This government has made the occasional good piece of law, and the Civil Partnership Act is one of those. It is a credit to all parties that supported it that they have moved so far in the right direction from the days of homesexuality being illegal and Section 28.
But what a shame the day could not pass without the damage caused by this found on the BBC’s news article:
Bromley in south-east London had initially planned not to offer public ceremonies. Lisburn in Northern Ireland also overturned a proposed ban.
Ms Munn said any councils dragging their feet needed to comply with the both the spirit and letter of the law.
“The legislation requires that every authority must offer a civil partnership. The basic level of that is a simple signing of a register - some couples may just want that alone.
“But if any councils are saying they won’t allow [public] ceremonies, for couples who want that kind of celebration, then it’s time they came into the 21st century.”
It is time Councils realised that individuals should be free to be as they are so long as they don’t hurt anyone else.
I can imagine the people against public ceremonies complaining about “morality”. I do not believe morality is permanent and, a lot of the time, it is abritrary.
December 5th, 2005 at 7:53 pm
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December 5th, 2005 at 8:02 pm
You won’t hear me say it often but ‘Good on the government’.
December 5th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
I imagine the views we all share on this issue would come as a surprise to many. I know my own family would find it hard to believe that there are Tories that agree with Civil Partnerships.
I think an opportunity for the Conservatives is to be fiercely pro-family no matter what sexual orientation people are. In some way it legitimises the traditional Conservative support for the family in the more liberal age. And let’s face it, if families are valuable, they are valuable in all circumstances.
December 6th, 2005 at 12:11 pm
I’m not sure this legislation is entirely good news. Unlike marriage it doesn’t make a lieftime commitment - or more accurately, profess to make that commitment. It simply recognises people are couple now.
December 6th, 2005 at 7:06 pm
Marriage may intend to create a lifetime commitment but it regularly fails to. A Civil Partnership alongside a ceremony (preferably) is marriage in all but name.
December 6th, 2005 at 7:10 pm
That marriage fails to achieve its aims does not diminish the intention. That aim is something singularly lacking in the Civil Partnerships legislation. It offers the legal recognition of a relationship, but stops at that.