The phrase "absence of debates" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where discussions or arguments are lacking or not taking place.
Example: "The absence of debates in the committee led to a lack of diverse opinions on the proposed policy."
Alternatives: "lack of discussions" or "nonexistence of debates".
At a news conference in Trenton today, called to complain about the absence of debates, Paul DiGaetano, the Republican minority leader in the Assembly, all but said that Mr. Lautenberg, 78, was losing his grip.
"In the absence of debates then we are left with the daily news about our contest being all about questions that only she and her lawyers can answer about her email.
In the face of this absence of debate, and of any useful facts, you have two options.
Maggie Lasz, 48, said she was worried about the apparent absence of debate or consultation in both the United States and Britain.
One result of the absence of debate or scrutiny is that the people with the specialist knowledge - including the large accountancy firms and powerful voices from business - have a disproportionate share of influence on government and legislation.
"We have been worried by the absence of debate, the presentation of faits accomplis," said Javier Solana, a former NATO secretary-general and now the European Union's chief foreign affairs official.
"Billionaires and Bakes Sales," by Timothy Egan (column, June 2), is not alone in noting the absence of debate on education topics in the 2008 campaign, despite the fact that voters consistently rank education as a top concern.
The virtual absence of debate about the need for urgent democratic reform during the party conferences underlines the wider complacency of our political parties, who are hoping that we can return to business as usual, with an election looming ever closer.
The absence of debate during the elections is all the more astonishing given that the price of gas today is the same as what we were paying nearly 10 years ago, and far from historic highs.
It has shifted the NHS debate (or the absence of debate) from what to do, towards active discussion about how best to implement the required changes.
This difficulty also underlies the absence of debate at the national level regarding testing strategies among the general population in a context of decreasing resources.
