Tuesday 5 February 2013

We're Not There Yet, But What A Hopeful Beginning!

And so the, not quite perfect, Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill has begun its progress through the legislative process with an impressive victory of 400 ayes to 175 nays in its 2nd reading in the House of Commons.

I hope that it is amended as it moves through the process to be somewhat more inline with what I would want but there is no harm taking a moment to appreciate just how big that margin of victory was.

If you'd watched the news or read a newspaper you would have had every right to think it would have been closer. The media has given endless coverage to negative voices in this debate and I think we can see now it gives a rather unbalanced view of what the reality in the Commons is. I hope that is a lesson to them as we move forward, although I suspect they think having Peter Bone explode on TV at the idea of people getting extra freedom makes for better viewing in certain producer's opinions.

We won this opening battle. Let us hope that victory stays with us! Now for some appropriate music...

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