BP1aGeneral Format and Rules World Universities Debating Championships -the Mt. Everest of Debating “Worlds Style”, or British Parliamentary Style (“BP”) 2aThere are 4 teams competing in each debate (2 teams on the government side, and 2 teams on the opposition)The motion to be debated and the positions is released only 15 minutes before the start of the debateDebaters may stand up and ask “points of information” (or “POIs”) during the speech of a debater on an opposing teamEach speaker may speak for 7 minutes, including the time taken to receive and answer POIs from opposing teams3aTeams4 Teams (two Government and two Opposition).Each team has two speakersGovernment Bench:- Opening Government (Prime Minister & Deputy Prime Minister)- Closing Government (Member of Government & Government Whip)Opposition Bench:- Opening Opposition (Leader of Opposition & Deputy Leader of Opposition)- Closing Opposition (Member of Opposition & Opposition Whip)4aHow does it work with 4 teams?Each team is separate, and is competing against the other three. Each team (of two debaters) prepares separately, and is not allowed to talk to any of the other three teams during preparation. At the end of the debate, the adjudicators will rank the teams from 1st through to 4th. The two teams on the Government Bench will support the motion, and the two teams on the Opposition Bench must oppose the motion. However, while the two teams on each bench are on the same side, they have to have different reasons for supporting/opposing the motion. So for example, for the Closing Government to come 1st in the debate, they must show two things: (1) that the motion should stand, and (2) that the new perspective (extension) and new reasons they gave for the motion to stand are more important or more convincing than the reasons given by the Opening Government.5aWhy are there 4 teams in a BP debate?This is why its called “British Parliamentary Style” Debating. Often in the British Parliament, government is formed by a coalition of two parties. Heres an example of how it works: imagine if after an election, the Labour Party and the Green Party form a coalition government. Even though they are “on the same side”, they are still competing against each other for voter support. That means that when an issue is debated, they will to take the same position, but for different reasons. So if the issue of nuclear power is debated, for example, the Green Party will oppose the policy for environmental reasons, whereas the Labour Party might oppose it because it means coal workers will lose their jobs. So they both oppose nuclear power they have the same stance they take the stance for different reasons.6aSpeaking order1st opening government (Prime Minister)1st opening opposition (Leader of Opposition)2nd opening government (Deputy Prime Minister) 2nd opening opposition (Deputy Leader of Opposition)1st closing government (Member of Government) 1st closing opposition (Member of Opposition) 2nd closing government (Government Whip)2nd closing opposition (Opposition Whip)7aSpeech durationSpeeches should be SEVEN minutes in duration. In British Parliamentary Style, speakers are not penalised for exceeding the time limit, however by about 7:20-7:30 the adjudicators will simply stop listening. If you go over 7:30, the adjudicators will probably throw something at you.8aPoints of information (POI)This is the fun part of British Parliamentary Style Debating. Points of information are impromptu questions raised by opposing teams. They may be delivered any time between the 1 minute and 6 minute bells. POIs may only be given to speakers on the other Bench. So if you are on the Opening Opposition, you can only ask POIs to the Opening Government and Closing Government but not to the Closing Opposition. POIs should not be more than 15 seconds. The chairman may request a speaker to end a POI at his/her discretion. 9aPreparation The motion is released 15 minutes before the debate. Members are permitted to use printed or written material during preparation and during the debate. Printed material includes books journals, newspapers and other similar materials. The use of electronic equipment is prohibited during preparation in the debate.10aAddressing members of the houseYou should address the chair of the debate as Mr. Speaker or Madame Speaker. Some speakers will also acknowledge other members of the house, it is basically just a matter of personal preference as to how you begin your speech after acknowledging the chair. So you should begin your speech should with: Mr Speaker” or “Madame Speaker”11aPoints of Information (POIs)This is the fun part about British Parliamentary Style Debating. Under the Point of Information (“POI”) rule, debaters can ask questions of their opponents in the middle of the opponents speech. If asked well, a 15 second POI can have a huge impact on the debate.12aHow to ask a Point of Information:only ask POIs to speakers from the other bench!Point of InformationThe speaker can choose to accept or not to accept the point. If the speaker does not accept your point, you should sit back down quietlyYou can offer as many POIs as you like to each speaker, but if you stand up too often (or just after the speaker rejected a POI) then it can become annoying. Wait until the speaker finishes that point or moves on to another point, before offering another POI.Timing is important. You want your POIs to be accepted. Try to anticipate when the speaker will accept a POI.POIs should be addressed to the Chairperson, NOT to the speaker13aWhen can I ask a Point of Information?Each speaker gets one “protected minute” at the beginning of her/his speech. At the 1-minute mark, the timekeeper will ding the bell. After this time speakers on the opposing bench my offer POIsEach speaker gets another “protected minute” at the end of her/his speech. So at the 6-minute mark, the timekeeper will ding the bell. After this time no more POIs may be offered14aHow to accept a POIThe member who is speaking may accept or reject the Point of InformationYou can either do this verbally, or you can wave for the person offering