather than let it languish in obscurity forevermore, we thought we'd publish it here so that it can languish in ever so slightly less obscurity! Thanks for listening!

This House Would Vote for Reform UK

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The twenty-first 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 Would Vote for Reform UK".

Speaking for the Proposition were George Farnon, Jonathan Massey, and Jay Basra, and speaking for the Opposition were Hugh Child, Taylor Cully, Noah Ralphs.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:33) Minutes

(00:05:45) Announcements

(00:06:35) Private Members’ Business

(00:10:32) President's Questions

(00:13:33) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:14:46) Rules of the Debate

(00:15:35) George Farnon, First Prop

(00:23:17) Hugh Child, First Opp

(00:31:00) Jonathan Massey, Second Prop

(00:38:42) Taylor Cully, Second Opp

(00:42:50) Jay Basra, Third Prop

(00:48:29) Noah Ralphs, Third Opp

(00:56:33) Questions from the House

(01:01:16) The Vote

(01:02:20) Announcement Recap

(01:03:40) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Organised Religion Fails Women

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The twentieth 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 Organised Religion Fails Women".

Speaking for the Proposition were Veronica Lamb, Gráinne Donnelly, and Rea Thien, and speaking for the Opposition were Tailte McSparron, Beth Lynam, and Ciara Swail.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:38) Minutes

(00:07:21) Announcements

(00:09:38) Private Members’ Business

(00:24:37) President's Questions

(00:30:49) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:32:24) Rules of the Debate

(00:32:54) Veronica Lamb, First Prop

(00:40:18) Tailte McSparron, First Opp

(00:47:55) Gráinne Donnelly, Second Prop

(00:54:33) Beth Lynam, Second Opp

(01:01:29) Rea Thien, Third Prop

(01:08:28) Ciara Swail, Third Opp

(01:16:10) Questions from the House

(01:27:23) The Vote

(01:28:27) Announcement Recap

(01:29:30) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

Dufferin Debate - This House Regrets Western Intervention in Global Conflicts

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The nineteenth 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 host the annual Dufferin Competition for Speaker of the Year, and to discuss the motion "This House Regrets Western Intervention in Global Conflicts".

Speaking for the Proposition were Jack Steele, Elliott Dickie, Dhivyah Chandrasegaran, and Ella McMullin, and speaking for the Opposition were Beth Lynam, Henry O'Riordan, Daniel Devenney, and Matthew Spratt.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:34) Welcome by Prof. Richard Miles, QUB Provost

(00:09:04) Minutes

(00:16:19) Opening Remarks by Prof. Alister Miskimmon, Guest Chair

(00:20:21) Announcements

(00:21:23) Private Members’ Business

(00:28:36) President's Questions

(00:31:47) Address by Suzanne Martin, Special Guest

(00:39:46) Rules of the Debate

(00:40:46) Jack Steele, First Prop

(00:47:50) Beth Lynam, First Opp

(00:55:02) Elliott Dickie, Second Prop

(01:00:25) Henry O'Riordan, Second Opp

(01:07:15) Dhivyah Chandrasegaran, Third Prop

(01:14:56) Daniel Devenney, Third Opp

(01:22:28) Ella McMullin, Fourth Prop

(01:29:31) Matthew Spratt, Fourth Opp

(01:37:34) Closing Remarks by Prof. Alister Miskimmon, Guest Chair

(01:40:49) Questions from the House

(01:49:17) Thanks from Richard James, Special Guest

(01:50:42) Announcement of the Winners

(01:51:38) Thanks from Dermot Hamill, President

(01:52:33) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Regrets The Rise of Online Activism

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The eighteenth 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 Regrets the Rise of Online Activism".

