DEBATING SOCIETY: The new season got off to a stimulating and lively start on Saturday, in the Church Rooms. In front of about 50 people, a panel debated one of the hot political topics of the moment, 'This house believes that it is the duty of democratic nations to encourage the spread of democracy.'

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, began his proposal of the motion with the reminder that historically, the roots of democracy go as far back as Ancient Greece. He interpreted duty as a moral obligation to take the advantages of living in a democratic society beyond the western world, where famine is unknown and a high standard of living is enjoyed.

Mr Richard Graham, a member of the diplomatic service, seconded the proposition; he emphasised the importance of not taking our basic democratic freedoms for granted, and in encouraging the spread of democracy quoted Baroness Thatcher: 'Democracies do not fight against each other' and Winston Churchill 'Democracy is a terrible system, but I can't think of a better one'.

In reply, Mr Hugh Wright, the former High Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham, said Colonel Gadafi, President Mugabe, the Taliban, Saddam Hussein, the regime in Somalia had all been encouraged by the democratic USA. How many attempts had been made to encourage democracy in South America? All had been laughably unsuccessful. Mr Robert Sankey, a former District Judge of Birmingham County Court, seconded the opposition and began with the question, ' Where do we have the right to tell other countries how to run their affairs?'

After contributions from the floor the result was a narrow defeat for the proposition: for 20, against 24, abstentions 2.