It's amusing to watch the Tories trying to reposition themselves as a friend of what straight people tend to call "the gay community". Eric Pickles was seeking praise this morning for sending an "openly gay" envoy to Poland to pay respects (I think) to the family of the deceased Polish premier, whose name I won't attempt to spell, and engage in discussions with the former president's party, which is a Tory ally, about the anti-gay legislation in Poland.
I suppose it's an important development in terms of gay rights, whether the Tory Party is sincere or not, that they have been talking to campaigners like Thatcher's old nemesis Peter Tatchell. Even if they are vote-grabbing in the most unprincipled way, the Tories could be engineered into giving sanction to gay marriage, so that it stands on the same legal footing as the heterosexual equivalent.
And David Cameron may actually believe in what he's directing the Party towards. He may accept the proposition, as all civilised people should, that discrimination against people on the basis of their sexual orientation is offensively medieval. But it must be driving the traditionalists in the Tory ranks, who I bet would constitute the majority of their members, quietly nuts to know they have to shut up and follow him if they wish to reclaim No. 10.
A thought to cheer the heart on a warm Thursday afternoon, that.
No comments:
Post a Comment