Arguments: 1. Why is this so ?
2. Because we are punishing an idea .
3. Hate crimes are crimes that are based on an idea that the perpetrator had prior to the crime .
4. The crime itself is no different from any other crime except that it is punished more harshly .
5. This is unjust because the idea itself does not cause harm , and is in fact legal in most cases -LRB- with the exception of direct incitement to violence -RRB- , as racist or prejudiced statements and ideas are not illegal in most western liberal democracies .
6. We allow extreme and prejudiced ideas to be legal because we recognise the value of free speech and open discourse in debating and discussing ideas , so as to best allow for progress in human thought .
7. All forms of violent crime , whether they are murders , rapes , or beatings are an expression of hatred toward another human being .
8. To add more punishment to a crime because it represents a particular kind of hate -LRB- an idea -RRB- is to unfairly distinguish between different violent acts and trivialize those violent acts that do not appear to be motivated by prejudice hate .
9. Hate crime enhancements constitute an attack on this as they make an individual liable for harsher punishments for his actions if he holds certain views , and thus the law unfairly discriminates against these particular viewpoints and not against others , and so hate crime enhancements are unjust .

Debate: This House believes that hate crime 'enhancements' are unjust


Arguments: 1. This creates the idea of a Jewish conspiracy which entrenches suspicion , hatred and discrimination towards Jews .
2. The more available such opinions are in public , the more people will engage with them and those who would otherwise keep quiet about their fermenting prejudices feel they are part of a larger group which gives them confidence to air their racist opinions .
3. Holocaust denial encourages further anti- Semitism .
4. Those who deny the Holocaust are anti-Semitic , usually regarding it as a myth spread by Jews to justify the creation of Israel .
5. So , Holocaust denial can be seen as a hate-crime , since its aim is to perpetuate racial myths .

Debate: This House believes that Holocaust denial should be a criminal offence


Arguments: 1. Satellites orbiting the Earth allow us to communicate instantaneously with people on different continents , and to broadcast to people all over the world .
2. The exploitation of space has directly changed our world .
3. Weather satellites save lives by giving advance warning of adverse conditions , and together with other scientific instruments in orbit they have helped us understand our own world better .
4. The Global Positioning System allows us to pinpoint our location anywhere in the world .
5. Research into climate change , for example , would be almost impossible without the data provided by satellites .

Debate:
This House would explore the universe