Gay Marriage
Opposing gay marriage now is as brave as being openly gay was in 1970
Since one’s attitude to homosexual acts is now considered the main way of judging whether a person is civilised, one must salute those in public life who defy this. To… Continue reading
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How Equality will do for the Right in the end
As the Same Sex Marriage result shows, the doctrine of Equality now carries all — family, religion, tradition, freedom — before it. Lots of Conservatives prate in favour of it without… Continue reading
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Peers reject gay marriage ‘fatal’ motion
So peers have backed the second reading of the marriage (same sex couples) bill, and against an amendment from Lord Dear calling for the legislation to be dropped. Dear’s attempt… Continue reading
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Culture wars
Shadow arts minister Dan Jarvis set chins wagging today by suggesting that ‘well-placed sources in Whitehall’ had told him that the Department for Culture Media and Sport could be scrapped… Continue reading
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Edmund Burke and post-modern conservatism
There has been a lot of talk about Jesse Norman’s book on Edmund Burke, and deservedly so for it’s a good book – accessible, learned and relevant. Burke is, I… Continue reading
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Same Sex Marriage Bill: how MPs voted
This is the full Hansard of list of how MPs voted on tonight’s third reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. It was a free vote, and the Bill… Continue reading
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Gay marriage easily passes third reading vote in the Commons
After all the parliamentary back and forth yesterday, gay marriage passed third reading by the comfortable margin of 366 to 161. Tory sources are briefing that fewer of their MPs… Continue reading
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Labour claims credit for gay marriage bill
Some might say it was rather audacious of Yvette Cooper to send an email to Labour activists this evening urging them to tweet something along these lines: I’m proud to… Continue reading
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MPs defeat ‘wrecking amendment’ as Cameron tries to patch things up with grassroots
MPs have just defeated Tim Loughton’s ‘wrecking amendment’ to the Same Sex Marriage Bill by 375 votes to 70, after approving the Government and Labour amendment (more on how that… Continue reading
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David Cameron should be out there making the case for gay marriage
David Cameron’s approach to the gay marriage debate inside his own party has been to take a low profile. The passion and eloquence he displayed on the subject in his… Continue reading
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Labour tries to defuse civil partnerships row – by backing government amendment
This morning, Labour was facing a rather awkward choice on the Same Sex Marriage Bill. This afternoon, the opposition party has turned the situation around so that it appears to… Continue reading
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Will civil partnerships kill the gay marriage bill?
There’s a conspiracy theory doing the rounds in Westminster that the ‘wrecking amendment’ for the gay marriage bill is a nifty way of the government dropping the legislation because it… Continue reading
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Maria Miller on defensive against gay marriage ‘wrecking amendment’
The final stages of the Same Sex marriage bill in the House of Commons were never going to be easy, but it is still an odd situation when the minister… Continue reading
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It’s time for the Church of England to drop the culture wars
Almost three thousand years ago the Prophet Amos asked ‘can two walk together except they be agreed?’ How can the Church of England, pragmatic and volunteer-led but with complex legal… Continue reading
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Margaret Thatcher: An Accidental Libertarian Heroine
It is 34 years since Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. Coincidentally, she entered Downing Street 34 years after Clement Attlee won the 1945 general election. The whole history of post-war… Continue reading
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Surely Katie Price demeans marriage more than gay marriage ever could?
The right of gays to have a civil marriage in a non-religious service is once again an issue. There have been large and slightly violent protests in Paris as well… Continue reading
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Keith O’Brien’s resignation is no good thing. But it might be good for the Catholic church
The downfall of Cardinal Keith O’Brien could not have been more complete if it had been orchestrated by Stonewall, which, if you recall, awarded him Bigot of the Year for… Continue reading
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Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s prayers
As the late Christopher Hitchens used to say of the most vociferous, gay-obsessed clergy: ‘I have a rule of thumb for such clerics and have never known it to fail:… Continue reading
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Exclusive: Tory MPs push government for French-style ‘civil union’ weddings
Two Conservative MPs are pushing for the government to consider separating the civil functions of marriage from the religious as part of the same sex marriage bill, I understand. David… Continue reading
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Adultery and the same-sex marriage bill
Nadine Dorries said during the debate on same sex marriage last week that ‘This bill in no way makes a requirement of faithfulness from same-sex couples. In fact, it does… Continue reading
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