Filibuster foils first aid – fair?
Children should not be denied the opportunity to learn first aid by an old man who has difficulties remembering his childhood
Last Friday, a group of Conservative MPs killed a bill intended to make first aid training compulsory in state-run secondary schools by “talking it to death.”
The thrillingly-named Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education (State-funded Secondary Schools) Bill – which tells you everything you need to know about the bill in one snappy title – would have effectively added first aid training to the national curriculum, especially CPR and the use of defibrillators.
It’s beyond time for the filibuster to be reformed
Because it was a Private Member’s Bill, put forth by Labour MP Teresa Pearce, there was only a limited amount of time available for debate, which was apparently invitation for a collection of miserable, common-sense-hating MPs to spend the entire debate spouting absolute nonsense.
A bill backed by St John’s Ambulance, the British Red Cross, and the British Heart Foundation – by far the three biggest charities responsible for promoting first aid to the masses – was killed by Conservative MPs using childish, antiquated tactics that have no place in our parliamentary system.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Making first aid part of the national curriculum is an undeniably great idea, because having more people who know the fundamentals of how to save a life can only be a good thing. And Conservative MPs chose to talk the bill to death. The reasons they gave were nothing short of a piss-take. I mean, seriously, take this steaming pile of premium manure (courtesy of the Independent) from Philip Davies MP, who appears to be the Member of Parliament with responsibilities for Being a Giant Ass-Wipe:
“Among reasons he listed for blocking the bill was that himself had been taught first aid in school but had forgotten what he was taught. He also said the Government should not expect teachers to assume a “pseudo-parent role”, and that he did not want “the Government to be sticking their nose in at every turn trying to lecture [teachers] every five minutes that they should be doing this, that, and the other”.”
The fact that you can’t remember your (non-compulsory) first aid lessons from school is not a valid reason to deny it to children now. The fact that a Member of Parliament is a old man with difficulties remembering something from his childhood should not be a reason for depriving children of an extremely valuable life skill.
Teaching first aid isn’t remotely “pseudo-parenting.” I have zero comprehension of how this is an argument against the bill. Equally, I fail to see how adding this to the national curriculum would be “sticking [one’s] nose in at every turn.” It’s a simple and potentially life-saving addition. Michael Gove tried far, far worse when he was busy dicking about with the curriculum. But let’s leave Philip Davies to his opinions. This filibuster (and it very much is that) was beyond moronic, but it’s provided a flag to an element of the democratic process that is painfully in need of reform.
Yes, the filibuster exists in other governments, most notably the US Senate, but there it has power and meaning, and acts as an effective check (amongst many, many others). The UK equivalent is a watered-down, weedy version that fails to act as a check on the government in any way, shape or form, and is simply a means to kill off bills unsupported by the Government.
It’s beyond time for the filibuster to be reformed – it’s not only this bill that has been killed off in this manner (or indeed by Philip Davies, who has a horrific fondness for this sort of behaviour), and unsurprisingly there is now a petition for the Government to reform the rules on filibustering. Created by Dr Alex Langford, the petition currently has just over 29,000 signatures, meaning the Government is required to respond. If it hits 100,000, it’ll be considered for debate in Parliament (and if it is, no doubt Mr Davies will attempt to filibuster it).
Dr Langford on the petition’s aims: “Lowering the number of MPs needed to win a vote on a motion for closure, or limiting the length of speeches in certain sessions, would be options for reform worth considering.”
This is not a demand to remove the filibuster. It can have its uses, but in moderation, not just every Friday afternoon, and not by someone who was taught to do it because their political mentor “did it for fun”. Take a look at the petition. Sign it. It may not sound like much, and it’s not going to change the world, but it will make a difference. And if it means more bills like the Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education (State-funded Secondary Schools) Bill – as unsexy as that name might be – get passed, it will have been so, so worth it.
