ReRight held its first debate on Thursday 13th May 2010 in conjunction with the Oxford Union.

The subject was civil liberties and the proposition:
"This house believes that civil liberties should always come before national security, even when confronting international terrorism"

The so-called ‘war on terror’ and the climate of suicide bombings pose challenges that have resulted in new protocols in the law, such as 28 day detention without trial and the use of special advocates in sensitive national security case. Proponents of such measures claim they are warranted by the unprecedented need to protect public safety, whereas critics claim the infringement of fundamental human rights for certain classes of criminals sets a dangerous precedent for a wider erosion of universal human rights. The first ReRight debate provided a forum to touch upon these opinions within a wide legal, political and social context.


PROPOSITION:

* Moazzam Begg - Former Bagram Theater Internment Facility and Guantanamo Bay detainee.
* Alex Deane - Director of Big Brother Watch.
* Richard Gordon QC - Leading human rights and civil liberties silk.
* Roger Smith OBE - Director of Justice.


OPPOSITION:

*
* Bruce Anderson - former editor of The Spectator.
*
* Richard Fenning - CEO of the Control Risks Group

The debate was a great success: the Union debating chamber was filled with attendees, and the discussion engendered passionate arguments from both sides. Several audiance members made poignant and important points alongside the uniformly excellent speakers.