swifObama’s taxation failure, donor siblings and hacking – yesterday’s motions swiftly summed up. The first was about the debt deal in the United states, the second about siblings selected as donors for much looked-after tissue for their older brothers or sisters and the third was about the question if hacking is an appropriate means of protest. We hope all our much appreciated readers followed us on Twitter during the debates, so we would not bother you with boring summaries of the debates.

Two great news from yesterday, the first: There was no rain! Admittedly, that is something beyond the influence of our hosts. But we all loved that. By the way, day three started worse than ever, with wind in addition to the rain. Boooh! Well, still that is beyond what our hosts can do for us. But one of the umbrellas on our team was totally destroyed. Double boooh!

The second news we like very much: One of our German debaters was hurt in one of the inflatable games. No, we don’t really like that, the good news is that he is fine. A Dutch beat him on the Sumo playground at Monday’s socials – results: a dislocated jaw and five hours (yep!) in the emergency hall. No, we’re not being racists here. We love the cute Dutch accent. And the Dutch. Moreover, not only did the Dutch guy accompany the injured to the hospital, he also stayed there with him all the time. The two are still friends. Euros are a perfect place for international understanding!

The socials at the Galway Bay Hotel were fun with a local covers band – it was not just us who had a very nostalgic feeling: Those were the days, my friends, back then when we were sixteen. The Fish’n’Chips were exactly what everybody expected, if only someone could have passed me more vinegar!

Motions rounds 4 to 6 at Galway Euros:

• Round 4: This house believes that Barack Obama should have vetoed any debt deal that did not increase taxation.
• Round 5: This house would allow the creation of donor siblings.
• Round 6: This house believes that hacking is an acceptable form of protest against large corporations.

The European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC or Euros) have been held annually since 1999. It was started in Rotterdam where 32 teams of two competed for the title. For the records: In Amsterdam, 192 teams competed for the very same title in 2010. Format has ever since been British Parliamentary Style(BPS), language of debate is English. Debaters from all over Europe and Israel take part in Euros and compete with each other in two categories: the open break (for native speakers) and “English as a Second Language” (ESL). Current champions are Eoghan Casey and Patrick Rooney (Kings Inn), ESL champions are Maja Cimerman and Filip Dobranic from Ljubljana. This year’s Euros will be held in Galway, Ireland, from 7 to 13 August. Chief adjudicator is Ruth Faller (Ireland), her deputies are Shengwu Li (Singapore), Simone van Elk (The Netherlands), Steven Nolan (Ireland) and Yoni Cohen Idov (Israel). Isabelle Loewe from Debattierclub Bonn and Tony Murphy (Ireland) will be equity officers. Galway’s tabmaster is Harry McEvansoneya, an Irish as well. During the Euros, the EUDC Council will sit and for instance decide about the host of next year’s championship. Currently, Belgrade (Serbia) is bidding for staging the European Universities Debating Championships 2012.

Note from the editor: During Galway, we’ll be publishing mostly in English only. Thanks for understanding.