Introduction to British Parlia

1、Introduction to British Parliamentary DebateBritish Parliamentary Debate is very widespread, and has gained major support in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Africa, and United States. It has also been adopted as the official style of the World Universities Debating Championship and the European

2、 Universities Debating Championship .The MotionEvery debate has a motion; this is the issue for discussion.A good motion has clear arguments in favour of it and against it.The motions used in most debating competition will be controversial issues, and a young person who frequently reads newspaper an

3、d thinks about what they are reading will be well equipped to win in debate.The motion is expressed “This House”:this is a convention and “The House” is all the people present at the debate.Team Constitution(Twosides and Four factions1. Opening Government (firstfaction:Prime MinisterDeputy Prime Min

4、ister2. Opening Opposition (secondfaction:Leader of the OppositionDeputy Leader of the Opposition3. Closing Government (thirdfaction:Member for the GovernmentGovernment Whip4. Closing Opposition (fourthfaction:Member for the OppositionOpposition WhipTeam RulesEach team is allocated whether they will

5、 propose or oppose the motion.The teams are allocated whether they will speak first or second on their side of the motion.You must not contradict the other team on your side, but you are competing against them.You must show the judges that you can debate more persuasively that the teams onthe other

6、side and the other team on your own side.You should therefore not discuss with the other team on your side what you are going to say or help them in any way.You must not talk to anyone other than your partner during the preparation period. The Roles of the Four TeamsOpening Proposition TeamOpening O

7、pposition TeamClosing Proposition TeamClosing Opposition TeamThe Roles of the Opening Proposition TeamFirst speaker (PrimeMinister1. Define the motion (seebelow.2. Outline the case he and his partner will put forward and explain which speaker will deal with which arguments.3. Develop his own argumen

8、ts, which should be separated into two or three main points.4. Finish by summarizing his main points.The Roles of the Opening Proposition TeamSecond speaker (DeputyPrime Minister1. Recapitulate(扼要重述 the team line.2. Rebut the response made by the first opposition speaker to his partners speech.3. Re

9、but the first opposition speakers main arguments.4. Develop his own arguments separated into two or three main points.5. Finish with a summary of the whole team case.The Roles of the Opening Opposition TeamFirst speaker (Leaderof the Opposition 1. Respond to the definition if it is unfair or makes n

10、o link to the motion.You can re-define (offeran alternative interpretation of the motion, but this can be risky and should only be done when the definition is not debatable (usuallybetter to complain a little and hope the adjudicator gives you credit “well this is a silly definition but were going t

11、o debate it and beat you on it anyway” approach.2. Rebut the first proposition speech.3. Outline the case which she and her partner will put forward and explain which speakers will deal with which arguments.circumstances of the debate, and only experience will provide guidance on this.The Roles of t

12、he Opening Opposition TeamSecond speaker (DeputyLeader of the Opposition 1. Rebut the speech of the second proposition speaker.2. Offer some more arguments to support your partners approach to the motion.3. Summarize the case for your team, including your own and your partners arguments. The Roles o

13、f the Closing Proposition TeamFirst speaker (Memberfor the Government The first speaker must stake his teams claim in the debate by doing one of the following:1. Extend the debate into a new area (i.e.“this debate has so far focused on the developed world, and now our team will extend that to look a

14、t the important benefits for the developing world2. Introduce a couple of new arguments that make the case on his side more persuasive. (Note:Again, this decision depends on the scenario. This is quite a complex part of debating to master, but it is very important to add something new to the debate

15、or you will be penalized.The Roles of the Closing Proposition TeamSecond speaker (GovernmentWhipThe last speech of a debate is known as a Summary Speech. In it you should step back and look at the debate as a whole and explain why on all the areas you have argued your side has won. You can:1. Go thr

16、ough the debate chronologically (thisis not very advanced and usually not very persuasive either.2. Go through one sides case and then the other.3. Go through the debate according to the main points of contention (thisis the most persuasive and advanced way explaining why on each of the main issues

17、that have been debated have been won by your side.(Note:You should not introduce new argument.The Roles of the Closing Opposition TeamFirst speaker (Memberfor the OppositionThis is very similar to the second proposition role.1. You must rebut the new analysis of the third proposition speaker.2. You

18、must also bring an extension to the debate i.e. extend the debate into a new area or bring a couple of new arguments to the debate.The Roles of the Closing Opposition TeamSecond speaker (OppositionWhipThe last speech of a debate is known as a Summary Speech. In it you should step back and look at th

19、e debate as a whole and explain why on all the areas you have argued your side has won. You can:1. Go through the debate chronologically (thisis not very advanced and usually not very persuasive either.2. Go through one sides case and then the other.3. Go through the debate according to the main poi

20、nts of contention (thisis the most persuasive and advanced way explaining why on each of the main issues that have been debated have been won by your side.(Note:You should not introduce new argument.Notes for Two Whips1. They must respond to both opposing factions' arguments;2. They should brief

21、ly sum up their Opening Faction's case;3. They should offer a conclusion of their own faction's case extension.Debating ProcedureSpeaking alternates between the two sides and the order of the debate is therefore: Phase 1:Prime MinisterPhase 2:Leader of the OppositionPhase 3:Deputy Prime Mini

22、sterPhase 4:Deputy Leader of the OppositionPhase 5:Member for the GovernmentPhase 6:Member for the OppositionPhase 7:Government WhipPhase 8:Opposition WhipPoints of InformationPOI(Pointof Information is important in British Parliamentary style, as it allows the first two factions to maintain their r

