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| {{Short description|Style of competitive debate}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{University debating}} | ||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} | |||
| '''British Parliamentary style''' debate is a common form of academic ]. It has gained support in the ], ], ], ], ], and ], and has also been adopted as the official style of the ] and ]. Speeches are usually between five and seven minutes in duration. The debate consists of four teams of two speakers, called ''factions'', with two factions on either side of the case. | |||
| {{More citations needed|date=March 2016}}], ]. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is speaking.]] | |||
| '''British Parliamentary style''' is a major form of academic ] that originated in ] in the mid 1800s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Haapala|first=Taru|title=Debating Societies, the Art of Rhetoric and the British House of Commons: Parliamentary Culture of Debate before and after the 1832 Reform Act|url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/RPUB/article/download/47860/44780/0|journal=Res Publica: Revista de Filosofía Política|volume=27|pages=26}}</ref> It has gained wide support globally and is the official format of the ] (WUDC).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Training Resources |url=https://www.worlddebating.org/training-resources |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=World Universities Debating Championship |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| == |
==Rules== | ||
| British Parliamentary debates consist of four teams, containing two speakers each, which are divided into two sides that speak for and against the motion. Due to the style's origins in British ], the two sides are called the ''Government'' and the ''Opposition''. Similarly, sides are known as benches, consisting of two teams - an opening team and a closing team. Teams compete against all three other teams in the round, including against its own opening or closing team, which it is not expected to help. The order of speeches alternates between the two benches, starting with the first government speaker, until all eight participants have spoken. Speeches are usually either five (secondary school level) or seven (university level) minutes in duration. | |||
| Because of the style's origins in British ], the two sides are called the ''Government'' (more commonly called "Proposition" in the United Kingdom) and ''Opposition''. The speakers are similarly titled: | |||
| ⚫ | === Prime Minister/Leader of the Opposition === | ||
| #'''Opening Government''' (''first faction''): | |||
| The first speaker from each bench is known as the ''PM/LO''. They are responsible for defining the key terminologies, explaining the background or status quo and establishing the characterisation of the motion under which the debate will take place, along with forwarding arguments and their importance for their own teams (''Opening Government'' or ''Opening Opposition''). | |||
| ##''Prime Minister'' | |||
| ##''Deputy Prime Minister'' | |||
| #'''Opening Opposition''' (''second faction''): | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ##''Deputy Leader of the Opposition'' | |||
| #'''Closing Government''' (''third faction''): | |||
| ##''Member for the Government'' | |||
| ##''Government Whip'' | |||
| #'''Closing Opposition''' (''fourth faction''): | |||
| ##''Member for the Opposition'' | |||
| ##''Opposition Whip'' | |||
| === Deputy speeches === | |||
| Speaking alternates between the two sides and the order of the debate is therefore: | |||
| The second speaker from each bench is known as the ''Deputy''. Deputies may add new arguments to their team's substantive argument, but their primary responsibilities are to consolidate and rebuild the existing case, to launch challenges to the opposing bench, and to add additional weighing to their arguments to preemptively frame them against any extensions/new arguments from closing. | |||
| === Member/Extension speeches === | |||
| #''Prime Minister'' | |||
| The third speaker from each bench (i.e., the first speaker for the closing sides), is known as the ''Member''. Member speeches cannot contradict what has been said by their opening sides (i.e., knifing), unless the opening teams have conceded the debate or misinterpreted the motion. The primary duty of Members is to differentiate their side from their opening, by running either a clear vertical extension, flagging what parts of it are exclusively new, and be analytical for the actualisation of the arguments' benefits, or a horizontal extension and weighing it directly against other arguments in the round. They can also provide some brief response to the opening half of the debate as a whole, but this is not their primary goal. | |||
| #''Opposition Leader'' | |||
| #''Deputy Prime Minister'' | |||
| #''Deputy Opposition Leader'' | |||
| #''Member for the Government'' | |||
| #''Member for the Opposition'' | |||
| #''Government Whip'' | |||
| #''Opposition Whip'' | |||
| === Whip speeches === | |||
| ==Roles== | |||
| The final speaker from each bench is known as the ''Whip''. The primary duty of whip speakers is to note the major disagreement (''point of clash'') in the debate, and summarise, ], and weigh the arguments presented in the debate and show that their team (''Closing Government'' or ''Closing Opposition'') wins the debate. Whip speakers can still provide new materials which are based on the arguments made by previous speakers in their own bench (still considered as ''extension''), however, Whip speakers cannot make new arguments which are irrelevant to arguments made in previous speeches. | |||
| As ''British Parliamentary'' debates take place between four teams their roles are split into two categories, those for the ''Opening'' factions, and those for the ''Closing'' factions. | |||
| === |
===Points of Information=== | ||
