Transcript Role Fulfillment - Warwick Debating Society

Role Fulfilment
“Rules” of Britisth Parliamentary
• Formally all speakers in a debate are meant to
do certain things
• In real terms these are guides to having a
constructive debate and being persuasive
• Your ultimate goal is to persuade the “average
reasonable voter” of your side of the motion –
not following these rules would make that
very difficult
TOP HALF
Opening Government (OG)
1. Prime Minister
2. Leader of Opposition (LO)
3. Deputy Prime Minister
4. Deputy Leader of Opposition (DLO)
Closing Government (CG)
BOTTOM HALF
Opening Opposition (OO)
Closing Opposition (CO)
5. Member of Government (MG)
6. Member of Opposition (MO)
7. Government Whip (GW)
8. Opposition Whip (OW)
Opening Government (OG)
1. Prime Minister
- Set up the debate i.e. definitions, mechanism, criteria.
- Problem, mechanism/solution, why it works.
- Two of the most important arguments and an
additional argument.
3. Deputy Prime Minister
- Respond to Leader of Opposition’s arguments.
- Defend PM’s arguments against LO’s refutations.
- One key NEW argument.
- A further argument (stakeholder analysis).
Opening Opposition (OO)
2. Leader of Opposition
- Respond directly to Prime Minister’s arguments.
- Set up team-line/principle.
- Three arguments.
4. Deputy Leader of Opposition
- Respond to Deputy Prime Minister’s arguments.
- Defend LO’s arguments against DPM’s refutations.
- Provide two or three new arguments.
Closing Government (CG)
5. Member of Government (Extension Speaker)
- Refute OO (especially DLO’s arguments)
- Make two/three NEW arguments OR
- Provide FAR more detail on OG’s argument(s).
7. Government Whip (Summary Speaker)
- Respond directly to Member of Opposition’s
arguments (the only one on Gov bench who can).
- Summarise debate, explaining why Government won
BUT emphasising in particular the arguments you
brought in CG.
- Structure: clash points
Closing Opposition (CO)
6. Member of Opposition (Extension Speaker)
- Refute Member of Government’s extension (has
to be done here and not in the summary).
- Two/three extension arguments.
8. Opposition Whip (Summary Speaker)
- Defend MO’s extension against GW’s rebuttal.
- Summarise debate, emphasising MO’s extension
as being key to it being won by Opposition.
Points of Information
• A short (15 second maximum) interjection
from a speaker on the opposite bench
• The person speaking is expected to respond
directly to the POI if possible
• The person speaking always has the right to
decline a POI
• Should accept at least 1 – but too many will
get in the way of your speech