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March 28, 2005
Tony Blair
"As long as the Tories are hung up on gay issues, people will think they're weird."
No, not these Tories, those Tories. Though I would not vote for Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, I believe his point addresses Tories on both of the Atlantic. The barely disguised contempt for gay people, the courts and the Constitution expressed by supporters of the Canadian party's recent decision to oppose equality before the law shows the bigots now have a platform they can support while the rest of us suffer continued Liberal government as a result. In stark contrast is a man for whose government I have voted twice and shall do so again: Tony Blair (via jonnyc). Here is another reason why.
Mr Blair - who noted that there are "plenty" of gay ministers just below Cabinet level - urged the Church of England to resolve its differences over homosexual bishops. He said many people in the Church shared his view that the fundamental Christian principle is one of equality.
Quite right. I was one of those people who stayed up specifically to watch Michael Portillo lose his seat. I now think the sooner Conservatives in the UK find the sense to bring back Portillo in place of Michael Howard the sooner there will be a viable alternative to Labour government. In Canada, we are waiting for Belinda Stronach. But I will not hold my breath for Conservatives on either side of the Atlantic to see sense. For now, the bigots have won.
Update: Some folks may find this sort of talk intemperate. I doubt anyone whose marriage is being threatened by one of Canada's major political parties would feel the same way. If anything, my talk here is far too moderate. In fact, the kind of moderate talk I have been engaged in at The Shotgun and other venues is precisely the kind of talk that has lost the day to the utterly intemperate voices of people who think their ideology trumps the rights of their fellow Canadians. Any of us who thought we could reason with those voices need to face facts: we were wrong. All that is left now is to make the best of the bad choices on offer and keep the bigots from power.
Update: PolSpy is calling my Belinda Stronach idea "flea-brained". I am frankly astonished nobody has thrown those mots justes my way before now. He also talks about sex dolls and Stephen Harper in the same sentence which is almost certainly another first.
Things are heating up with some loose language about plastic Canadians. But seriously. Look at that photo and tell me the words "face plate" don't leap to mind.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at March 28, 2005 09:23 AM
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