| Speakers in the BP format can offer Points of Information (POIs) to opposing teams. To offer a POI during another speaker's speech, a debater may stand, say something such as "Point" or "Point of Information", and wait to be called on. The speaker may accept, reject, or ignore the POI. If they accept, the individual who offered the POI may state an argument, a rebuttal, or ask a question to the speaker for up to 15 seconds or until interrupted by the speaker.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction - Points of information - Debating in schools |url=http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/debatinginschools/gettingstarted/pointsofinformation/pointsofinfo.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409133842/http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/debatinginschools/gettingstarted/pointsofinformation/pointsofinfo.asp |archive-date=2016-04-09 |access-date=2016-03-28 |website=www.educationscotland.gov.uk}}</ref> Speakers may reject POIs with a physical cue (e.g. waving one's hand) or a verbal indication of rejection. | |||
| The first faction on each Government and Opposition team, known as the ''Opening Factions'', have four basic roles in a ''British Parliamentary'' debate. They must: | |||
| Speakers are granted "protected time", during which no ] may be offered. Most commonly, this is the first and last minute of a speech. | |||
| *Define the motion of the debate. | |||
| *Present their case. | |||
| *Respond to arguments of the opposing first faction. | |||
| *Maintain their relevance during the debate. | |||
| Only speakers from the opposing bench may offer POIs to the current speaker. Speakers on the same side of the motion cannot do so even if they are from different teams (e.g. Opening and Closing Government may offer POIs to Opening Opposition, but Closing Opposition cannot). | |||
| The Opening Government team has the ''semi-divine right of definition'', preventing the opposition from challenging their definition of the motion unless it is either a ], or clearly unreasonable. | |||
| ===Closing factions=== | |||
| The role of the second two factions are to: | |||
| *Introduce a ''case extension''. | |||
| *Establish and maintain their relevance early in the debate. | |||
| *Respond to the arguments of the first factions. | |||
| *Respond to the case extension of the opposing second faction. | |||
| In addition, the final two speakers of the debate (known as the ''Whips'') take a similar role to the third speakers in ] debating: | |||
| *The opposition whip may '''not''' introduce new arguments for his faction, the government's whip may add new positive material as long as it's "small" and does not start a new line of argumentation. This is a relatively new standard that has become the standard at the Worlds University Debating Championship, as well as the European University Debating Championship; | |||
| *They must respond to both opposing factions' arguments; | |||
| *They should briefly sum up their Opening Faction's case; | |||
| *They should offer a conclusion of their own faction's case extension. | |||
| ===Points of Information== | |||
| The style demands that all speakers offer ] (POIs) to their opposition. POIs are important in ''British Parliamentary'' style, as it allows the first two factions to maintain their relevance during the course of the debate, and the last two factions to introduce their arguments early in the debate. The first and last minute of each speech is considered "protected time", during which no ] may be offered. | |||
| ==variations== | |||
| Depending on the country, there are variations in speaking time, speaking order, whether proposition whip can introduce new points, and the number of speakers. In addition to specific rules, ettiqette varies by region. For instance, in some tournaments it is considered bad form for the first team on either side to try and cover as many topics as possible to leave the closing team with nothing (a practice known as "scorching the earth"), while in other tournaments it is strongly encouraged. | |||
| ==Competitions in BP Style== | ==Competitions in BP Style== | ||
| The debating season closely follows the academic year in |
The debating season closely follows the academic year in Northern Hemisphere countries. The first competitions are in Britain and Ireland in October and November, traditionally commenced by the ] Cup<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.edinburghdebatesunion.com/|title=Edinburgh University Debates Union|website=www.edinburghdebatesunion.com|access-date=2017-05-27}}</ref> in the first week of October, followed by the ] and ] Inter-varsities (IVs), all the way up to the World Championships held over the Christmas holidays. After the "Worlds", the ] IV in Dublin, the premier tournament in Ireland, recommences the season in the new year. The season continues with a large number of Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA) and European competitions from March to June, including the ] normally held in early April. The European Championship, or Euros were initially held over the Easter break, but is now held over the summer, normally in July or August and concludes the European debating season.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} | ||
| ⚫ | The ], as well as many other tournaments, require team members to be registered students of a university or another tertiary-level institution. However, "open" tournaments also exist that allow non-students and composite teams to compete. | ||
| The International Mace final is held in April. It is contested by the winners of the ] in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The finalists are informed before about the motion. The ]are run throughout the academic year in a series of knockout rounds in Scotland and Ireland. In England and Wales they are held over the course of two days. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| ⚫ | * by Alex Deane. | ||
| {{Unreferenced|date=January 2008}} | |||
| ⚫ | * by ] | ||
| * for British Parliamentary Style, prepared by the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| ⚫ | * by Alex Deane. | ||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| ⚫ | * by Dan Neidle | ||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * - An extensive array of unconventional tutorials that focus on the alternative and fun aspects of debate. | * - An extensive array of unconventional tutorials that focus on the alternative and fun aspects of debate. | ||
| ⚫ | {{University debating}} | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 10:00, 26 September 2024
Style of competitive debate
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "British Parliamentary Style" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
British Parliamentary style is a major form of academic debate that originated in Liverpool in the mid 1800s. It has gained wide support globally and is the official format of the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC).
