Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
MPS join rebels in battle against same-sex marriage bill
TWO east Kent Tory MPs were at the vanguard of the rebellion against the coalition government in the vote on the gay marriage bill at Westminster on Tuesday.
Julian Brazier, the member for Canterbury and Whitstable, and North Thanet’s Sir Roger Gale were among the 136 Conservatives who defied PM David Cameron’s Government, which is driving the legislation.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill would allow gay couples to get married in civil and religious ceremonies and allow those in civil partnerships to convert their relationships into marriages.
But it is unpopular with traditional Conservatives.
Among them 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.”
Tuesday night’s Commons vote saw those in favour of the proposed law win by 400 to 175. It will have to pass through committee stages and the House of Lords before it becomes law.
The government believes “most people” in the United Kingdom support the idea of gay marriage.
But Sir Roger, who represents Herne Bay, is not one of them.
He said: “I understand there is a generation gap and that many young people – my own children included – take a rather more relaxed attitude towards samesex 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 MidKent and the culture, media and sport minister, and Thanet South MP Laura Sandys are supporters of the bill and voted in favour of it.