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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
133
London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
133
Tory MP Gerald Howarth: 'There are plenty in the aggressive homosexual community who want more than just same-sex marriage'
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Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
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France: Far right activist commits suicide in Notre Dame following legalisation of equal marriage
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Government to consider abolishing civil partnerships or opening up to straight couples
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Norman Tebbit: David Cameron has 'f**** things up' with his equal marriage bill
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Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather tells Catholic newspaper 'I never went into politics to tackle equal marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: 'I'm not anti-gay; I'm just pro-marriage'
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Canada: 'Israeli apartheid' censorship row puts Toronto Pride funding in jeopardy
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Robert in S. Kensington 700
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Thank you for a good piece of news about our intriguing situation here in Finland! I’d just like to comment that the president of Finland does not lead the government – the prime minister does. The president is in charge of foreign policy though, in cooperation with the government.
It is great to see more and more gay and lesbians are having more high profile and powerfull jobs in politics.
Let’s hope he wins. I don’t see that happening in the UK any time soon, let alone anyone gay wanting to be PM.
Lord Mandleson was one of the most powerfull people in the UK at one point, and was openly gay. So it can happen.
Alternatively there’s Alan Duncan. No doubt the Conservatives opposed votes for women during the sufferagette period prior to the First World War but they gave us our first woman Prime Minister. Alan Duncan has said he does not want the job. Margaret Thatcher once said that there was not going to be a woman Prime Minister in her lifetime but proved herself wrong!
Lord Mandleson,was no help to the gay community,in my opinion.
It is strange the subject of how his partner from Brazil,was allowed to stay in Britain,went very quiet. Friends in high places?
Why can’t we seek a partner in another country? Lots of straight couples often comprise of one overseas spouse and the same goes for gay couples as well – Mandelson is not unique. Peter Mandelson no doubt had to support his partner so he can live in this country legally for five years allowing him to apply for British citizenship.
I note my comment has been deleted. So much for freedom of speech.
Lord Mandleson,right or wrong.
awwww he’s really cute – phwoarrr!
The Scandaniavian countries certainly know how to lead the way not only in gay rights but many other issues. It is time for Britain to forge a closer link with those countries. It’s time to ditch the EU and it’s lame single currency and create a new Anglo-Scandanavian alliance.
Before you dream further of this Anglo-Nordic union (Finland is strictly speaking not located in Scandinavia), it’s worth remembering that mr Haavisto, for example, is very much a pro-EU, pro-euro candidate. (As is his opponent, btw.) Especially in Finland there seems to be a very significant correlation between pro-European/pro-EU attitudes and social liberalism/acceptance of sexual minorities. I for one am very happy not only for the shattering of the gay glass ceiling thing that this election result in part represents, but also for the fact that we now have two good and strong pro-EU candidates to choose from. The two or three biggest anti-EU candidates (who were fortunately left behind) in this election were also among the most socially conservative with regard to LGBT issues, the most conservative of them being probably the biggest (political) anglophile of the lot. Just sayin’ – these things aren’t always so simple or straightforward.
Many people do regard Finland as a Scandanavian country but strictly speaking it isn’t. The Finnish language is in no way related to Swedish, Danish or Norwegian. In fact the closest language to Finnish is Hungarian. Lapland does straddle Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland but do the Lapps consider themselves to be Scandanavian? Then there is Iceland and the Faroe Islands – are they part of Scandanavia? The Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark could be regarded as a northward extension of the British Isles being north west of Shetland.
It is also worth noting that none of the strictly Scandavian countries use the Euro. While Britain and Scandanavia still enjoy fiscal independence we are in a better position to form our own trading bloc. I regret to say that I believe that the EU is doomed to failure. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
What you are looking for has been tried before, when the European Free Trade Association has been set up as a rival to the then Common MArket in the late 1950s, with Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom as its initial members, so the UK, Scandinavia + a few others.
It was never really a serious substitute for what beacme the EU as witness the fact that most of its members have moved across.
Personally I think the Scandinavian countries have more in common with countries like the Netherlands and Germany than they do with the UK with their:
- consensus based politics as opposed to confrontaion which is the norm in the UK
- a strong social democratic tradition which never really took root in the UK
- more emphasis on social responsibility backed up by a strong welfare state
- a more responsible capitalism – in contrast to the irresponsible casino capitalism in the UK
So sadly, I don’t see the UK going in this direction…
Hungarian is not even close to Finnish but they are related, yes. Despite my wife being a Canadian mix of Scottish, English, and German, I’m quite anti-Celto-German. ;) That said, I’m fairly pro-Euro. Go figure! (but anti-Nato, of course!)
Well it’s now decision day for the second round.
The polls suggest that Pekka is likely to loose by a wide margin. This is disappointing but hardly surprising given that he was so far behind in the first ballot (18% – 37%).
Still it’s a tremendous achievement for a candidate from what was a minor party, and shows thatin countries like Finland there can at least be intelligent political debate.
Does make me feel more republican in my sympathies.