China Debate Education Network:
Introduction to British
Parliamentary Debate
Whip Speeches
Most Important Message
Whip Speakers’ Job Description
Whip Speech Strategies
How to make a good summary
Whip Speakers should do
Government Whip
Speech
Opposition Whip Speech
Direct refutation
Summary
towards MO extension (Direct comparison;
Summary
(Direct comparison）
includes indirect
refutation towards whole
government bench)
Why OW should not refute GW
directly?
• 1. A Whip speech should be a reframing job , to
regroup all the advantageous arguments to self.
• 2. An experienced whip will try to reframe the
whole debate by leading the argumentation
process into a familiar and favorable territory to
self.
• 3. If OW just makes direct refutation point by
point towards GW, it’s very likely for him to fall
into a trap because he is just fighting in an
unfamiliar territory.
Criteria of a good whip speech
1. Summarize in an honest and accurate
fashion
2. Summarize in a manner that supports your
side of the motion
3. Summarize in a manner that supports your
team
Strategy of Whip Speech
• 1) Select the most important issues
• 2) Select the issues at your advantage
• 3) Avoid repeating opponents’ remarks
• 4) Analyze from a higher level/perspective
Summary
• Basic level (Summary of Disagreement
Analysis)
• Medium Level (Regrouping )
• Advanced Level (Fundamental Qs)
Basic: Summary Method
1. Pick the arguments your side is already
winning.
2. Convince the judges that your chosen
points are the most important ones.
Comments on
Basic: Summary Method
(Need to be improved)
1. It’s an easy approach to pick up because by
looking at your flow sheet, those points are
easily spotted.
2. But it’s the weakest approach because the
fact or arguments you pick up to support
your claim are not necessarily the important
or relevant issues in this motion.
Eg. Ban of Smoking can reduce risk of fire
Medium: Regrouping method
(Much better)
1. Regroup basic arguments in order to offer a
more complete and conclusive picture.
2. Crystallize previously mentioned arguments by
regrouping in terms of disciplines
Eg. Economics, Culture, Education, etc.
or groups of people.
Eg. Smoker, Non-smoker; Adult, Children;
Civilian,
Medium: Regrouping method
(Much better)
3. Which grouping method you choose depends
on which side you’re on.
Eg. In the motion of banning smoking,
Government prefers children-adult regrouping.
Opposition prefer tobacco famers and
tobacco industry employees.
Medium: Regrouping method
(Much better)
4. Regrouping method MUST be SEEMINGLY
FAIR.
eg. In the motion of banning smoking,
If Opposition just regroups all people
involved in smoking into 3 groups , tobacco
famers , tobacco industry employees and
doctors who cures patients subject to
smoking-induced disease, it will be unfair
because this regrouping method fails to
include all people.
Advanced: Fundamental questions
(The Best )
• Raise fundamental questions and
answer them to show the good grip of
cornerstone and deep-seated issues in
particular motion.
Advanced: Fundamental Questions
(The best )
• Eg. The Fundamental Questions of example 1
This House would ban smoking in China.
Q: What’s the role of a Government?
(a rhetorical question)
A: The fundamental role of the Gov. is to protect
its citizens’ health. Citizens’ appeal to health is the
most basic, which far outweighs other request. As
a responsible government, here we have shown
you our plan on how to protect citizens from being
harmed by smoking.
Advanced: Fundamental Questions
(The best )
• Which Mac do I want ?
--- size , color, warranty,
stability, compatibility,
after-sale service,
portability, multifunction,
multimedia, web-surfing,
etc.
• What is the fundamental
function of a computer?
---- To work.
List of Fundamental Questions
If you have the answers to
fundamental questions, you will be
much more likely to be winner in
debate than others.
Eg:
1. What is the nature of ……. ?
Example 1:
This House would ban smoking in
Government
Opposition Whip
China.whip
Rebuttal arguments
1.Practical Benefits
a. Benefits to Smokers
b. Benefits to Non-smokers
2. Moral Benefits
a. Respects non-smokers’
right
b. Reduces egoistic actions
Role of Government?
1.Maintain Social Stability
-protests by addicts, farmers,
etc.
2. Protect individual freedom &
allow choice
3. Balance benefits over harms
- stop unintended consequences
- admit health harm, but
outweighed!
Exercise1:
Motion: This House supports corporal punishment in schools.
Government whip
Opposition whip
Exercise1:
This House supports corporal punishment in schools.
Government whip
Rebuttal arguments
What is the role of government and
does this plan fit this role?
1. Ensure a safe & orderly society
- Stop bullying and abuse
2. Provide for the future (i.e.,
education).
- No distractions / kids understand
3. Act morally (most important)
a. Sense of citizen responsibility
b. People get what they deserve
Opposition whip
Excercise1:
• This House supports corporal punishment in schools.
Government whip
Opposition whip
Rebuttal arguments
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT…
1. Children
What is the role of government
- Physical pain & Long term scars
and does this plan fit this role?
- Hate school / Fear, not morality
1. Ensure a safe & orderly society 2. Teachers
- Stop bullying and abuse
- May want power / don’t want
2. Provide talents for the future
these
(i.e., education).
- Hurt from doing harm to others
- No distractions / kids
3. Society
understand
- Cycles of violence in society
3. Act morally (most important)
- People see violence as the
a. Sense of citizen responsibility
answer
b. People get what they deserve
- Causes much more violent unrest
in society
Exercise2:
Motion: This House believes that Gov. should run
welfare lotteries. (Regrouping Method)
Government whip
1. Benefit people who buy lottery. (new
hope for life, feel happy for helping
others)
2. Benefit people in need. (food aid,
medical care aid, financial aid, etc.)
3. Benefit people who don’t buy lottery,
since Gov. has more resource to give
social welfare, less tax will be needed.
(the 3 should be the most important
and persuasive issue)
Opposition whip
Exercise2:
Motion: This House believes that Gov. should run
welfare lotteries. (Fundamental Question Method)
Government whip
Opposition whip
The fundamental Questions:
The role of the Gov.
1. Give social welfare to more people
2. To maximize the efficiency of
utilizing Gov. dispensable income
3. Can we stop people from Gambling?
4. Is it illegal gambling better
than legal gambling?
5. Is it better to regulate gambling by
the Gov. instead of private firms?