Bill gets married

Friends on Facebook and Twitter already know this, but I recently got married (to a man, lest there be any smidgen of a doubt); we are very happy. Our wedding took place at the Registry Office in the Court House, Nairn on 29th February 2016; our very nice cake was made by Asher's and lunch followed at a nearby Chinese restaurant, The Dragon Pearl, all in the presence and company of friends, neighbours and relatives. Later that day we had a lovely dinner with family and friends at another local restaurant, The Classroom. Our quasi-honeymoon began the following day with a couple of days spent in Edinburgh, although we plan a somewhat longer vacation sometime later in the year.

Those who may be interested can view an online gallery of some of our wedding photographs in my personal website here.

Scottish Parliament votes overwhelmingly for same-sex marriage

(Please see UPDATE at end)

Today, 4th February 2014, is an historic day in Scotland, because today the Scottish Parliament voted overwhelmingly for same-sex marriage, or more colloquially for "equal marriage". The negative amendments proposed for the 3rd reading of the Bill (formally known as the "Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill") were all rejected and the Bill, once it has been given Royal Assent, will become law.

With this vote, Scotland becomes the 17th country in the world to legislate for same-sex marriage.

As mentioned earlier, the vote in the Scottish Parliament today was massively in favour of this legislation, with 105 voting for and only 18 against (* - see below).

In a post-vote video-message the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing welcomed the vote:

- according to what Alex Neil MSP said, the Scottish Government will now be working with the UK Government at Westminster to ensure that the first same-sex marriages can take place in Scotland before the end of 2014. It will be recalled that the UK Parliament at Westminster has already legislated for same-sex marriage in England and Wales and it is likely that the first such marriages will take place there during the first half of 2014; Royal Assent for this legislation was granted during July 2013.

Unfortunately the Northern Ireland Assembly has not so far proposed similar legislation for Northern Ireland and from what I can gather has no current plans to do so, but at least in the other three parts of the United Kingdom (England, Wales and now Scotland) this welcome legislation is now almost in place - Royal Assent has already happened for the England and Wales legislation and I expect similar Royal Assent will be granted for Scotland quite soon. I mention Northern Ireland not to be negative on this joyous day, but simply to highlight that the job is not yet finished and that efforts must continue to ensure that all parts of the UK legislate for equality.

* - Once I have full details of the "105 for / 18 against" votes I will add an update at the end with relevant information.

See also:
- Equality Network: Scotland Legalises Same Sex Marriage;
- BBC: "Scotland's same-sex marriage bill is passed"

UPDATE (Tuesday 4FEB2014 22.35 CET) I now have full voting information for today's vote in the Scottish Parliament - please see full details here. The 18 who voted against the Bill were as follows:
Dr Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con)
Roseanna Cunningham (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP)
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab)
Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Dave Thompson (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
(SNP - 7, Conservatives - 8, Labour - 3)
- seemingly there were 6 out of 129 MSPs who did not vote or who abstained;
- see some reactions to the vote here.

The consequences for the Conservatives if ..

.. some Conservative MPs succeed in derailing the Coalition Government's plans to legislate for same-sex marriage. Well, it is difficult to know for certain, but what is absolutely clear is that I shall never vote Conservative again if they do succeed.

Over the past few days there seems to have been concerted action by a number of Conservative MPs who oppose same-sex marriage to galvanise opinion amongst fellow Conservative MPs so that they will vote next week to oppose the proposed legislation to allow it. They have asserted that if such a measure is approved a Conservative majority government will be impossible in future. A prominent 'spokesman' for this point of view has been David Burrowes MP (Conservative, Enfield-Southgate), for example here (published in the Telegraph on Friday, 1st February) - I heard him on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning pushing this line of reasoning. Against this line of reasoning one has the Prime Minister, David Cameron, stating that he supports same-sex marriage not despite the fact that he is a Conservative, but because he is a Conservative, a point of view shared by gay Conservative MP Nick Herbert, who believes (as do I, to be clear) that: "A much bigger danger for the Conservatives is to go the same way as the Republicans in the US, losing by failing to see that society has changed and with it attitudes to gay people."

Against those Conservatives, such as Mr Burrowes, who say the 'sky will fall in' for the Conservative Party if gay-sex is legislated for (a doubtful assertion in my view) is the sure certainty that people like me, who resigned from the Conservative Party in 2001 when Iain Duncan Smith became its short-lived and disastrous leader and who has voted for the Conservatives only sporadically since or abstained, will never ever vote Conservative again if MPs such as Mr Burrowes succeed in derailing this vote and very probably will, in addition to merely abstaining (by 'spoiling' my vote) as I have occasionally done in recent elections, will very probably vote for another political party completely, specifically one that has the chance of damaging the Conservatives the most. (Point of information - I live in a part of the UK where a Conservative MP, or MSP, is never likely to be elected, except under the MSP 'list' category, however.)

