The British Parliamentary Debate Format Robert Trapp, Willamette University Yang Ge, Dalian Nationalities University A debate

format consists of a description of the teams in the debate and the order and times for the speeches that make up that debate. The British Parliamentary debate format1 differs from many other formats because it involves four teams rather than two. Two teams, called the First Proposition and the !econd Proposition teams, are char"ed with the responsibility of supportin" the proposition while two other teams, First #pposition and !econd #pposition, are char"ed with opposin" it. Two speakers represent each of the four teams and each speaker "ives a speech of seven minutes. The followin" chart describes the basic format and time limits. As you will see from the chart, each speaker is "iven a uni$ue title. 1British Parliamentary Debate Format Spea er Prime Minister 1st speaker for 1st proposition% Leader of Opposition 1st speaker for 1st opposition% Deputy Prime Minister 'nd speaker for 1st proposition% Deputy Leader of Opposition 'nd speaker for 1st opposition% Member of Government 1st speaker for 'nd proposition% Member of Opposition 1st speaker for 'nd opposition% Government Whip 'nd speaker for 'nd proposition% Opposition Whip 'nd speaker for 'nd opposition%
1

Time & minutes & minutes & minutes & minutes & minutes & minutes & minutes & minutes

British Parliamentary debate sometimes is referred to as (orlds)style debate or simply four)team debate.

British Parliamentary *ebate Format Pa"e ' of + As can be seen from the table above, the first four speeches are delivered by the First Proposition and the First #pposition teams then the last four speeches are delivered by the !econd Proposition and !econd #pposition teams. Therefore, the First Proposition and First #pposition teams "enerally are responsible for the first half of the debate and the !econd Proposition and !econd #pposition teams have the responsibility for the second half. The table above describes all of the formal speeches but it does not describe one of the most important and dynamic parts of the debate% points of information. Points of information provide opportunities for members of each team to interact with members of the teams defendin" the opposite side of the motion'. Points of information can be re$uested after the first minute of a speech and prior to the last minute of the speech. The first and last minute of each speech is protected a"ainst interruption. The point of information can last no more than fifteen seconds and may take the form of a $uestion, a statement, or an ar"ument. #nly a debater defendin" the opposite side of the proposition as the speaker can re$uest a point of information. ,n other words, the debaters for the proposition can re$uest points of information of members of the opposition teams and vice versa. To re$uest a point of information, a debater rises and politely says somethin" like point of information please, or on that point. The debater "ivin" the speech has the authority to accept or to refuse the re$uest for a point of information. ,n "eneral, debaters should accept a minimum of two points durin" their speech so that the -ud"es and the audience will know they are able to answer points $uickly and directly. Acceptin" more than one or two points is not advisable because to do so may have the effect of disruptin" the speech. To refuse a point of information, the debater may say somethin" like .o thank you or not at this time, or may simply use a hand "esture to indicate the person should take return to their seat. ,f the re$uest for a point of information is accepted, the person who has re$uested the point has a ma/imum of fifteen seconds to make the point. As stated earlier, the point can be a $uestion, a statement, or an ar"ument. !ometimes points of information are made to force an opponent to clarify a position but more commonly, they are made to attempt to undermine an ar"ument bein" made by the speaker. After acceptin" a point of information, the speaker should answer the $uestion directly. The person offerin" the point of information is not allowed to follow)up with additional $uestions. Points of information are amon" the most important and most interestin" parts of British Parliamentary debate because they introduce an element of spontaneity to the debate and "ive each debater the chance to demonstrate critical thinkin" skills. Althou"h points of information are a common occurrence in every speech in the debate, each speech contains elements that are uni$ue to that speech. The followin" table e/plains the
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The topic for the debate is called the motion, proposition, resolution, or sometimes -ust the debate topic. All of these words are used interchan"eably.

