On Thursday 29th of November, the Debating Society pondered the motion ‘This House Would Legalise Cannabis’, and XTV were there to broadcast the event live online.
In a fantastic example of mutually beneficial cooperation between societies, XTV gave DebSoc’s evening an international platform and sense of occasion, whilst DebSoc provided XTV with entertaining, intelligent content. According to XTV crew member Jon Jones, covering regular debates is also the perfect way for the society to improve.
In a change of venue from DebSoc’s usual home of the Amory Moot Room, this debate took place in a packed Streatham Court. The sheer number of eager student heads made it difficult for those at the back to see the speakers, so perhaps it would have been better to watch via XTV at home. XTV’s four cameras certainly coped well with the different challenge of Streatham Court, delivering a range of perspectives on both the audience and the speakers.
The debate itself served up plenty of rhetorical treats, whether you were watching online or on campus. The star of the show, love him or loathe him, was Mail on Sunday columnist and Question Time regular Peter Hitchens. His considerable public speaking experience was evident from the outset. Regardless of whether you agreed with his arguments, Hitchens was simply of a different calibre when engaging with his opponents. His putdowns and ripostes brought about the best laughs of the night.
Stephen Davies from the Institute of Economic Affairs made the best case for the proposition, emphasising the benefits of legalisation and regulation. Peter Reynolds, leader of Cannabis Law Reform, put forward less convincing evidence. The leaflets from his organisation, distributed around the auditorium beforehand, contained one supposedly positive quote that summed up the flaws of their campaign: a cannabis user was quoted as saying, “I do not know how I would cope without it”.
The night ended in dramatic fashion, as the final vote was so close that a recount was needed. Somewhat surprisingly, given a strong vote for the proposition at the beginning of the evening, the opposition recorded a narrow victory. The audience filtered out but XTV had more work to do, clearing up and interviewing the star speakers. Thankfully, their broadcast had been a resounding success, drawing in a total of 505 views and more than doubling the figures from their previous live event.
Find all of XTV’s live broadcast online here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/xtvonline
Liam Trim, Screen Editor
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