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In parliaments, before voting on some bill, law, or policy, there are debates, where supporters and opposers highlight various thoughts. Then the voting is conducted.

Now, there is always the "party line" (some countries even have the party whip) which makes the parliamentarians vote in a certain way. That renders the debate meaningless: it cannot convince the other side, it can not harden their stances, and it cannot change the minds of others.

What then is the purpose of parliamentary democratic debate? Why not just skip directly to the vote?

Example 1: We want to increase the salary for Parliament members.
Debate.
Vote: YES!
Conclusion: PASSED.

Example 2: We want to increase taxes.
Debate.
Party in Power: YES. Opposition: NO.
Conclusion: PASSED.

We can frequently see news reports which claim that the bill will go through (due to the party positions and numbers) even before the debate. That renders the debate meaningless.

(I am excluding cases where we have fence-sitters, who may decide based on the debate.)

F1Krazy
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Prem
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  • I agree, this is a duplicate. The comments and answers on that question clearly explain where your misconception lies. – F1Krazy Nov 30 '23 at 09:32
  • I disagree with the "Dup" , @F1Krazy , though I am ok with it. That Question is about why Party-In-Power holds Debates. I am asking why even Party-In-Opposition indulges in Debates , knowing that there can be no change in outcome. I think it is mostly to record their stance to show to the Voting Public & to claim that "I did everything I could to avoid that Bad Bill" when asking for reelection. It is also to show the Public that laws are made with "Debates" , not willy-nilly. Everybody is satisfied ! – Prem Nov 30 '23 at 10:53
  • @Prem Yes, your question is slightly different but it is sufficiently answered by the answers on the duplicate question. Namely that debate serves other purposes than convincing parliamentarians to vote a certain way. The other answers outline many possible reasons, a lot of which also apply to the opposition. – xyldke Nov 30 '23 at 13:10

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