[WORLD NEWS ★★]
SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS TALK, AND TALK, AND TALK
(P1) South Korean lawmakers have set a new world record for a combined FILIBUSTER after speaking for 192 hours.
(P2) Nearly nine days of NON-STOP speeches included RAMBLING MONOLOGUES and long chunks of George Orwell’s novel 1984.
(P3) Some of the lawmakers wore TRAINERS to help them stay on their feet for hours.
(P4) They wanted to block an anti-terror bill that they said put personal freedoms at risk, but failed. The bill was passed hours after the filibuster ended.
(P5) A Canadian POLITICAL PARTY had set the previous world record for combined filibustering, talking for 57 hours in 2011.
(P6) Filibustering is a DELAYING TACTIC by which lawmakers continue speeches to the end of the ALLOCATED time, so that no vote can be held.
(P7) South Korea’s MARATHON attempt was SPEARHEADED by the main opposition party Minjoo which was joined by other smaller parties, and began on Tuesday, 23 February.
(P8) Some lawmakers reportedly REFRAINED from drinking water so that they could CUT DOWN ON bathroom breaks in order to continue speaking.
(P9) Tactics employed also included reading out lengthy academic articles in full as well as news stories and internet comments.
(P10) In all, 38 lawmakers are reported to have participated.
(P11) Jung Cheong-rae spoke for 11 hours 39 minutes and Minjoo floor leader Lee Jong-Kul ended the filibuster with a speech of more than 12 hours.
(P12) They would have succeeded if they had managed to hold out until the end of the PARLIAMENTARY session at midnight on 10 March.
(P13) But they faced increasing public criticism, since the filibuster was delaying votes on other important LEGISLATION.
(P14) The ruling Saenuri Party has a majority of seats in parliament and nearly 160 members voted for the anti-terror bill, with one against it.
(P15) The anti-terror bill allows INTELLIGENCE SERVICES to collect a wide range of personal information – including phone records – on anyone deemed to pose a security risk.
(P16) Opposition parties said it would VIOLATE privacy rights and could be used to STIFLE political DISSENT.
WORDS: 332
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35704123
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- The possibility of filibustering exists in many legislatures, but could be easily eliminated by rules changes. Why isn’t it eliminated?
- Are the different political parties in your country COOPERATIVE, or not at all?
- Do you usually vote in national and local elections?
- Do you worry about terrorism?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Non-stop
- Political party
- Cut down on
- Intelligence service
