College Historical Society (the Hist) Debates Convenor, Andy Cullinan, won the Asian British Parliamentary (ABP) Competition earlier this week. Cullinan previously won the European University Debating Championship in 2024 with his partner Martha McKinney-Perry.
ABP was held in Kuantan, Malaysia, with 112 teams competing. It is the largest debating competition in Asia.
Cullinan debated with his partner Way De, the previous winner of the United Asian Debating Championship, the final winning motion being, ‘In Northeast Asia, This House predicts that the average woman in 2050 will have a happier life than the average woman now.’ The pair argued that social welfare systems in Northeast Asia will improve in response to ageing populations. They also argued that AI growth and political pressure materially uplift women who are near the poverty line, excluded from the labour force or confined to peripheral regions.
Along the way, the duo also tackled voluntary euthanasia for prisoners, the banning of the Awami League in Bangladesh, the rise of private equity firms in housing markets, and state funding for religious reinterpretation groups, among other topics.
Cullinan was crowned champion of the debate as well as the finals’ best speaker. This win not only makes him the first winner of the competition from outside of Asia, but the only person ever to win two continental debating championships.
Cullinan’s win marks an exciting point for the Hist in the University debating world. As Cullinan said, “No Trinity student has ever had the opportunity to speak in two international finals.”
The Hist has had previous success in the debating world, with Daniela Williams and Naomi Panovka reaching the EUDC final in 2023 and Caoimhin Hamill and Jack Synott reaching the final in 2021.
Additionally, the Hist holds two Guinness World records, including the world’s longest debate team marathon. The marathon was held in October of 2023 and lasted nearly 28 hours. It is also recognised as the world’s oldest student society, founded in 1770 by philosopher Edmund Burke.
When asked about the win, Cullinan told the University Times, “It was kind of surreal. You’d imagine I’d be a fish out of water walking around with my tricolour and Irish accent, but I was so lucky to find such a great crew in Singapore. The moment that really clicked for me was before the semifinal speech, where the crowd started chanting ‘Ireland! Ireland! Ireland!’ That speech was probably my favourite I’ve ever given.”
