• Opposition to Gay Marriage is not acceptable, according to one MP, the Justice and Policing Minister, Nick Herbert.
• He must have problems reading his mailbag - or interpreting the contents of the mailbags of fellow MPs. According to the people of the country, more than 70% find Gay Marriage unacceptable.
• And, simply to indulge his own sin, he must not care that he and others are going to smash the entire definition of marriage should the change to the law that he is actively promoting be implemented.
The following articles give a flavour of the debate that is now raging in our country on this issue:
THE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT GAY MARRIAGE
(1) A survey of MPs from across the political spectrum by ComRes also shows that only one in 25 parliamentarians believes that allowing gay unions is a main priority for voters.
The poll comes in the wake of a growing number of Conservative heavyweights declaring that they do not support moves to allow same-sex marriage by law by the time of the next election, May 2015.
Last week Downing Street backed down by signalling that there would a “free vote” on the issue in parliament - as is traditional with matters of conscience - in what has become a divisive issue for the coalition. (Earlier senior sources had indicated that the measure would be “whipped” - meaning that ministers would have to support government plans).
Campaigners believe up to five cabinet ministers would vote against same-sex marriage in the Commons, three of whom are claimed to be Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Owen Patterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary and Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary.
By contrast, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, recorded a video in
support of the proposals, saying “marriage should be for everyone.” Her
intervention was seen as highly significant since she is the minister
leading the public consultation on the plans.
David Cameron is said to remain firmly committed to allowing same-sex marriage - despite his stance being held at least partly to blame by some Tory MPs for his party’s poor showing in this month’s local elections. Liberal Democrat ministers are strong supporters of the move.
Ministers are expected to press ahead with plans, permitting same-sex unions in non-religious venues, within the next year. With Labour supporting the move it would be assured of a majority in the Commons - but would run into significant opposition in the Lords.
The survey, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage (C4M), which is leading the campaign against the government’s proposals, shows that same-sex marriage is the issue which most stands out in MPs correspondence from voters.
According to the polls, findings, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, around one in three MPs (34 per cent) cited it as one of the main concerns raised with them by voters, putting ahead of welfare reform (23 per cent), NHS reform (19 per cent), pensions (13 per cent), fuel prices (13 per cent), fuel taxes (13 per cent), unemployment and jobs (8 per cent) and the Budget (8 per cent).
Asked how voters divide on the issue, MPs say their constituents are overwhelmingly against - with, on average, three in four voters either opposed to the measure (79 per cent) or strongly opposed (55 per cent), according to the MPs’ assessments. Just 16 per cent of those who are in touch with their MPs support the plans.
Strong opposition to the move is reported by MPs of all three main parties, with Conservatives getting the heaviest flak from voters. Among Tories, 45 per cent say that letters and emails opposing same-sex marriage are the number one item in their postbag and email accounts - with the figure falling to 30 per cent of Lib Dems and 23 per cent of Labour MPs.
Asked what issues matter most to their constituents, MPs cite fuel tax (79 per cent), cutting the deficit (74 per cent) and ensuring the tax burden is “spread fairly” overall (69 per cent).
Gay marriage is cited by just four per cent of MPs as a key priority for their constituents, just one per cent ahead of House of Lords reform.
Colin Hart, Campaign Director of C4M, said:
“This poll shows that, right across the Commons, MPs do not regard gay marriage as an important priority.
It also demonstrates that public opposition to the measure is vociferous and widespread.
If Ministers decide to press ahead regardless of popular opinion, they will further undermine public confidence in Parliament and reinforce the growing impression that the ruling elite is out of touch with the strongly-held concerns and opinions of the British people.
David Cameron should drop this idea before it causes yet more social divisions and ill-feeling.”
Andrew Hawkins, Chief Executive of ComRes said:
“Clearly this issue has touched a raw nerve with the public, and not in a positive way.
It is however entirely in line with public polling which shows that Mr Cameron’s stance on same-sex marriage has already cost the Conservatives some support and could well be responsible for a number of the party’s MPs losing their seats at the next election.”
MINISTERS AND MPS STILL WANT TO DICTATE TO US ON THIS ISSUE
(2) Nick Herbert, the justice and policing minister, joined the growing political row within the Conservative Party about giving homosexual couples equal rights to marry.
Mr Herbert, who is homosexual and in a civil partnership, said that he and others of the same sexuality are effectively being treated as second-class citizens.
Opponents of same-sex marriage, he suggested, are making intemperate and unreasonable arguments.
