Yesterday I watched a recording of a debate at the Cambridge Union. It was impassioned but of low quality.

But it got me thinking: maybe the reason we get so many unsuitable politicians is because they often come through the ranks of university debating societies.

The rules of competitive debating mean you are given a proposition to defend or oppose, and what matters is the ability to construct and deliver a persuasive argument, and to win, regardless of the true merits of the proposition.