East Kent MPs Julian Brazier and Sir Roger Gale to vote against gay marriage
Sir
Roger Gale and Julian Brazier will vote against gay
marriage
by Alex Claridge
Two east Kent Tory MPs will vote against the Coalition
government in the gay marriage bill at the House of Commons
today.
Julian Brazier, the member for Canterbury and Whitstable, and
North Thanet's Sir Roger Gale will make up a hardcore of
Conservatives rebelling against PM David Cameron's government,
which is the driving the legislation.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill would allow gay couple to
get married in civil and religious ceremonies and allow those in
civil partnerships to convert their relationships into
marriages.
But the proposal is unpopular with traditional
Conservatives.
Among therm is Mr Brazier, who said: "The biggest problem with
this bill is that it will expose Christian and other teachers with
faith to the risk of being hounded through the courts if they
continue to teach a traditional view of marriage.
"Schools are required to teach children about sex and marriage –
there is no guarantee in the bill that those sticking to a
traditional view of marriage will be protected."
The government believes "most people" in the United Kingdom
support the idea of gay marriage. However, up to 180 Conservatives
are likely to vote against the bill.
Sir Roger said: "I understand that there is a generation gap and
that many
"Those who have drafted this dog's breakfast of a piece of legislation are now struggling to work out how they will address issues such as consummation and the inevitable divorces between same-sex couples." – Sir Roger Gale
young people –
my own children included – take a rather more relaxed attitude
towards same-sex unions than those of us of a certain age.
"With the perspective of advancing years, however, I am not
remotely persuaded that sacrificing time-honoured traditions of
faith and society on the altar of trendy modernity or artificial
equality are acceptable as the way forward.
"Marriage, for those who belong to most faith groups, has
represented and will continue to represent the union between a man
and a woman, fundamentally for the purpose, within faith, of
procreation and the raising of children within a loving and a
secure family environment.
"Those who have drafted this dog's breakfast of a piece of
legislation are now struggling to work out how they will address
issues such as consummation and the inevitable divorces between
same-sex couples."
Hugh Robertson, the Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid-Kent,
is said to be in favour the gay marriage legislation but failed to
answer a request for a comment.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.
05/02/13
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