Speaking for the Proposition were George Farnon, Noah Ralphs, and Ebram Salib, and speaking for the Opposition were Ella McMullin, JP Coyle, and Jack Murray.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:56) Minutes

(00:07:59) Announcements

(00:11:43) Private Members’ Business

(00:22:59) President's Questions

(00:26:46) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:28:14) Rules of the Debate

(00:29:15) George Farnon, First Prop

(00:35:58) Ella McMullin, First Opp

(00:43:14) Noah Ralphs, Second Prop

(00:50:17) JP Coyle, Second Opp

(00:56:21) Ebram Salib, Third Prop

(01:03:08) Jack Murray, Third Opp

(01:09:47) Questions from the House

(01:17:22) The Vote

(01:18:31) Announcement Recap

(01:19:34) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes it is Time for the Irish Government to Prepare for Unity

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! This was a special Inter-Varsity debate in collaboration with the Trinity College Dublin College Historical Society. The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes it is Time for the Irish Government to Prepare for Unity".

Speaking for the Proposition were Noah Ralphs, Molly Mullan Haslam, James Tourish, and Ritvik Kumar, and speaking for the Opposition were Beth Lynam, Ella O'Neill, Jonathan Massey, and Eoin Connolly. Guest-Chairing for the afternoon was the former foreign-policy editor of The Irish Times, Dr. Paul Gillespie.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:15) Welcome by Adam Rainbolt, TCD Hist Secretary

(00:01:19) Introduction by Dermot Hamill, QUB Literific President

(00:02:30) Remarks by Dr. Paul Gillespie, Guest Chair

(00:02:58) Noah Ralphs, First Prop

(00:10:34) Beth Lynam, First Opp

(00:17:18) Molly Mullan Haslam, Second Prop

(00:24:26) Ella O'Neill, Second Opp

(00:32:00) James Tourish, Third Prop

(00:39:37) Jonathan Massey, Third Opp

(00:47:06) Ritvik Kumar, Fourth Prop

(00:54:25) Eoin Connolly, Fourth Opp

(01:01:44) A Few Thoughts and the Vote

(01:03:35) Closing Remarks from Dr. Paul Gillespie, Guest Chair

(01:13:23) Closing Remarks from Dermot Hamill, President

(01:14:11) Meeting adjourned!

This House Regrets The Proliferation of Artificial Intelligence

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The seventeenth 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 Regrets the Proliferation of Artificial Intelligence".

Speaking for the Proposition were Aoife McAuley, Michael Herron, Katie Ryan, and Jonathan Massey, and speaking for the Opposition were Tiarnan Smith, Elliott Dickie, Liam Harte, and Jonathan Deronja.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:28) Minutes

(00:08:12) Announcements

(00:10:14) Private Members’ Business

(00:16:29) President's Questions

(00:21:52) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:23:28) Rules of the Debate

(00:24:09) Aoife McAuley, First Prop

(00:31:51) Tiarnan Smith, First Opp

(00:38:40) Michael Herron, Second Prop

(00:46:10) Elliott Dickie, Second Opp

(00:53:55) Katie Ryan, Third Prop

(01:01:18) Liam Harte, Third Opp

(01:06:59) Jonathan Massey, Fourth Prop

(01:14:39) Jonathan Deronja, Fourth Opp

(01:21:44) Questions from the House

(01:30:27) The Vote

(01:31:48) Announcement Recap

(01:32:41) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes Éamon de Valera Did More Harm Than Good

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The sixteenth 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 Éamon de Valera Did More Harm Than Good".

Speaking for the Proposition were Beth Lynam, Oran Lafferty, Ella McMullin, and Jonathan Massey, and speaking for the Opposition were Theo McDonald, Fintan Lalor, Ciarán Mac Dermott, and Sam Haslett.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:57) Minutes

(00:06:19) Announcements

(00:08:34) Private Members’ Business

(00:16:50) President's Questions

(00:24:19) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:26:30) Rules of the Debate

(00:27:29) Beth Lynam, First Prop

(00:35:13) Theo McDonald, First Opp

(00:43:43) Oran Lafferty, Second Prop

(00:48:18) Fintan Lalor, Second Opp

(00:55:06) Ella McMullin, Third Prop

(01:02:24) Ciarán Mac Dermott, Third Opp

(01:09:18) Jonathan Massey, Fourth Prop

(01:17:14) Sam Haslett, Fourth Opp

(01:25:04) Questions from the House

(01:34:20) The Vote

(01:35:36) Announcement Recap

(01:36:30) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

LitTalk: In Conversation with Baroness Theresa May

Hello, hello, one and all! On Thursday, 27th February 2025, at 11:00, The Riddel Hall hosted the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society's fourth LitTalk of the 176th Session. The event featured Baroness Theresa May, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019.

