2debate

What do you need more: Competency or the appeal to the masses? Is the role of a head of state more ceremonial and communicative or do we expect them to make competent decisions?

Not too long ago Canada legalized marijuana and is one of very few countries taking that step. Maybe it is not a very good idea after all?

Drones are one of these fields that grow like crazy with over 1m devices in private use in the US alone and a growing scene of drone fans. Should we put a stop to that and keep drones out of the hands of the public or is there no need for banning?

Today's episode is about the brutal murder of Jamal Kashoggi, about the Saudi regime and about the war in Yemen which it fights without any regard for the loss of civil lives and with weapons and money from the West.  Can we weight one against the other? Well, Sebastian and Dirk try...

There is one thing Sebastian and Dirk agree in this debate: In a free democracy clowns and satire politicians have a right to run for office and no one should ban them. But then Dirk would insist that this not to say that having clowns in races is necessary or even critical.  This debate was one of the rare examples where we were in the same room and did not debate through an online connection. Let us know if you can hear the difference :-)

Is facebook here to stay or a dead man walking?

Billions of dollars are passed on between generations each year and it is an interesting thought to use this money for the public good instead of leaving it in the hands of individuals that never worked for it. So the question is: Should we cap inheritance money and pass it on to uncle sam instead?

Filterbubbles, echo chambers, network effects... there are many ways to claim that the new media world and especially the social media giants in Silicon Valley are to blame for everything that goes wrong these days. Who knows, maybe this is even a threat to democracy itself? Today Sebastian will argue that this is nothing but a relabeling of something that is as old as humankind and Dirk will make a case for the differences in a hyperconnected world...

Supreme court judges are among the most powerful figures in each democracy and need to be independent from political parties and other influences. But does that mean that they need to be appointed for life-long terms? Is it maybe even counterproductive?

Executives sometimes make an obscene amount of money and without doubt at least some are not worth as much investment nor does it feel fair to employees that struggle with significant lower salaries. But does that mean we should put a cap to it?