MECHANISMS Speaker’s Development, Week 4 Karolien Michiels
What is a Mechanism? In most debates, THW do something Which begs the question: how are you going to do it? How = mechanism Needs to be concise and clear Not every motion needs an elaborate mec
Exercise 1: What is a Mec? Give mechanisms for the following motions THW ban prostitution THW make voting compulsory THW ban abortion THBT everyone should vote for the Green Party THBT NATO should unconditionally offer membership to the states of the former Soviet Union, excluding Russia THW take lifestyle choices into account in the allocation of scarce medical resources
Who does it? Job of the Prime Minister to clarify the mechanism No-one else contradicts the mec or changes it Deputy Prime Minister is allowed to clarify (but not change, and you won’t get points for your DPM doing it) Opposition: if the mec is missing, point this out, than deal with a plausible case Second Proposition: if you don’t like the mec, tough luck
Why does it matter? A good mechanism makes for a clear debate A bad mechanism makes for a confused debate and we will blame First Prop Your mechanism is a tactical weapon and massive First Prop advantage – use it to define the debate on your terms!
The Mechanism as a Strategic Tool By narrowing the scope of the debate you have less to defend, but your impact might be smaller and you might not be consistent in your principles By widening the scope of the debate you have to defend more, but your impact is bigger and it is easier to be consistent in your principles You have to stay fair: debate spirit of the motion (not just some weird exception you came up with) General rule: ‘mec away’ very difficult issues, keep everything else + be clear
Exercise 2: Different Mechanisms Think of three different mechanisms for these motions Which mechanism would you pick and why? THW close the UK borders THW criminalise adultery As the UK, THW aggressively fight ebola THW prefer David Attenborough over Louis Theroux as Prime Minister