Thread by @grahamhturner

Politics is indeed all about compromise. It’s ‘the art of the possible’. So we shouldn’t be surprised if the #BSLBill before Westminster now looks like a fudge. It is a fudge. I supported the Scottish #BSLAct, also not perfect. I get that a delicate balance has to be struck. 1/

But there comes a point where the compromises go too far. Where what’s left achieves little. Or where it’s actually WORSE than useless.

So here’s where we’re at. Correct me if I’m wrong, @rosie4westlancs @beccytad @DavidBuxtondc @jeffmcw @GaRoDean @Deaf @rwilks @LiamODellUK @Limping_Chicken et al

A. There is little time to amend the #BSLBill if it is to pass before the March deadline.

B. Government has to be kept onside - without the votes of Conservative MPs, it will fail.

C. No spending commitments are allowed, because it’s a Private Member’s Bill. Them’s the rules.

D. A range of organisations, including RNID, has to be kept inside the tent.

Not all of them have always unequivocally supported the interests of the BSL community.

E. All of these organisations have vested interests in being seen as allies of governments and politicians.

For now, politicians on all sides are enthusiastic about the Bill: the Deaf organisations would take a risk if they looked queasy about the Bill now.

F. The community has been energised by the campaign and played an active part in supporting it by lobbying MPs etc.

Deaf community unity is powerful and precious.

G. Public opinion is also positive, not just indifferent.

Compare press coverage of this campaign with the lack of interest shown to the BSL marches around the millennium.

So the public is much warmer to the cause nowadays. That needs to be valued too.

H. The Bill contains little that offers firm, empowering new ACTION.

Still, it is *possible* that the *soft* provisions of the bill *may* *sometimes* improve the *general* climate for community priorities to be achieved.

Small signs of hope, perhaps…

I. The mechanisms by which the Act would deliver systemic change are unclear at best, non-existent at worst. Government providing ‘guidance’ on how to promote BSL carries next to no weight (don’t we already have enough ‘guidance’?) & will have minor impact on frontline services.

J. The structures by which the signing community would enact any authority over what happens next are equally unclear or non-existent.
- Will there be a BSL committee or not?
- With what powers?
- Who will be on it?
- How will they be chosen?
- How will they be accountable?

K. Even the symbolic value of the Act is limited eg without reference to BSL as the ‘primary’ language of the community.

L. This government was never going to back truly progressive legislation; it’s not in their DNA.

With a big majority, huge Covid spending commitments & bigger worries on its mind, it was never going to support a Labour Member’s Bill unless it was cheap & politically convenient.

M. Neither individual nor even general community rights/entitlements are conferred by the Bill.

What exactly does it hope (let alone promise) to change?

The Bill promises ‘reports’ looking BACK on any ‘progress’ will be made every 3 years.

What if there’s nothing to report?

N. Have campaign organisations seen any robust indication of how non-Tory governments would implement the provisions of the Act under their watch?

They might have received such indications behind closed doors.

But can we rely on them to deliver?

It’s a huge leap of faith.

O. If this is NOT a hasty and ill-conceived Bill, the detailed arguments around it that have taken place should be open for everyone to consider.

That includes the necessary review of financial and equality implications.

P. Crucially, crucially, crucially: We keep being told that ‘It’s just a first step’.

So what exactly are the next steps?

What gives us any confidence they’ll be taken, and taken constructively?

(In Scotland there’s a legal commitment to all public bodies publishing specific BSL plans. They must consult Deaf people over every plan & review outcomes. Plans have only been produced ONCE so far, when the whole system was new. They weren’t all great but the system is there.)

As for the Westminster #BSLBill, there is little or nothing most of us can do now, except make noise for or against the Bill in general (or for/against specific elements of it or changes to it) & hope to be noticed.

We’re not in the room negotiating; we don’t get a vote on it.

But here’s my take at this stage (and remember: the negotiations aren’t over yet).

I think those who support BSL are somewhat backed into a corner.

Take what’s on offer, or risk waiting another decade/generation/lifetime for more substantial, meaningful legislation?

If this Bill passes, I see zero prospect of improvement to its provisions in the foreseeable future.

There’s only going to be ONE #BSLAct.

We’re basically stuck with what it delivers, for better or worse (‘till death do us part’).

And for me, an Act that is so thin you can feel the wind blowing right through it would be literally worse than useless.

Here ☝🏽is where I think it’s misleading of @GaRoDean to say that there “seems to be an ad hoc attitude” towards the production of BSL plans which creates a “postcode lottery”. Using ‘seems’ suggests an ongoing problem. They’ve only tried once. limpingchicken.com/2022/02/08/bsl…