Rules
British Parliamentary debates consist of four teams, containing two speakers each, which are divided into two sides that speak for and against the motion. Due to the style's origins in British parliamentary procedure, the two sides are called the Government and the Opposition. Similarly, sides are known as benches, consisting of two teams - an opening team and a closing team. Teams compete against all three other teams in the round, including against its own opening or closing team, which it is not expected to help. The order of speeches alternates between the two benches, starting with the first government speaker, until all eight participants have spoken. Speeches are usually either five (secondary school level) or seven (university level) minutes in duration.
Prime Minister/Leader of the Opposition
The first speaker from each bench is known as the PM/LO. They are responsible for defining the key terminologies, explaining the background or status quo and establishing the characterisation of the motion under which the debate will take place, along with forwarding arguments and their importance for their own teams (Opening Government or Opening Opposition).
Deputy speeches
The second speaker from each bench is known as the Deputy. Deputies may add new arguments to their team's substantive argument, but their primary responsibilities are to consolidate and rebuild the existing case, to launch challenges to the opposing bench, and to add additional weighing to their arguments to preemptively frame them against any extensions/new arguments from closing.
Member/Extension speeches
The third speaker from each bench (i.e., the first speaker for the closing sides), is known as the Member. Member speeches cannot contradict what has been said by their opening sides (i.e., knifing), unless the opening teams have conceded the debate or misinterpreted the motion. The primary duty of Members is to differentiate their side from their opening, by running either a clear vertical extension, flagging what parts of it are exclusively new, and be analytical for the actualisation of the arguments' benefits, or a horizontal extension and weighing it directly against other arguments in the round. They can also provide some brief response to the opening half of the debate as a whole, but this is not their primary goal.
Whip speeches
The final speaker from each bench is known as the Whip. The primary duty of whip speakers is to note the major disagreement (point of clash) in the debate, and summarise, frame, and weigh the arguments presented in the debate and show that their team (Closing Government or Closing Opposition) wins the debate. Whip speakers can still provide new materials which are based on the arguments made by previous speakers in their own bench (still considered as extension), however, Whip speakers cannot make new arguments which are irrelevant to arguments made in previous speeches.
Points of Information
Speakers in the BP format can offer Points of Information (POIs) to opposing teams. To offer a POI during another speaker's speech, a debater may stand, say something such as "Point" or "Point of Information", and wait to be called on. The speaker may accept, reject, or ignore the POI. If they accept, the individual who offered the POI may state an argument, a rebuttal, or ask a question to the speaker for up to 15 seconds or until interrupted by the speaker. Speakers may reject POIs with a physical cue (e.g. waving one's hand) or a verbal indication of rejection.
Speakers are granted "protected time", during which no points of information may be offered. Most commonly, this is the first and last minute of a speech.
Only speakers from the opposing bench may offer POIs to the current speaker. Speakers on the same side of the motion cannot do so even if they are from different teams (e.g. Opening and Closing Government may offer POIs to Opening Opposition, but Closing Opposition cannot).
Competitions in BP Style
The debating season closely follows the academic year in Northern Hemisphere countries. The first competitions are in Britain and Ireland in October and November, traditionally commenced by the Edinburgh Cup in the first week of October, followed by the Cambridge and Oxford Inter-varsities (IVs), all the way up to the World Championships held over the Christmas holidays. After the "Worlds", the Trinity IV in Dublin, the premier tournament in Ireland, recommences the season in the new year. The season continues with a large number of Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA) and European competitions from March to June, including the HWS Round Robin normally held in early April. The European Championship, or Euros were initially held over the Easter break, but is now held over the summer, normally in July or August and concludes the European debating season.
The world championships, as well as many other tournaments, require team members to be registered students of a university or another tertiary-level institution. However, "open" tournaments also exist that allow non-students and composite teams to compete.
References
- Haapala, Taru. "Debating Societies, the Art of Rhetoric and the British House of Commons: Parliamentary Culture of Debate before and after the 1832 Reform Act". Res Publica: Revista de Filosofía Política. 27: 26.
- "Training Resources". World Universities Debating Championship. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- "Introduction - Points of information - Debating in schools". www.educationscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- "Edinburgh University Debates Union". www.edinburghdebatesunion.com. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
External links
- An introductory Guide to BP Debating by Alex Deane.
- Competitive Debating by Dan Neidle
- British Debate
- World Debate Website
- The Judges British Parliamentary Debating est.1999 - An extensive array of unconventional tutorials that focus on the alternative and fun aspects of debate.
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