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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
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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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OK, so we know how Maria Miller stands on all things LGBT and abortion (which for those who don’t know is not very favourable), but how does Ms Grant stand?
shes a new MP and has not voted in anything to be able to tell you. I don’t like that at all.
She hasn’t yet given an indication to C4EM about whether she supports marriage equality or not. I only hope she’s not channelling her predecessor.
Surely Cameron asked what her position on marriage equality was – he can’t be that bloody stupid?
If she doesn’t support marriage equality than that will be a BIG problem for us. She needs to let us know asap. My gut feeling is she doesn’t support same sex marriage but probably will because she has to. A bit like Labour’s Kelly when Blair promoted her to equalities despite never voting for gay equality – she ended up voting to close down homophobic adoption agencies – because she had too!
Kelly was also an Opus Dei member too, enough said.
According to an article in The Guardian, she’s not a supporter of equal marriage. Cameron has some explaining to do.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/04/cabinet-reshuffle-maria-miller-women
Why are they getting rid of the lovely Lynne Featherstone ?
That’s not boding well. Lynn was our advocate – now we only have Teresa May and I thought I read that equalities was being put under Culture Media and Sport with Maria Miller, or is just a dual role? Is Teresa May still in charge of women and equalities?
Maria Miller “moderately against gay rights”, only 3 votes, 2 on IVF (against) and one on the SORs (Sexual Orientation Regulations) – absent.
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=40060&dmp=826
It’s not a good move, but I’ll be voting Labour even if they change their leader for a turnip, because they get the job done on equal rights.
For most of us, choice is an illusion. Most of us live in constituencies with Tories who can’t be defeated, or where Labour is already safe. The only seats which really count are the marginals.
or the wrong tories get selected to be the candidate in areas because they are “too liberal” thereby perpetuating the myth that all tories are evil.
As I understand it, responsibilty for Women and Equalities passes from Theresa May (Home Secretary) and Lynne Featherstone to Maria Miller(Culture Secretary) and Helen Grant.
*gulp* !
Marriage equality in 2016 then, under Labour. :(
well 2015 is the estimated date because they expect the House of Lords to veto it twice – it would be by 2018 under Labour.
I wouldnt vote Tory if they promised to send every voter a gift wrapped male underwear model- underneath the “please like us we are really nice now” exterior there are a lot of rather unpleasant people with very unpleasant ideas.
Do you hold similarly bigoted and stereotypical views about All Blacks and All Irish and All The French .. such sweeping generalisations really aren’t very mature.
No i dont hold such views about these groups as unlike the Tories they havent spent years denying me the civic rights i as a UK citizen deserve. What an infantile comment!
Sorry to see Lynne Featherstone go.
Will Out 4Marriage please approach Maria Miller.and Helen Grant and request they make video’s supporting marriage equality?
Maria Miller looking at her previous record won’t support it, and Helen Grant has no voting record as an MP apparently because she was first elected in 2010 (according to Christian Institutes “morality mp vote checker”) – If you look up an MP and there is an X next to a gay issue then they are a gay friendly MP.
So human rights is being downgraded. What else would one expect from the Tories?
I now have serious concerns that on the same day that Scotland finally made steps forward, the fight for marriage equality in England & Wales has been seriously set back. I just don’t believe that Miller and Grant, even if it turns out they do support the policy, will push for it like Lynne Featherstone had.
It’s time for legislation to be introduced and get this farce over with. If marriage equality hasn’t been introduced by 2015 I hold David Cameron personally responsible and my Tory MP in her marginal seat will be one vote closer to a Labour gain.
I’m with those who are expressing concern over the future of marriage equality under this government. Miller and Grant are now to be responsible for piloting this measure through the Commons but neither seems particularly supportive. I’m starting to wonder whether Cameron is attempting the kick into the long grass.
I’m also struggling to understand what equalities have to do with Culture. Media and Sport. Surely the Home Office was the best place for this brief.
Absolutely, only the Home Office or Justice are appropriate. I actually find it quite insulting. LGBT rights (and equality in general) are just not morally equivalent to the Arts Council and stadiums ffs.
It’s not just LGBT rights either. We’re talking women’s rights, the rights of ethnic minorities and rights of the disabled. What does the DCMS have to do with any of that?!
I hate the Lib Dems, but I didn’t mind Lynne Featherstone in her capacity as Minister for Women and Equalities so goodbye to the only ministers I didn’t dislike completely I suppose (her and Kenneth Clarke).
Needless to say, I’m bewildered by Maria Miller’s promotion and can’t imagine it served any other purpose than a coup by the Tory hard right, whom Cameron seeks to placate.
The Tory party radicalised right-wingers have been self-harming for a while now. We’ve gone beyond the point where out-patient appointments are the answer and a thorough, mandatory, psychiatric evaluation should be imposed. Their behaviour is psychotic and sociopathic, and there’s no doubt they’ll thrown themselves under a plane on Heathrow airport before they’ll change even one of their various deranged policy positions.
But they are doing what they do best, even when they’re a majority, their greatest accomplishment always appears to be the skill with which they use their flick-knives to slash the party and destroy it from within. Bravo! :) Elections in 2013 then.
Mrs. Miller is not in favor of marriage equality, Mrs. Grant is the hear of Mrs. Widdecombe and the most strongest supporter of gay rights in the Conservative party, Mr. Herbert, is leaving the government… I hate to say its: the picture is cold, but very clear. Winter comes.
According to this article;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/04/cabinet-reshuffle-maria-miller-women?newsfeed=true
she’s not too keen on womens’ rights either.
- supported Nadine Dorries bill, to stop abortion providers giving pre-abortion advice, instead Dorries wanted religious groups to give that advice !!!