23、elevance during the course of the debate, and the last two factions to introduce their arguments early in the debate.Rules of POI2. They should be offered by members of the opposite side only.3. You offer a point of information by standing and saying “point of information”.4. You should aim to offer

24、 one point of information every minute during someone elses speech. This is just a rough guideline. If you offer too few it will look like you cannot argue against the point they are making, and if you offer too many it will look like you are trying to unsettle or harass the speaker.5. Speakers may

25、accept or decline the point of information in any way they like; the simplest is by saying “yes please”, or “no thank you”.6. You should aim to accept two points of information during a 7minute speech.7. Points of Information should be quick and to the point (nomore than about fifteen seconds. They

26、should offer a new piece of information to explain why what the speaker is saying at the time is wrong.How To Deal With POIMany new debaters find points of information one of the scariest bits of debating. This is usually because they vastly overestimate the intelligence of the speakers on the other

27、 side.Remember confidence does not equal intelligence, it only gives that impression and is designed to do so.There are a number of ways of dealing with Points of Information.1. Dismiss them briefly and then get on with your speech (ifit was a stupid point.2. Answer them more fully and merge your an

28、swer into what you were going to say next.3. Say that you are planning to deal with that point later on in your speech and carry on where you were. If you do this, you absolutely MUST make it utterly explicit when you refute the point later on. You must not use this as a ducking tactic since adjudic

29、ators will notice.Case BuildingMany teams find it difficult to come up with a good case statement and supporting arguments in the 15minutes that most tournaments allot for preparation time.The key to success is to recognize your time constraints and live within them.Every other team in the tournamen

30、t will have similar restrictions placed on them when they are in opening proposition. Accept it and move on.It is not ok to run a case with no opposition to it at all. If your case is(1tautological (trueby definition:the Sun rises in the morning,(2truistic (trueby commonly accepted principles:Hitler

31、 was badyou will be penalised, and will probably lose the debate by default.If the definition is tautological or truistic, the first opposition speaker should explain this, substitute a fair definition and then argue against this new definition.How to make definition The following are possible means

32、, not the necessary method for every definition. For different motion, we need to make different definition according to debating experience. 1. Time Set THBT retirement age should be extended. (how many years? 2. Place Set THBT smoking should be banned in China. (in which location? 3. Extent Set TH

33、BT athletes should be permitted to use Performance Enhancing Drugs in competition. 4. Amount Set THBT subsidies should be granted to inter-faith and inter-ethnic marriage. 5. Object Set THBT euthanasia should be legalized in China. 6. Range Set THBT casino should be legalized in China. 2. Classifica

34、tion of Debating types A Proposition of Fact (What/Which? e.g. “That gunpowder was invented in China.” (Debated only between researchers/specialists B Proposition of Value (What/Which? e.g. “This House believes that Affirmative Action is praiseworthy. (keyword here is an adjective C Proposition of P

35、olicy (How? e.g. “This House would appease North Korea” (keyword here is a verb D Value debating + Policy debating Prostitution should be legalized in China. 3. Debating Perspectives (1 Profitability THBT manned mission should be sent to Mars. (2 Efficiency This house believes that health industry s

36、hould be privatized . (3 Urgency Degree THBT developed Nations should accept global warming refugees. (4 Significance THBT prostitution should be legalized . (5 Feasibility (hard to implement or supervise THBT children should be banned to watch TV over 3 hours each day. (6 Effectiveness THBT paper e

37、xamination should be abolished. (7 Justice and Equity THBT judiciary judges should be elected. (8 Necessity THBT Yuanmingyuan should be rebuilt. (9 Fairness THBT retirement age should be extended. (10 Humanity THBT voluntary euthanasia should be legalized. 4. Essential abilities and quality for deba

38、ter Linguistic competence (esp. listening, speaking Broad Knowledge Reserves (esp. social focus Logic Thinking Dialectical Thinking Independent Thinking Teamwork Spirit Courtesy Devotion & Passion Positive Mentality (open-mindedness, optimism, perseverance, modesty, etc. 5. Opposition Strategies

39、 Review Types of Resolutions (each has unique arguments Basics of Refutation (4 Step Refutation Opposing Policies Opposing Values Opposing Facts General Opposition Arguments Policy Resolutions Example: “The European Union should diplomatically pressure Myanmar to open its borders.” Policy Resolution

40、s Ask the Proposition to alter or change a current situation. Identified grammatically by “should” or “would” Require opposition to prove Problem in the status quo Plan to deal with that problem How plan will “solve” for the problem aggressiveness, boldness, Value Resolutions Example: “This house be

41、lieves security needs outweigh environmental needs.” Value Resolutions Ask the proposition to prove one thing is better than another Requires a structure to assess the comparison (a hierarchy of values identified grammatically by a comparison, for example “better than,” “greater,” “more important,”

42、“justified.” Requires Proposition to prove Value Hierarchy is good interpretation Their interpretation improves, in some manner, the value Fact Resolutions Example: “Chinas non-intervention policy with Myanmar has strengthened the region.” Fact Resolutions Ask the proposition to prove something is t

43、rue or something caused something else Identified grammatically by infinitive verb, for example “to be,” “is,” or “are.” Basics of Refutation Four Step Process Step 1: say what opponent said Step 2: provide a response (refute it Step 3: explain response Step 4: create impact comparison This process allows: Judge and opposing team to follow your arguments Makes explicit your “warrants” or reasons for why your arguments are to be preferred In other words, it forces you to answer the “why” quest