Back to reality
Back at home now, and it’s back to everyday politics, and back to work. Apologies for not posting much since I’ve returned, but I’ve been really busy. Some things that have caught my eye over the last few weeks:
In the aftermath of the Boris Johnson sacking, the Tories let their homophobes out of the closet on the Today programme - some Julian guy from the Tory Family Campaign started talking about how at least Ben Bradshaw (Labour MP for Exeter) was open about supporting the "homosexual agenda". For once in my life I was cheering Edwina Currie as she took him apart. Bet he wasn’t happy on Wednesday, when Labour peers turned out in force to ensure that the Civil Partnerships bill got through the Lords - when it comes into force, at the start of 2006, lesbian and gay couples will be able to get hitched and enjoy all the rights that straight married couples have.
I still get a bit cross that my government, who took all the heat from the bigots, couldn’t take just a little bit more heat to call it bloody “marriage” - which is what it is, literally in everything but name. After all, I can’t see anyone getting down on one knee to ask their nearest and dearest “Darling, will you make me the happiest woman in the world and enter a civil partnership with me?”, and when the lovely Jo finally makes an honest woman of me, we certainly won’t be having “civil partnership ceremony invitations” and a “civil partnership ceremony cake”!
Wanted to say a big thank you to the good people at Stonewall and at the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights for making this happen. And to any lesbian and gay people and other supporters of equality out there who aren’t sure who to vote for at the next election, remember this - it was a LABOUR government that put civil partnerships in the Queen’s Speech last year, apropos of nothing. It was a LABOUR MPs and peers that passed the bill and removed the Tory wrecking amendments, and it is a LABOUR government that has ensured that no more lesbian and gay couples will be denied visiting rights in hospital or will lose their homes through inheritance tax when a partner dies. You can keep your Lib Dem promises and Tory good intentions - it is LABOUR that delivers on equality for lesbian and gay people
In the aftermath of the Boris Johnson sacking, the Tories let their homophobes out of the closet on the Today programme - some Julian guy from the Tory Family Campaign started talking about how at least Ben Bradshaw (Labour MP for Exeter) was open about supporting the "homosexual agenda". For once in my life I was cheering Edwina Currie as she took him apart. Bet he wasn’t happy on Wednesday, when Labour peers turned out in force to ensure that the Civil Partnerships bill got through the Lords - when it comes into force, at the start of 2006, lesbian and gay couples will be able to get hitched and enjoy all the rights that straight married couples have.
I still get a bit cross that my government, who took all the heat from the bigots, couldn’t take just a little bit more heat to call it bloody “marriage” - which is what it is, literally in everything but name. After all, I can’t see anyone getting down on one knee to ask their nearest and dearest “Darling, will you make me the happiest woman in the world and enter a civil partnership with me?”, and when the lovely Jo finally makes an honest woman of me, we certainly won’t be having “civil partnership ceremony invitations” and a “civil partnership ceremony cake”!
Wanted to say a big thank you to the good people at Stonewall and at the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights for making this happen. And to any lesbian and gay people and other supporters of equality out there who aren’t sure who to vote for at the next election, remember this - it was a LABOUR government that put civil partnerships in the Queen’s Speech last year, apropos of nothing. It was a LABOUR MPs and peers that passed the bill and removed the Tory wrecking amendments, and it is a LABOUR government that has ensured that no more lesbian and gay couples will be denied visiting rights in hospital or will lose their homes through inheritance tax when a partner dies. You can keep your Lib Dem promises and Tory good intentions - it is LABOUR that delivers on equality for lesbian and gay people
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