During the event, attendees had the chance to listen to an interview with Baroness May conducted by Claire Dickson, former Head of The Scoop at Queen's Radio. Following the discussion, participants were given the opportunity to pose questions to Baroness May.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:36) Vice-Chancellor's Introduction

(00:02:57) Baroness May's Address

(00:16:22) Interview

(00:38:41) Audience Questions

(00:53:02) Literific President's Closing Remarks

(00:56:01) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

This House Would Means Test the NHS

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The fifteenth 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 Would Means Test the NHS".

Speaking for the Proposition were Ryan Hoey, Hussain Bedair, and Beth Lynam, and speaking for the Opposition were Noah Ralphs, Jack Murray, and Jonathan Deronja.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:28) Minutes

(00:06:02) Announcements

(00:06:50) Private Members’ Business

(00:11:59) Presidents Question Time

(00:17:21) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:18:34) Rules of the Debate

(00:19:19) Ryan Hoey, First Prop

(00:27:00) Noah Ralphs, First Opp

(00:34:48) Hussain Bedair, Second Prop

(00:42:10) Jack Murray, Second Opp

(00:49:15) Beth Lynam, Third Prop

(00:56:46) Jonathan Deronja, Third Opp

(01:03:47) Questions from the House

(01:12:37) The Vote

(01:14:25) Announcement Recap

(01:15:10) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!

LitTalk: In Conversation with Claire Hanna MP

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! On Wednesday, 19th February 2025, at 19:30, The McMordie Hall in the Music Building hosted the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society's third LitTalk of the 176th Session. The event featured Claire Hanna MP, sitting MP for Belfast South and Mid Down, and Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

During the event, attendees had the chance to listen to an interview with Ms. Hanna conducted by Claire Dickson, former Head of The Scoop at Queen's Radio. Following the discussion, participants were given the opportunity to pose questions to Ms. Hanna.

Thanks for listening!

This House Believes The UK Has Failed Northern Ireland

Hello, hello, one and all! And welcome to this! The second special meeting of the one hundred and seventy-sixth session of the Queen's University of Belfast Literary and Scientific Society! This was a special Inter-Varsity debate to celebrate the Society's 175th anniversary which occured the previous day on the 11th of February. The House convened to discuss the motion, "This House Believes The United Kingdom Has Failed Northern Ireland".

Speaking for the Proposition were Dáire Hughes MP, Jack Likely, Tailte McSparron, and Ella McMullin, and speaking for the Opposition were David Leahy, Peter Martin MLA, Eoin Connolly, and Henry O'Riordan. Guest-Chairing for the evening was the former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Mark Durkan.

Timestamps as follows:

(00:00:00) Order, order!

(00:00:52) Speaker Introductions

(00:03:38) Vote of Prior Opinion

(00:05:08) Dáire Hughes MP, First Prop

(00:13:29) David Leahy, First Opp

(00:21:28) Jack Likely, Second Prop

(00:29:03) Peter Martin MLA, Second Opp

(00:37:12) Tailte McSparron, Third Prop

(00:45:04) Eoin Connolly, Third Opp

(00:52:07) Ella McMullin, Fourth Prop

(00:59:56) Henry O'Riordan, Fourth Opp

(01:07:09) Questions from the House

(01:26:32) The Vote

(01:28:17) Closing Remarks from Dermot Hamill, President

(01:29:52) Closing Remarks from Mark Durkan, Guest Chair

(01:33:25) Meeting adjourned!

Thanks for listening!