0hapter #ne Pa"e 1 of + basic responsibilities of each speaker in British Parliamentary debate. Followin" the table is a fuller e/planation of the responsibilities of each speech. Spea er Responsibilities !or British Parliamentary Debate Spea er Prime Minister 1st speaker for 1st proposition% Leader of Opposition 1st speaker for 1st opposition% Spea er Responsibilities *efines and interprets the motion *evelops the case for the proposition Accepts the definition of the motion 2efutes the case of the 1st proposition 0onstructs one or more ar"uments a"ainst the Prime 3inister4s interpretation of the motion. 2efutes the case of the 1st opposition 2ebuilds the case of the 1st proposition 3ay add new ar"uments to the case of the 1st proposition 0ontinues refutation of case of 1st proposition 2ebuilds ar"uments of the 1st opposition 3ay add new ar"uments to the case of the 1st opposition *efends the "eneral direction and case of the 1st proposition 0ontinues refutation of 1st opposition team *evelops a new ar"ument that is different from but consistent with the case of the 1st proposition 5sometimes called an e/tension6. *efends the "eneral direction taken by the 1st opposition. 0ontinues "eneral refutation of 1st proposition case Provides more specific refutation of 'nd opposition Provides new opposition ar"uments !ummari7es the entire debate from the point of view of the proposition, defendin" the "eneral view point of both proposition teams with a special eye toward the case of the 'nd proposition *oes not provide new ar"uments. !ummari7es the entire debate from the point of view of the opposition, defendin" the "eneral view point of both opposition teams with a special eye toward the case of the 'nd opposition *oes not provide new ar"uments.

Deputy Prime Minister 'nd speaker for 1st proposition% Deputy Leader of Opposition 'nd speaker for 1st opposition% Member of Government 1st speaker for 'nd proposition%

Member of Opposition 1st speaker for 'nd opposition%

Government Whip 'nd speaker for 'nd proposition%

Opposition Whip 'nd speaker for 'nd opposition%

The followin" sections briefly describe the speeches "iven by each of the ei"ht speakers

British Parliamentary *ebate Format Pa"e 8 of + listed in the previous table. These are very brief descriptions that will be e/panded in later chapters. Prime Minister The debate be"ins with a seven)minute speech by the Prime 3inister. The Prime 3inister has two basic responsibilities% to define and interpret the motion and to develop the case for the proposition. The first of these responsibilities is to define and interpret the motion for debate. The definition and interpretation is particularly important because it sets the sta"e for the entire debate. 2emember, the Prime 3inster has the ri"ht to define the motion and the responsibility to do so in a reasonable fashion. Therefore, if the Prime 3inister4s interpretation is a poor one, the likely result will be a poor debate. ,n order to properly define and interpret the proposition, the Prime 3inster should do the followin"% 16 *efine any ambi"uous terms in the proposition. '6 !how how these definitions are reasonable ones. 16 #utline a model that will be used by all teams in advancin" the debate. 3ore will be said about these three points in 0hapter 9 on constructin" a case for the proposition. The second responsibility of the Prime 3inister is to construct a case for the proposition. !imply stated, a case consists of one or more ar"uments supportin" the Prime 3inister4s interpretation of the motion. Therefore, the Prime 3inister will outline the ar"uments supportin" the interpretation and be"in to develop each of those ar"uments. The Prime 3inister need not present all of the ar"uments for the First Proposition team. ,n many cases, the Prime 3inister will state that the First Proposition team will have a certain number of ar"uments and that some will be presented in this speech and the *eputy Prime 3inister will present the rest. Leader of the Opposition The :eader of the #pposition has three primary responsibilities% to accept the definition and interpretation of the proposition, to refute part or all of the Prime 3inister4s case, and to present one or more ar"uments in opposition to the Prime 3inister4s interpretation of the motion. First, in most ordinary situations, the :eader of the #pposition should e/plicitly accept the definition and interpretation of the motion as presented by the Prime 3inister. ,n e/traordinary cases, when the definition is completely unreasonable as to preclude meanin"ful debate, the :eader of the #pposition has the ri"ht to re-ect the definition. The problem with re-ectin" the definition is that such an action will ultimately lead to a very bad debate and the First #pposition team likely will "et the blame. Therefore, even in the event of an unreasonable definition, the :eader of the #pposition should point out to the -ud"e and the audience that the definition and interpretation presented by the Prime 3inister is