- wanted to lower abortion to 20 weeks, against medical advice
- voted against gay marriage (don’t get that, when was there a vote?)
She was a total disaster as Disabilities minister, and she’ll be even worse at this given she holds views totally contrary to mainstream womens’ views, and no doubt she’ll have zero interest in advancing the marriage equality proposals. Presumably she can be used as a patsy to blame for putting the proposals on hold.
This is the last straw. I’m happy to say I’ll be happy to see the Tories out of power as soon as possible. France will have marriage equality in 2013 !
Farewell to Lynne Featherstone who has fought our corner valiantly these last couple of years.
The Coalition is even less liberal tonight.
Maria Miller has consistently voted against gay rights and abortion. To promote her to equalities effectively kicks equal marriage for England and Wales into the long grass. This is evidenc surely that the Tories just have not changed.
but Maria Miller isn’t in the Equalities position … shes got “Culture” whatever that bloody means.
She has both Culture and Equalities. It is a shared brief.
Expected. Camoron is under pressure to turn the nasty party to an even nastier extreme right. Quelle surprise. How long before the party finally ditches marriage equality? The odds are that will happen before 2015.
What exactly is Cameron’s reason for doing this?
Seems almost pointless…
Also, great way to aggravate the only conservative anyone likes – increase the already bustling populous of London…
Because it gives him an excuse not to act on equal marriage and therefore keep the rabid right and the catholic bishops away from a perfect storm against his administration. Make no mistake, Cameron knows full well what the implications of Maria millers appointment are. And it underlines just how shallow his support for equal marriage actually was.
I am sad Lynne is off the case before anything has been resolved. She has been a great supporter. I don’t think the situation is necessarily as bleak as some predictions above. Marriage Equality is policy as dictated by Cameron. They daren’t back-pedal now. But I won’t be voting Tory. Never have. Never will. Despite the less malicious present leadership, they are a nasty, anti-social bunch.
In the next few years, gay Tories and other right wingers will be too busy dealing with their dubious dealings, and will disappear from here one by one, this process has already started… and their past comments are just evidence of their noisy and mean-spirited passage through PN.
“Mrs. Miller is not in favor of marriage equality”
..and Featherstone was not in favour of equality for men. She’s a deeply sexist individual and proved it time after time after time. Just because LGBT people aren’t the target of her discriminatory attitudes doesn’t make it ok.
Good riddance to sexist rubbish.
Neither Miller nor Grant have come out in favour of gay marriage !!!!
I’m really sorry to see Lynn Featherstone go – she was a fantastic advocate!
So the Tories remain the party of extremist homophobic bigotry.
No-one can pretend to be surprised.
At the next election the Tory Law and Justice Party will get even less than the 9% of the LGBT vote they got in the last election.
The Tories remain the party of bigotry.
Oh Woe – the end of the world is nigh! I hope all you doomsayers will eat your hats and vote Conservative as a penance when the Tory government brings in equal marriage!
Maria Miller the new minister for equalities OPPOSES gay marriage; abortion; adoption rights for same sex couples.
Chris Grayling – the minister for justice believes that hotel owners shouild be allowed deny same sex couples a room.
What planet are you on?
Equalities has been downgraded to culture dept, says a lot and from 1 powerful woman May who has against the odds come out full heartedly in favour of SS marriages to 2 women I’ve never heard of and who have never advocated SS marriage. T May doesn’t want to be blamed for SS marrage failing and now we have 2 weaklings in charge of it who probably would like to be blamed for its failure.
Kicked into the long grass. We don’t even have Nick Herbert who has constantly spoken out in favour of it. We have a token non gay in David Laws who as far as I know hasn’t said nothing publicly about SS marriage and never will.
Are we really expected to accept a homophobic Equalities Minister?
Good luck, Cameron.
Notice the silence from Nick Clegg in all this? I think we should all let Cameron and Clegg know that this was not a prudent move. In fact it will guarantee the coalition a massive defeat in 2015 and I will be one of many who will make that happen. Kiss equal marriage goodbye under this new regime. Cameron is an empty shell, an opportunist who will kow-tow to religious extremists to pacify his ultra conservative base as well as the majority in his party who think and vote just like Maria Miller and her predecessor Ann Widdecombe. Equal marriage will be dead on arrival in 2015.
‘Downing Street has told PinkNews.co.uk that the Equalities Office will now move from being within the Home Office to the Department for Culture Media and Sport.’
So is the govt’s equalities agenda going to be pursued as an art exhibition, TV show, or sport?
Please will people stop complaining about the ‘coalition’. It’s the Tory party that are the problem here. If it weren’t a coalition, there wouldn’t even be any discussion about equal marriage. We’d be getting more of this ‘economy comes first’ bullsh*t while they put equality on hold to mess up the economy.
The Liberals have been trying as hard as they can to deliver equal marriage. Harder than Labour ever have, I might add. Featherstone’s done an excellent job, but they’re the minority party.
Please don’t blame the Lib Dems for not getting enough votes. If it were a Lib Dem government we’d have gay marriage by now.
Totally agree with you. It is the Tories who are the problem and may be the problem if it doesn’t pass. We need enough of their votes in Parliament to make it happen but just how many they’ll provide remains to be seen. Almost all of Labour and the Liberal Dems are supporting it and a handful of Tories, but how many of those do we need to see it safely pass? Then there’s the bigger obstacle, the House of Lords to get over where it could well be vetoed.
No great loss, she seemed to revel in confirming in the commons debate on gay marriage that churches would not have to do same sex marriages if they didn’t wish to, I know its not a popular thing to say, but I do question whether Lynn was on trans people’s side or not, mainly because some of her actions conflicted with what she often said and vice versa. Same can be said even more so about Theresa May, this coalition government isn’t very trans friendly