the POI to sit downMembers should answer two Points of Information during their speech. You should accept one from each of the teams on the opposing bench. If you accept only one POI or even no POIs it looks like you are scared of what the other team has to say. However if you accept more than two, it might look like you have nothing to say yourself and are trying to fill in time! Two is just right.One must respond to a POI once it is accepted. You cannot just ignore it and carry on. If it really is in the material later in your speech, you can state that you will address it in then, but you must come back to it. It is better if you simply address the question briefly immediately.Attention! They get 15 seconds and thats it: dont let them have a conversation with you. Once theyve made their point thats it and you can politely ask them to sit back down.15aWhat kind of POI can I ask?There are lots of things you can do with a POI, for example you could:Attack the speakers case, perhaps by:Pointing out a fact that disproves her/his pointShowing how her/his reasoning is flawedShowing that the point or example that the speaker is making is not relevantDefend your case (you can use the same techniques as for attacking)Remind the adjudicators of a point you made earlier in the debate that is relevant (this is particularly useful if you are an opening team and the closing teams are now speaking)Introduce something that your team will say later in the debate called “flagging” (if you are a closing team and the opening teams are speaking. Be careful doing this though clever opening teams will hear this and will steal your arguments!)16a17aOK, so I have 15 seconds, how can I do maximum damage?The key to a good POI is that it is short and sharp. You only have 15 seconds, so you cant waste any time at all. A good POI should be only 2 or 3 sentences longYour team will probably only get to ask each opposing speaker one POI, so dont waste it attacking small points or examples. If you are going to give an attacking POI, you must identify the central idea/argument in that speakers speech and address your POI to thatConfer with your partner (in a quiet whisper), as s/he may have a better POI to ask than youThink through the exact wording of the POI before you stand up you dont want to stand up and then struggle to get the point out in a concise way18aSpeaker Roles and ResponsibilitiesOpening Government (OG)This teams job is to set up the debate. If the debate sucks, after the debate everyone will blame OG! Setting up isnt too hard though: it just means you need to properly define the topic tell us what the debate is all about and provide a positive case. 19a- 1st Speaker (Prime Minister): Defines the topic, states what the split will be between the 1st and 2nd speakers, and then produces arguments and reasons for supporting the motion.- 2nd Speaker (Deputy Prime Minister): Rebuts the Opposition Leader, produces more positive reasons. Except for POIs, this the last time OG will get to speak in the debate, so the Deputy Prime Minister will normally provide a quick summary of OGs case.20aOpening Opposition (OO)OO main just is to respond to OG. They also need to produce their own case.- 1st Speaker (Leader of Opposition): Rebuts the PM, provides the split and produces OOs arguments.- 2nd Speaker (Deputy Leader of Opposition): Rebuts the Deputy Prime Minister case and produces positive matter, briefly sums up OOs case. 21aClosing Government (CG)CG rebuts OO and produces a case extension (see section 6: Extensions). - 1st Speaker (Member of Government): Rebuts OO and then outlines their teams case extension. Then produces positive matter/arguments.- 2nd Speaker (Government Whip): Rebuts OO and CO with particular reference to their teams case extension. Sum up the case of the Government bench and the debate. The speaker should avoid introducing new matter.22aClosing Opposition (CO)CO rebuts OO and CG and produces a case extension.- 1st Speaker (Member of Opposition): Rebuts the Government bench and then outlines their teams case extension. Then produces positive matter/arguments.- 2nd Speaker (Opposition Whip): Rebuts the Government bench with particular reference to their teams case extension. Sum up the case of the Opposition bench and the debate. Under no circumstances can this speaker of the team introduce new matter.23aDefinitions (Setting up the debate)DefinitionThe definition should state the issue (or issues) for debate arising out of the motion and state the meaning of any terms in the motion that require interpretation. The Prime Minister should provide the definition at the beginning of his or her speech.The definition should be fair it should set up the debate, not win it. If the motion is “This House Believes the Television is the Root of All Evil”, and the Prime Minister defines television as something that is the root of all evil, then the debate wont be very interesting. 24aA definition is not allowed to be:where there is no logical link between the definition and the motion;self-proving, when the case is that something should or should not be done and there is no reasonable rebuttal (like the TV definition above);Moral truism, something to which no real opposition exists (like “Genocide is bad”.)time set, where a debate is set in the past or the futureSquirreling, when a motion has an obvious meaning, you can not twist the wording of the motion to debate onto something else.Dont hang your case25aHow can the Opening Government set up the debate?This depends on the motion. Broadly, there are two kinds of motions: those that create policy debates, and those that create principle debates.An example of a principle debate would be the motion suggested above: “This House Believes That TV Is The Root of All Evil.” The Government teams are not asked to provide as solution they dont need to convince us to do anything. 