0hapter #ne Pa"e 9 of + unreasonable and then should "o ahead and accept the definition for the purposes of the current debate. !econd, the :eader of the #pposition should refute part or all of the Prime 3inister4s ar"uments for the motion. Because of the limits of time, the :eader of #pposition cannot reasonably e/pect to refute all of the Prime 3inister4s ar"uments. The proper "oal is to select and refute the most important ar"uments presented by the Prime 3inister. Finally, the :eader of the #pposition should present one, two, or three ar"uments directed a"ainst the Prime 3inister4s interpretation of the motion. These ar"uments are different from those ar"uments offered in refutation. They should consist of the most persuasive reasons that the :eader of the #pposition can present to convince the audience to re-ect the proposition. Deputy Prime Minister The *eputy Prime 3inister has three primary obli"ations% to defend the case presented by the Prime 3inister, to refute any independent ar"uments presented by the :eader of the #pposition, and to add one or more ar"uments to the case presented by the Prime 3inister. First, the *eputy Prime 3inister defends the case presented by the Prime 3inister by en"a"in" any refutation presented a"ainst the case by the :eader of the #pposition. This task needs to be accomplished in a very systematic fashion. The *eputy should take up the Prime 3inister4s ar"ument one by one and defend each ar"ument a"ainst any refutation by the :eader of the #pposition. Thus, at the end of this section of the *eputy4s speech, the audience should see that the case ori"inally presented by the Prime 3inister still stands as stron"ly as it did when initially presented. !econd, the *eputy Prime 3inister should refute any of the independent ar"ument presented by the :eader of the #pposition. :ike the :eader of #pposition, the *eputy should not try to refute all ar"uments, -ust the most important ones. Finally, the *eputy Prime 3inster should add one or two ar"uments to the case presented by the Prime 3inister. The reasons for addin" new ar"uments in this speech are two)fold% First, the Prime 3inister may not have had ade$uate time to develop all of the ar"uments that the First Proposition team wishes to present and second, presentin" these additional ar"uments "ives the -ud"es and audience a way to -ud"e the ability of the *eputy Prime 3inister with respect to the ability to construct ar"uments. Deputy Leader of the Opposition The duties of the *eputy :eader of the #pposition are similar to those of the *eputy Prime 3inister. The *eputy :eader should 16 defend the refutation offered by the :eader of #pposition, '6 defend the ar"uments offered by the :eader of the #pposition, and 16 add one or more new ar"uments to those bein" offered by the First Proposition team.

British Parliamentary *ebate Format Pa"e ; of + First, the *eputy :eader should defend the refutation offered by the :eader of the #pposition. The *eputy Prime 3inister will have en"a"ed the refutation presented by the :eader of #pposition. At this time, the *eputy :eader needs to show that the ori"inal refutation is still sound. !econd, the *eputy :eader should defend the ar"uments presented by the :eader of the #pposition. The task of the *eputy :eader is to make sure that these ar"uments still stand firm in the mind of the -ud"es and audience. To do so, the *eputy leader needs to consider each ar"ument one by one, en"a"e any refutation offered by the *eputy Prime 3inister, and therefore rebuild each ar"ument. Third, the *eputy :eader should present one or more ar"uments a"ainst the proposition. These ar"uments can be similar to those ar"uments raised by the :eader of the #pposition, yet they should be new ones to "ive the -ud"es and audience the ability to -ud"e the *eputy :eader4s ar"ument construction skills. Member of Government The 3ember of <overnment initiates the second half of the debate. The 3ember of <overnment needs to defend the "eneral direction taken by the First Proposition team but needs to offer a new perspective from the !econd Proposition team. ,n other words, the 3ember of <overnment needs to defend the thesis of the First Proposition team while doin" so for different reasons. The obli"ations of the 3ember of <overnment can be summari7ed as follows% 16 *efend the "eneral perspective of the First Proposition team, '6 0ontinue refutin" ar"uments made by the First #pposition team, 16 *evelop one or more new ar"uments that are different from but consistent with the case offered by the First Proposition team. The first responsibility of the 3ember of the <overnment is to defend the "eneral direction of the debate as started by the First Proposition team. ,n so doin", the 3ember of <overnment demonstrates a sense of loyalty to the other debaters defendin" the proposition. This part of the 3ember4s speech is important but need not be time consumin". #ne or two minutes devoted to this aspect of the speech will probably be sufficient. !econd, the 3ember of <overnment should continue refutin" ar"uments made by the First #pposition team. The 3ember of <overnment should not use the same refutation as provided by debaters of the First Proposition team, but should introduce new points of refutation uni$ue to the !econd <overnment team. To the e/tent possible, the refutation should focus on the ar"uments presented by the *eputy :eader of the Proposition. Finally, the 3ember of <overnment should develop one or more ar"uments that are different from but consistent with the ar"uments offered by the Prime 3inister. These new ar"uments sometimes are referred to as an e/tension. This e/tension is one of the most important elements of the 3ember of <overnment4s case as it provides an opportunity to distin"uish the !econd Proposition team from the First Proposition while simultaneously remainin"

