We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT wants to legalise same-sex marriage before the next General Election in 2015.
Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone announced the Government’s wish to legislate for same-sex marriages at the Liberal Democrats’ annual conference in Birmingham today.
According to Sky News, a public consultation will be held on how to make equal civil marriage available to same-sex couples.
“We will be working closely with all those who have an interest in the area to understand their views ahead of the formal consultation,” she said.
The consultation will begin in March 2012, reports gay news website PinkPaper.com.
It will not cover religious marriage but earlier this year, the Government said that religious buildings could host civil partnership registrations. That decision depends on the discretion of the particular religious group.
Rumours had been floating around Twitterland yesterday about the announcement, with one BBC correspondent revealing that the proposals have been personally endorsed by the Prime Minister David Cameron.
Citing Downing Street sources, Ross Hawkins said that some Conservative MPs were not happy with the move. One anonymous MP said “gay marriage is not a bad idea” but it should not be given priority over tax breaks for married couples.
Another Conservative MP predicted a “minor explosion” in the party over the issue, said Hawkins.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Great news. Need to happen here.
Here here David, would be a miracle if our own government took the plunge but as per usual will probably follow suit after our British counterparts make history, great news all the same
Great to hear that, between this, the civil partnership bill passed last year, and David Norris’ popularity as a presidential candidate it doesn’t look like it will be too long until Ireland can pass a similar bill.
Yay, thats great news! :)
I don’t know or can’t see any reason why anyone would give the idea of same-sex marriage the "thumbs down"…. Im really amazed at how worked up the Right Wing Nuts get about it, and "thumbs down attack" Same-Sex Marriage, Norris, etc.. Get a grip, live in harmony with your felliw.citizens and quit the hatred.
For a second there, I thought the Tories had matured. Reading the article, there seems to be opposition for it in the party. I just can’t fathom why anyone would oppose same-sex marriage. What harm will it do?
Poor Sean, the "thumbs down army" will attack you now!!! They seem to be very well organised!!!
I don’t fear the thumbs down army. They are the anonymous bigots who rarely dare to share their sick views on this website, so they do only what they can – and give thumbs down to anyone who supports the gay & lesbian community.
It’s all very well to say ‘live and let live’ but for every social action there is a reaction and this legal change will radically alter the values, traditions and social make-up of the UK which will affect everyone, regardless of their sexuality.
Society is like a building supported by foundations. In both Ireland and the UK, our societies were and for the most part still are supported and held in place by the traditional family unit comprising of a married man and woman. This arrangement did not evolve for nothing: it creates social stability and a safe and secure environment for raising children.
Unfortunately, thanks to the ‘live and let live’ attitude which is now so prevalent, the traditional family -the bedrock of society- is under attack with all sorts of social and family arrangements being conjured up and justified. And we are supposed to be so concerned about the welfare of children! We are shooting ourselves in the foot! We can already see the results of family breakdown and dysfunction in increased rates of murder, violence, sexual assault and child suicide. If I were Cameron, who is supposed to be embarking on a crusade to fix a broken society, I would get back to basics: promote the tried and tested traditional family and resist the populist, self-interested demands of the minority. The job of a leader is not to do what is popular (according to the media and their ‘opinion polls’) but what is right.
P.s. I’m speaking as a community worker and a child of the 80′s. Out with the PC nonsense and back to basics I say.
I agree that the family unit is important. But I believe that a family unit can be lead by a married man and woman, a married woman and woman, a married man and man, a widow or widower, foster parents, adoptive parents, or even an adult sibling!!! The issue isn’t about "who" leads a family but "how" that family is lead, nurtured, supported and cared for. And the family unit doesn’t have to comprise of Mammy/Daddy, Son/Daughter either. To suggest that rises in murders, sexual assault, and child crime primarily comes as a result in the collapse of the tradition family unit is as laughable as it is crazy. Societies evolution and sociological values are primarily to blame for that as well as lack of national leadership. btw, I havent given u a thumbs down for fundementally opposing your views.
TJD you are so wrong, you need to research some of the comments you made, two people who love each other getting married is good for society, there are problems with society but you need to look at the real cause of the problems and stop making ignorant judgements
This never would have happened if the Conservatives had an overall majority. It’s a pity that the Labour Party here don’t follow from the Lib Dems example in the UK and push for a referendum on gay marriage here. All the opinion polls show a majority of people in Ireland in favour of it.
We have been over this bloody issue a million times at this stage.