26aA policy debate requires the teams to provide a solution to a problem that means they have to convince us that we should actually do something. In debating, this solution is called a model. An example of a debate where model is needed would be: “This House Believes That We Should Ban Smoking In Public Places”. To set up this debate, the Opening Government team would have to do a few things: (1) tell us what public places are (i.e. the definition) and outline the specifics of such a ban (“we would ban the production, sale, and consumption of tobacco in all forms), (2) tell us exactly how smoking should be banned (the model could be fines, or perhaps jail?); (violators would be subject to criminal and civil sanctions commensurate with the severity of the violation, ranging from simple fines for possession to incarceration for repeated attempts to produce and distribute”); (in some cases, agent, financing, other terms)(3) tell us why smoking should be banned; (4) tell us why the ban should be the kind of ban that they propose (so if the ban they propose would see public smokers are jailed, the Opening Government must explain why this is so). 27aHeres an easy 4-step guide to setting up a policy debate:Gov Case (4 steps)There is a problem, which isThe cause of the problem isOur solution (model) isAnd it will work because28a29a30a31a32a33a34a35a36a37aFirst opposition38aShould I challenge the propositions definition?Only the first speaker of the opposition allowed in theoryBut dont do it because debates about the definition is bad and horrible to watch.It is legitimate to define where no definitions has been offered.39aTo establish the clash in the debate40a41a42a43a44a45a46a47a48a49asecondingFault too much time on rebuttal and not enough substantive arguments50aExtensionsThe role of the Closing Government and Closing Opposition teams in the debate is to provide an “extension”. This means that they must introduce something new into the debate. This can be a wholly new set of arguments, it can be a fresh perspective on the issue, or it can be a deeper level of analysis. Dont forget, your extension has to be consistent with your opening teams position and arguments! You cant contradict their points.The only rules to remember about case extensions is that:(a) Your case must be clear.(b) It must be different from the 1st teams case.(c) It must not contradict the 1st teams case.Extensions can be:a different perspective on the issuea more in-depth analysis on the opening teams caseHere are some example extensions: 51aSo in this example, the Closing Governments position is consistent with Opening Government they both oppose nuclear power but they have provided a fresh set of reasons for supporting the OGs policy.Example 1: : “This House Would Not Allow Nuclear Power.” The Opening Government - nuclear power is dangerous, and that used nuclear material is bad for humans and the environment. This is the environmental concern. The Closing Oppositions extension - nuclear power should be opposed because the technology can be easily misused to make nuclear weapons. This extension is the security perspective.52aExample 2: This house would abolish the death penalty. OG - the death penalty is inhumane, and that it is always wrong to take life ; the death penalty does not deter crime. CG - use of the death penalty in the USA, showing that use of the death penalty there has targeted racial minorities and people from poorer socio-economic background (the race and socio-economic argument). - highlight some examples in the USA where innocent people were executed, and they quote the maxim that: “It is better that one hundred guilty men go free than that one innocent man is executed” (the possible miscarriage of justice argument). - show how the predictions made by OG were proved to be true in the USA, by pointing out that, since the introduction of the death penalty in the USA, crime rates had in fact gone up. 53aMatter and MannerSpeakers and teams in BP debates are judged on two elements: matter and manner.Matter content of the speecharguments a debater uses to further his/her case and persuade the audienceincludes arguments and reasoning, examples, case studies, facts and other material that attempts to further the caseincludes positive material, rebuttals, points of information offered and points of information takenmatter should be relevant, logical and consistentMannerpresentation of the speechstyle and structure a debater uses to further his/her case and persuade the audience54aStyle- elements of style include eye contact, voice modulation, hand gestures, language, the use of notes and any other element which may affect the effectiveness of the presentation of the memberStructure includes structure of the speech of the member and the structure of the speeches of the team Individual structure:- elements of structure include the structure of the speech of the member and the structure of the speech of the team- each debaters speech should include: an introduction, series of arguments and a conclusion- it should also be well-timed in accordance with the time limitations and the need to prioritise and apportion time to matterTeam structure:- both members should adopt a consistent approach - positive matter should be allocated to both members of the team55a56aSummarySo after all that how do you apply it in 15 min to prepare your speech. Be PreparedHave a broad general knowledge of events issues etc BUT be sure to prepare 3 or 4 cases in advance for when you are defining “Open” motions. This should give you an edge in the debate as you will be talking about something you know well.57aHave an argument. Dont base your case on loads of facts and try to work towards an argument. Think of the argument/Core-team-line first, then 3 main points to back it up and then the facts to back those up58a59aAnalyse yourself & othersGov Case (4 steps)Opp Case (pick one & attack)ProblemThere is a problemThe problem doesnt existCauseThis is the causeThats not the right causeSolutionHere is our solutionThe solution isnt workableEffectAnd its effectIt wont have those effects60aKnow your role1st Gov: Define & Outline1st Opp: Rebut, Alternative, (Re-Define)2nd Gov: Defend, Explain & Rebut2nd Opp: Rebut & Defend3rd Gov: Backup, Extend, & Rebut3rd Opp: Rebut, Backup & 4th Gov: Explain, Sum up & Rebut4th Opp: Rebut, Rebut, sum up61a