“I am getting rather fed up with people metaphorically jabbing a finger into my chest and saying I should put up with a civil partnership,” he told the London Evening Standard.
David Cameron is said to remain firmly committed to allowing same-sex marriage - despite his stance being held at least partly to blame by some Tory MPs for his party’s poor showing in this month’s local elections. Liberal Democrat ministers are strong supporters of the move.
Ministers are expected to press ahead with plans, permitting same-sex unions in non-religious venues, within the next year. With Labour supporting the move it would be assured of a majority in the Commons - but would run into significant opposition in the Lords.
The survey, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage (C4M), which is leading the campaign against the government’s proposals, shows that same-sex marriage is the issue which most stands out in MPs correspondence from voters.
According to the polls, findings, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, around one in three MPs (34 per cent) cited it as one of the main concerns raised with them by voters, putting ahead of welfare reform (23 per cent), NHS reform (19 per cent), pensions (13 per cent), fuel prices (13 per cent), fuel taxes (13 per cent), unemployment and jobs (8 per cent) and the Budget (8 per cent).
Asked how voters divide on the issue, MPs say their constituents are overwhelmingly against - with, on average, three in four voters either opposed to the measure (79 per cent) or strongly opposed (55 per cent), according to the MPs’ assessments. Just 16 per cent of those who are in touch with their MPs support the plans.
Strong opposition to the move is reported by MPs of all three main parties, with Conservatives getting the heaviest flak from voters. Among Tories, 45 per cent say that letters and emails opposing same-sex marriage are the number one item in their postbag and email accounts - with the figure falling to 30 per cent of Lib Dems and 23 per cent of Labour MPs.
Asked what issues matter most to their constituents, MPs cite fuel tax (79 per cent), cutting the deficit (74 per cent) and ensuring the tax burden is “spread fairly” overall (69 per cent).
Gay marriage is cited by just four per cent of MPs as a key priority for their constituents, just one per cent ahead of House of Lords reform.
Colin Hart, Campaign Director of C4M, said:
“This poll shows that, right across the Commons, MPs do not regard gay marriage as an important priority.
It also demonstrates that public opposition to the measure is vociferous and widespread.
If Ministers decide to press ahead regardless of popular opinion, they will further undermine public confidence in Parliament and reinforce the growing impression that the ruling elite is out of touch with the strongly-held concerns and opinions of the British people.
David Cameron should drop this idea before it causes yet more social divisions and ill-feeling.”
Andrew Hawkins, Chief Executive of ComRes said:
“Clearly this issue has touched a raw nerve with the public, and not in a positive way.
It is however entirely in line with public polling which shows that Mr Cameron’s stance on same-sex marriage has already cost the Conservatives some support and could well be responsible for a number of the party’s MPs losing their seats at the next election.”
MINISTERS AND MPS STILL WANT TO DICTATE TO US ON THIS ISSUE
(2) Nick Herbert, the justice and policing minister, joined the growing political row within the Conservative Party about giving homosexual couples equal rights to marry.
Mr Herbert, who is homosexual and in a civil partnership, said that he and others of the same sexuality are effectively being treated as second-class citizens.
Opponents of same-sex marriage, he suggested, are making intemperate and unreasonable arguments.
“I am getting rather fed up with people metaphorically jabbing a finger into my chest and saying I should put up with a civil partnership,” he told the London Evening Standard.
“How would they like it if I jabbed a finger into their chests and said they
should put up with a civil partnership instead of their marriage?”
Mr Herbert added:
“In my view it’s not acceptable to say to a group in society, ‘You should put up with something that is a second order institution to something that everybody else is entitled to, because we say so’. I think this is about nothing more or less than a fundamental issue of equality.
It has been suggested that this issue is not a priority. Of course, dealing with the economy and the deficit and restoring growth is the overriding mission and priority of this government. But since when was equality not a priority?
Ensuring that people are treated equally without fear of discrimination should always be a priority. That’s why I think this proposal matters.”
Mr Herbert has been tipped for a promotion to the Cabinet when Mr Cameron shuffles his ministerial team.
He added: “I’m absolutely confident that the House of Commons will vote for this and that we will have gay marriage by the end of this Parliament.”
(3) Nick Clegg is determined that his Party will have no option on this vote, but will be forced to vote for Gay Marriage.
Some Tory MPs are strongly opposed to allowing gay marriage.
Sir George Young, the Conservative leader of the Commons, announced that there would be a free vote on the subject because it was a matter of conscience.
