Guide to debating

Debates are marked on the following criteria:
 * Quality of opening statement (out of 25)
 * Use of evidence and statistics (out of 25)
 * Cohesion of arguments (out of 25)
 * Respect of debating rules (out of 15)
 * Other (out of 10)

Formal debate language
If you do want to refer to the person you are replying, there are a number of options:
 * this must be used at alltimes when debating and in the opening statement (since this is part of the debate)
 * most importantly direct all comments to the speaker with “Mr Speaker” for male speakers, “Madame Speaker” for female speakers or “Mx Speaker” for non binary speakers or when you are unsure. For example “Mx Speaker, I would like to point out ...” or similar.
 * you do not need to necessarily name members you are speaking to, especially if context makes it clear. If you need to refer to the person you are talking to use “the right honourable” e.g. “the honourable member John Smith” for regular members and “the right honourable member John Smith” for members of the privy council.

For people who are not a member of the privy council (most people): For members of the privy council:
 * use “the honourable member” if context makes it clear who you are talking to
 * use “the honourable member John Smith” or “the honourable member Mr. smith” to refer to them by name. You can use “my honourable friend” if the person is in your party and you’re feeling nice.
 * use “the honourable member from the CIP” (or any other party) to refer to them by party
 * use “the right honourable member” if context makes it clear who you are talking to
 * use “the right honourable member John Smith” or “the honourable member Mr. smith” to refer to them by name
 * use “the right honourable member from the CIP” (or any other party) to refer to them by party
 * use “the honourable prime minister” (or other title, such as “the honourable shadow health secretary”) to refer to them by title. Note that here you only use “honourable”, not “right honourable”.
 * if you want to refer to the chamber, use “this house”
 * often verbs such as “would” are used e.g. “I would like to point out”, “I would like to remind the honourable member”, “would the honourable member not agree that ....”
 * if unsure, you can always looks at other debaters and try to emulate them

Opening statement (before the debate)

 * Reminder: direct things towards the speaker. Doing this at the start of each paragraph is sufficient, and you may want to do it even less.
 * Opening statements are limited to 700 words, excluding links and citations provided in the statement.
 * Remember to do research for the statements so you can back up the points you make with evidence and statistics. A good start is tolLook for similar laws which have been enacted in other countries.
 * State which party you are representing and how you’ll vote (or how your party will vote). This helps other debaters to reply to you. If you’re having a free vote, you may want to mention this, but it’s not necessary
 * Keep this statement as brief as it can be - try to outline your main arguments, and expand on them later if necessary
 * Divide the statement into paragraphs. The first should introduce your position, and every subsequent one should deal with a separate argument/issue to do with the bill
 * Finish up by inviting others to reply to your statement /ask questions
 * Tip: leave a blank line between each paragraph. This helps to make the statement more readable.

During the debate

 * remember: direct all remarks to the speaker
 * debates usually start at 8 and last one hour
 * One of the speakers will make a post for the debate. Each recognised party then posts their opening statement in the comments. Each party gets to start only one thread. Debaters may then reply to other parties comments, and their own.
 * if you see something in someone else’s opening statement which you disagree with, reply by stating why you think they are mistaken
 * you can also thank other people for particularly good opening statements. This is particularly relevant if you feel they have mentioned something that no one else has, have made particularly good use of facts and stats, or have written their statement well. This can also help to build alliances with other parties.
 * avoid getting distracted: if someone distracts from the debating the contents of the bill at hand, gently remind them to stay on topic.
 * If you are debating alongside someone else, you may want to organize with them who will do what, so that your time is efficiently used.
 * if you’re on PC or laptop, keeping the party group chat open in the corner can be helpful, in case you need to quickly check something
 * if you turn up to the debate late, briefly apologise and give a reason if relevant

Most importantly: don’t sweat it too much, and have fun. It’s not as scary as it looks.