0hapter #ne Pa"e & of + consistent with their overall approach. Member of Opposition The 3ember of #pposition be"ins the second half of the debate for the #pposition side. :ike the !econd Proposition team, the "oal of the !econd #pposition team is to remain consistent with the First #pposition team while presentin" a uni$ue perspective of their own. To accomplish this "oal, the 3ember of #pposition needs to fulfill three obli"ations% 16 *efend the "eneral direction taken by the First #pposition team, '6 0ontinue the refutation of the case as presented by the First Proposition, 16 Provide more specific refutation of the ar"uments introduced by the 3ember of <overnment, and 86 Present one or more new ar"uments that are consistent with, yet different from, those presented by the First #pposition team. First, the 3ember of #pposition should defend the "eneral perspective taken by the First #pposition team. This need not be a time)consumin" enterprise, but the 3ember of #pposition should make clear that the !econd #pposition team is bein" loyal to the ar"uments of the First #pposition team. !econd, the 3ember of #pposition should briefly continue the refutation of the case presented by the First Proposition team. A"ain, this continued refutation should be brief and should involve new points of refutation not yet considered by members of the First #pposition team. Third, the 3ember of #pposition should present more specific refutation of the ar"uments introduced by the 3ember of <overnment. 2efutation of the 3ember of <overnment4s ar"uments is an important task because these are completely new ar"uments supportin" the proposition side and have not yet been -oined by the opposition side. Finally, the 3ember of #pposition should present an e/tension=an ar"ument consistent with, yet different from that presented by the First #pposition team. :ike the <overnment4s e/tension, this is an important responsibility of the 3ember of #pposition because it allows the !econd #pposition team to show its loyalty to the First #pposition team while clearly differentiatin" themselves form the First #pposition. Government Whip The whip speakers for both teams have the responsibility to close the debate for their respective sides. The <overnment (hip should accomplish three "oals% 16 2efute the e/tension offered by the 3ember of #pposition, '6 *efend the e/tension offered by the 3ember of <overnment, and 16 !ummari7e the debate from the perspective of the Proposition side. The first responsibility of the <overnment (hip is to refute the e/tension offered by the 3ember of #pposition. This e/tension has yet to be discussed by the Proposition team and

British Parliamentary *ebate Format Pa"e + of + doin" so is an important responsibility of the <overnment (hip. !econd, the <overnment (hip should defend the e/tension offered by the 3ember of <overnment. The 3ember of <overnment4s e/tension is a very important party of the !econd <overnment4s case and in all likelihood has been refuted by the 3ember of #pposition. Therefore, defendin" this e/tension is an important responsibility of the <overnment (hip. The final, and perhaps most important responsibility of the <overnment (hip is to summari7e the debate from the perspective of the Proposition side. The summary may be accomplished in a number of ways. #ne of the most effective ways is to identify the most crucial issues in the debate and discuss how each side has dealt with each. The summary should, of course, be made from their side4s perspective while bein" and appearin" to be fair) minded. !imilarly, the summary should be fair to the First Proposition team but should focus on the ar"uments pursued by the !econd Proposition team. Opposition Whip The responsibilities of the #pposition (hip are almost identical to those of the <overnment (hip e/cept they are accomplished from the perspective of the #pposition side rather than from the Proposition side. A"ain, the #pposition (hip should 16 2efute the e/tension offered by the 3ember of <overnment, '6 *efend the e/tension offered by the 3ember of #pposition, and 16 !ummari7e the debate from the perspective of the #pposition side. The details of this speech are e/actly like those of the previous speech e/cept that they focus on the #pposition side of the debate rather than the Proposition side. #nce a"ain, the primary "oal of this speech is to summari7e the debate from the perspective of the #pposition side, particularly from the point of view of the !econd #pposition team. This summary should fairly support the #pposition side of the debate while focusin" on the accomplishments of the !econd #pposition team. S"mmary This then is the basic format of British Parliamentary debatin"% four teams of two persons each en"a"e one another throu"h a series of seven)minute speeches interspersed by points of information. The teams from each side attempt to maintain loyalty with one another while simultaneously demonstratin" the uni$ue $ualities of their own ar"uments. 3uch has been introduced here that was not fully developed. :ater chapters will further e/plore issues only mentioned here, issues such as case construction, opposition ar"uments, points of information, refutation and many others.