But Mr Clegg disagreed, pointing to the fact that the original law bringing in civil partnerships was also not passed on a free vote in the House of Commons.
He the BBC’s Andrew Marr porgramme: “My view is that in the same way that the civil partnerships legislation that was introduced under Labour was a whipped vote, I personally don’t think this is something that should be subject to a great free-for-all because we’re not asking people to make a decision of conscience about religion.”
Mr Clegg said gay marriage was not “a matter of conscience” because the Government was not forcing churches to marry homosexual couples.
(4) Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary, has become the first member of David Cameron's Cabinet to declare his opposition to the Prime Minister's plan to legalise Gay Marriage.
(5) Sex could be removed from the law of marriage if same-sex marriage gets the go ahead.
Under current rules, a marriage may be annulled if a man and woman do not consummate the marriage with sexual intercourse.
The details of the law mean that same-sex couples cannot meet the requirement, and the law may be altered if marriage is redefined.
Tory MP Edward Leigh says such a move would create legal chaos for people caught in sexless marriages.
Currently non-consummation of a marriage is a ground for the union to be annulled and Mr Leigh warned such a change to the law will have “profound effects” in this area.
Ann Widdecombe has said she did not campaign for Mr Cameron “all day, every day in the last general election” so that he could destroy traditional marriage.
Earlier this month a homosexual writer warned that activists seeking to rewrite the definition of marriage must stop trying to vilify those who oppose them.
“If they don’t snap out of it they’ll even lose the support of gay people like me,” said Max Wind-Cowie.
He is Head of the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos and he accused the “gay-rights brigade” of allowing their quest to redefine marriage to turn “into active hetero-phobia”.
Mr Herbert added:
“In my view it’s not acceptable to say to a group in society, ‘You should put up with something that is a second order institution to something that everybody else is entitled to, because we say so’. I think this is about nothing more or less than a fundamental issue of equality.
It has been suggested that this issue is not a priority. Of course, dealing with the economy and the deficit and restoring growth is the overriding mission and priority of this government. But since when was equality not a priority?
Ensuring that people are treated equally without fear of discrimination should always be a priority. That’s why I think this proposal matters.”
Mr Herbert has been tipped for a promotion to the Cabinet when Mr Cameron shuffles his ministerial team.
He added: “I’m absolutely confident that the House of Commons will vote for this and that we will have gay marriage by the end of this Parliament.”
(3) Nick Clegg is determined that his Party will have no option on this vote, but will be forced to vote for Gay Marriage.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Liberal Democrat MPs will be forced to vote in
favour of allowing gay marriage when the legislation is considered by
Parliament.
Some Tory MPs are strongly opposed to allowing gay marriage.
Sir George Young, the Conservative leader of the Commons, announced that there would be a free vote on the subject because it was a matter of conscience.
But Mr Clegg disagreed, pointing to the fact that the original law bringing in civil partnerships was also not passed on a free vote in the House of Commons.
He the BBC’s Andrew Marr porgramme: “My view is that in the same way that the civil partnerships legislation that was introduced under Labour was a whipped vote, I personally don’t think this is something that should be subject to a great free-for-all because we’re not asking people to make a decision of conscience about religion.”
Mr Clegg said gay marriage was not “a matter of conscience” because the Government was not forcing churches to marry homosexual couples.
(4) Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary, has become the first member of David Cameron's Cabinet to declare his opposition to the Prime Minister's plan to legalise Gay Marriage.
GAY MARRIAGE REDEFINES THE COMPLETE CONCEPT OF BIBLICAL AND TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE
(5) Sex could be removed from the law of marriage if same-sex marriage gets the go ahead.
Under current rules, a marriage may be annulled if a man and woman do not consummate the marriage with sexual intercourse.
The details of the law mean that same-sex couples cannot meet the requirement, and the law may be altered if marriage is redefined.
Tory MP Edward Leigh says such a move would create legal chaos for people caught in sexless marriages.
Currently non-consummation of a marriage is a ground for the union to be annulled and Mr Leigh warned such a change to the law will have “profound effects” in this area.
Ann Widdecombe has said she did not campaign for Mr Cameron “all day, every day in the last general election” so that he could destroy traditional marriage.
Earlier this month a homosexual writer warned that activists seeking to rewrite the definition of marriage must stop trying to vilify those who oppose them.
“If they don’t snap out of it they’ll even lose the support of gay people like me,” said Max Wind-Cowie.
He is Head of the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos and he accused the “gay-rights brigade” of allowing their quest to redefine marriage to turn “into active hetero-phobia”.