If allowing the gay community the same rights as the hetrosexual community is what they want then let them at it. It wont make your marriage any less important and it wont make the world turn gay.
A sad day for the UK.
@bp…. Why?
Why?
I totally agree with many of the comments above, why would anyone be anti same sex marriages, particularly those in heterosexual relationships (whom I’m imagining posted the negative comments or thumbs down!)
Live and let live!
Fair play UK!! Hopefully the same will happen hear in Ireland. :)
A lot more thumbs down than I would have expected, even for Ireland. Here’s something I wrote on this a few months ago: http://www.poeticjustice.ie/?p=108
Could those giving all the thumbs down please read it and offer your justification for your belief that homophobic discrimination is legitimate.
Are you looking for feedback on your writing style, coz it ain’t so hot, buddy. Next time you ask people to read something, please include logical reasoning in your arguments. They kind of support each other, you know.
I agree with you on the importance of logical reasoning and feel its use in what I’ve written is pretty obvious. It may not be in the form of a mathematical equation but it’s there. And no, I’m not posting looking for feedback on my writing style but I’m happy to accept it. In this case though, I don’t think your criticism is valid. Thanks for taking the time nonetheless, at the very least it provided a distraction from this Liverpool match.
TJD, while I don’t agree with what you’re saying but I am interested in one thing:
There’s no doubt the institution of marriage are gone through some serious changes over the last one hundred years. A phrase like “get to back to basics” implies that we could somehow roll back the clock and it’d be interesting for you to explain how exactly we might do this.
“Get back to basics” is a stock phrase and it’s meaningless unless elaborated upon. Would it actually be possible for society to ‘reconservatize’ itself (as I would see it)? It seems that society is on a completely different trajectory, whether you think that’s a good or bad thing.
It’s also interesting to invoke our parents and grandparents, another stock phrase. I would argue that the “traditional family” you’re talking about never really existed or at least was never as perfect as that phrase implies. You only have to look at some of the crimes commited in the past to reinforce it, such as the Magdalene Lanudries.
So in short: how do propose we go backwards and were things really that good back then anyway?
PS. Could people who disagree with each other please stop using condescending phrases like “I pity you” or “do some research” just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re not as well read. And while I don’t like the thumbs down all the pro gay marriage comments are receiving, the anti messages receive plenty too.
If you don’t like gay marriage, don’t have one. Simple as that.
DES, I am sorry if my comments appear ignorant to you but I am making them based on:
1. My experience growing up in a family guided by a mother and father and a close-knit Dublin community comprising of similar families with similar values.
2.My experience working in Dublin communities.
3.My 3rd level education and training.
My research is based on 15 years working on the ground, in real communities, with children and their families. Numerous school teachers and principals as well as Gardai with whom I have been in regular contact through the years have quite freely acknowledged that the breakdown of the traditional family has contributed enormously to the social problems that we are experiencing in Ireland today. It is also widely accepted among academia.
Unfortunately, the mere mention of the ‘traditional family’ is taboo in Ireland today as it is considered politically incorrect, with the effect that our problems will only worsen. Unlike ten years ago, schools and youth organisations are afraid to state the blatantly obvious for fear of offending liberal sensibilities. So much for a freer society!
We are currently experiencing a period of great social and economic upheaval. In my humble opinion, now is not a great time to press ahead with yet more ‘liberal’ social experiments such as gay marriage and adoption. As usual, it’s the social agencies on the ground who will deal with the consequences. Meanwhile, liberal-leaning journalists will present the usual facade of a more freer, progressive society being dragged out of the dark ages.
We need to learn from our parents’ and grandparents’ generations and get back to basics.
TJD I pity you,aren’t you so lucky to be brought up in a perfect family.if you think that all straight couples make up perfect families then you are sorely deluded.
To state that family breakdown causes social problems is to state the obvious. None of us needs 15 years of research to prove that. But you’re taking an extra step, asserting that the "traditional", ie heterosexual nature of all families heretofore was somehow a vital ingredient in the social cohesion you now lament having passed. But you cannot make that leap unless you’ve evidence to back it up which, of course, you won’t be able to find, since we haven’t had 10-20 years of gay marriage and adoption rights to study. If the family as a building block of society has an affect on social problems in the wider community, it is because the kids in those families are more likely to be raised with love, as good responsible people who care about their communities. There is no evidence to support your implication that parents must be of opposing genders in order to successfully raise kids. By evidence, of course, I mean proper evidence, not just fears cobbled together into a "study" to serve a religious purpose.
have your say