Televised political debates between contesting candidates were first introduced in USA in 1960 with the (in)famous Nixon-Kennedy debates. Today, the candidate debates in America are a critical part of the election process – a passage of fire that has been lauded and criticised by various parties. UK recently introduced a televised debate… but with somewhat confusing results – political analysts are still grappling with the impact of the debates on the fate of the various parties in the upcoming UK election.

Should political candidates be required to debate before the election? Is debate the right tool to determine the leadership for a country? Are voters educated correctly after watching a debate, and are they able to make the “right” choice from the debate? Does the country as a whole benefit from the process of having a political debate on TV?

Debaters, this is a difficult topic to grapple with – so I ask that you show us how you can handle a complex topic with logic, analysis, substantiation, and (most importantly) tact. This is not about the political parties involved – this is a question of whether or not the tool of TV debates is harmful or not. So, my fellow debaters, let’s debate.