BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE

INTRODUCTION

 British Parliamentary Debate (BPD) is a common form of academic debate. It has

gained support in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Europe, Africa,
Philippines, and United States.
 It is adopted as the official style of the World Universities Debating Championship,
and European Universities Debating Championship.
 Speeches are usually between five and seven minutes duration.

Terminology
 Because of the style’s origins in British parliamentary procedure, the two
sides are called the GOVERNMENT (more commonly called
“PROPOSITION” in the United Kingdom) and OPPOSITION.

What is BPD?
 A competitive sport whereby 4 teams in opposing sides try to convince an
audience that a point of view regarding a controversial issue is better than
the alternative provided.

Discuss v Debate
 Discuss- Negotiate or compromise conflicting points of view in order to
cooperate
 Debate- Highlight the opposing opinions surrounding a topic as a tool for
decision making and analysis.

Benefits of Debating
 Cultivates quick and multi-dimensional, logical thinking.
 Enhances the ability to develop reasoned opinions.
 Gives a better understanding of the current events and the world around us.
 Improves self-confidence, speaking style and command of language.
 Enriches your overall leadership qualities

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THE BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE FORMAT

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 “Second Proposition” teams, are

1
British Parliamentary debate sometimes is referred to as Worlds-style debate or simply four-
team debate.
charged with the responsibility of supporting the proposition while two other teams, “First
Opposition” and “Second Opposition,” are charged with opposing it.

Two speakers represent each of the four teams and each speaker gives a speech
of seven minutes. The following chart describes the basic format and time limits.

SPEAKER RESPONSIBILITIES FOR BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE

Speaker Speaker Responsibilities

Prime Minister Defines and interprets the motion
1st speaker for 1st Develops the case for the proposition
proposition:
Leader of Opposition Accepts the definition of the motion
1st speaker for 1st opposition: Refutes the case of the 1st proposition
Constructs one or more arguments against the
Prime Minister’s interpretation of the motion.
Deputy Prime Minister Refutes the case of the 1st opposition
2nd speaker for 1st Rebuilds the case of the 1st proposition
proposition: May add new arguments to the case of the 1st
proposition
Deputy Leader of Opposition Continues refutation of case of 1st proposition
2nd speaker for 1st opposition: Rebuilds arguments of the 1st opposition
May add new arguments to the case of the 1st
opposition
Member of Government Defends the general direction and case of the 1st
1st speaker for 2nd proposition
proposition: Continues refutation of 1st opposition team
Develops a new argument that is different from but
consistent with the case of the 1st proposition
(sometimes called an extension).
Member of Opposition Defends the general direction taken by the 1st
st nd
1 speaker for 2 opposition: opposition.
Continues general refutation of 1st proposition case
Provides more specific refutation of 2nd opposition
Provides new opposition arguments
Government Whip Summarizes the entire debate from the point of view
2nd speaker for 2nd of the proposition, defending the general view point
proposition: of both proposition teams with a special eye toward
the case of the 2nd proposition
Does not provide new arguments.
 Opposition Whip Summarizes the entire debate from the point of view
2nd speaker for 2nd of the opposition, defending the general view point
opposition: of both opposition teams with a special eye toward
the case of the 2nd opposition
Does not provide new arguments.

Matter and Manner

In BP there are two categories that you are judged on as a speaker. Matter is the
content of your speech, and manner is how you present that content. Matter and
manner are weighted equally. The lists include some of the more common elements of
matter and manner, but are not exhaustive.

Matter Includes: Matter Includes:

 Substantive arguments for your side - Humor
 Rebuttal arguments - Appropriate language
 Case Studies / Facts - Engaging the audience
 POIs

Basic Tactics and Pitfalls:

Organization:
 At the beginning of your speech tell the judges what you're going to be speaking
about.
 Pay attention to your timing. If you say that you're going to introduce three
constructive points and then you run out of time that will reflect poorly on you.
 Always fill your time.

Speaking Style:
 The most important thing is to keep the audience engaged. You don't want them
drifting off and thinking you're boring.
 Avoid being monotonous. Vary your tone and pace of delivery.
 Never insult another debater's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
Anything offensive will be penalized. Err on the side of caution.

Analysis:
 Try to introduce facts, case studies, and philosophical analysis instead of statistics.
 Focus on examples. Appropriate examples and case studies will make a case better
for the beginning BP debater than any pretty rhetoric can.
 Stay focused. Remember what you are trying to communicate to the audience, and
then communicate it. Don't go off on tangents.

POIs:
 POIs shouldn't be given for the sole purpose of destroying the other team's case.
POIs should build your case up as well.
 It is always better to get in one or two excellent POIs than four or five mediocre
ones. One of the best ways to accomplish this is for you and your partner to put a
sheet a paper between you with your best POI written down. Then, when the
speaker takes either of you you're certain to have an excellent POI.
 Let people finish their question before you wave them down, but if they start to make
a speech, or refuse to sit down, start waving them down immediately. If they still
won't sit down then the speaker will deal with them.
 Finish your thought before you accept a question. It is very easy to forget where you
were if you allow someone to interrupt you.
 If you want to get your question taken it is often better to stand at the end of the
speaker's point. They'll be more likely to take you.

Definitional Challenges:
 Do not object to a definition of a resolution if it is merely stupid or generally bad.
 The only speaker who can object to the Prime Minister’s definition is the Leader of
the Opposition (LO). If the LO doesn't object, no one else can.

Knifing:
 Knifing is when a closing team, or even a partner on the same team, blatantly
disagrees with a fundamental part of the substantive case that they're supposed to
be supporting. (Effectively knifing someone in the back).
 In the vast majority of situations you should not knife your opening team. It will be a
negative factor for you in the adjudication as supporting your opening team is a
fundamental part of your role.

JUDGING

Basics of Judging BPD

1. Judges need to rank teams from 1 to 4 (1 is best).

Judges often focus on role fulfillment to distinguish between teams. Sometimes 1
and 4 are obvious but 2 and 3 are not. In such case judges can draw the difference
between the 2 and 3 by who did the best job that they are supposed to do.
Everyone has a specific role and with four teams, it is not always obvious or easily
decided who won. This is why fulfillment is one of the factors that should be considered,
alongside constructive material, refutation, and depth of comments

2. Assign speaker points to every speaker.

(World Universities Debate Championships Standards)
90-100: Excellent to flawless. Speaker has many strengths and few, if any
weaknesses.
80-89 : Above average to very good. The speaker has clear strengths and some
minor weaknesses.
 70-79 : Average to good. The speaker has roughly equal proportions of
strengths and weakness.
60-69 : Poor to below average. The team has clear problems and some minor
strengths.
50-59 : Very poor. The speaker has fundamental weaknesses and few, if any
strengths

Guidelines for Judging

• Your own opinion on the subject matter does not count. Focus on the quality of the
argumentation and not to allocate wins based on your own preferences.
• Judge argumentation through the relevance of speeches. Which team does the
best job at explaining why they are taking up your time and which team does the
worst job.
Relevance of Speeches can be decided by the Quality of the Argumentation
and its Content.

• Only after you have rank the teams that you do decide for speaker points. Always
check your points and see if they agree with the team-ranking.
• When votes in the panel are tied, the CHAIR DECIDES.
• Oral feedbacks should only be given after the two rounds. NO feedback on the
speaker points, ONLY the ranking of teams and some helpful tips or hints.
• The Chair needs to deliver a reason for decision to the teams.