In summary, I would love to be able to return to being a Conservative Party member as I consider it to be the best manager of the UK economy in the long term, but nor will I be so masochistic as to support a Party when, even today, too many of its members seem to despise gay people. Demographics clearly show that opposition to same-sex marriage is highest amongst older voters, whereas younger generations are much more favourably inclined toward it, or at worst indifferent. My hope is that sufficient Conservative MPs will see where their own long-term interests are by reflecting more accurately the views of British society as it is now, rather than what it may have been 30+ years ago and what they wish it still was, and instead voting overwhelmingly for the legislation supported by the Prime Minister, by voting for the future and for the personal liberty and freedom that has been the hallmark of progressive Conservatism over the decades.

Logically the Conservatives should have won a handsome majority 2010, against one of the most unpopular (Labour) governments and Prime Ministers (Gordon Brown) in living memory, but did not do so because of the residual memory of the Conservatives as the 'nasty' party, because of some of its retrogressive policies - despite the desire of people like Mr Burrowes to resurrect the failed socially conservative policies of people like Iain Duncan Smith and others who think like him, the electorate has clearly rejected this course. People like Mr Burrowes are, to be realistic, 'flogging a dead horse' electorally speaking - it's time they recognise this.

Catholic "sky fairy" cult continues its campaign against same sex marriage in Scotland

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic "sky fairy" cult in Scotland has caused to be read out in all 500 parishes in Scotland the following subversive message, designed to enlist the followers of this cult to attempt to thwart the will of the elected Scottish Executive (aka 'Government') in its stated aim of legislating for same sex marriage in Scotland:

A Message for Marriage Sunday 26 August 2012 from The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland In all things, we as Catholics look to Jesus Christ as our model and teacher. When asked about marriage He gave a profound and rich reply: “Have you not read that the Creator, from the beginning, ‘made them male and female’, and said: ‘This is why a man must leave father and mother and cling to his wife and the two become one body’. (Matthew, 19: 4-5) In the Year of Faith, which begins this October, we wish to place a special emphasis on the role of the family founded on marriage. The family is the domestic Church, and the first place in which the faith is transmitted. For that reason it must have a primary focus in our prayerful considerations during this period of grace. We write to you having already expressed our deep disappointment that the Scottish Government has decided to redefine marriage and legislate for same-sex marriage. We take this opportunity to thank you for your past support in defense of marriage and hope you will continue to act against efforts to redefine it. We reaffirm before you all the common wisdom of humanity and the revealed faith of the Church that marriage is a unique life-long union of a man and a woman. In circumstances when the true nature of marriage is being obscured, we wish to affirm and celebrate the truth and beauty of the Sacrament of Matrimony and family life as Jesus revealed it; to do something new to support marriage and family life in the Catholic community and in the country; and to reinforce the vocation of marriage and the pastoral care of families which takes in the everyday life of the Church in dioceses and parishes across the country. For that reason, in the forthcoming Year of Faith we have decided to establish a new Commission for Marriage and the Family. This Commission will be led by a bishop and will be composed mostly of lay men and women. The Commission will be charged with engaging with those young men and women who will be future husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and with those who already live out their vocation to marriage and parenthood in surroundings which often make it hard to sustain and develop the full Catholic family life we cherish. We wish to support too, those who are widowed, separated and divorced and all who need to feel the Church’s maternal care in the circumstances in which they find themselves. The new Commission will promote the true nature of marriage as both a human institution and a union blessed by Jesus. The Commission will be asked to develop an online presence so that prayer, reflection, formation and practical information on matters to do with marriage and family life can be quickly accessible to all. It will also work to produce materials and organise events which will support ordinary Catholic families in their daily lives. During the course of the coming year we will ask for your support for these initiatives. Our faith teaches us that marriage is a great and holy mystery. The Bishops of Scotland will continue to promote and uphold the universally accepted definition of marriage as the union solely of a man and a woman. At the same time, we wish to work positively for the strengthening of marriage within the Church and within our society. This is an important initiative for all our people, but especially our young people and children. We urge you to join us in this endeavour. Pray for your own family every day, and pray for those families whose lives are made difficult by the problems and cares which they encounter. Finally, we invite you to pray for our elected leaders, invoking the Holy Spirit on them, that they may be moved to safeguard marriage as it has always been understood, for the good of Scotland and of our society.

My objective in quoting the text of this letter here is not, just to state the obvious, because I support it in any way, but because I think it is important for as many people as possible to read for themselves the full measure of the delusions that afflict this particular 'sky fairy' cult. Let no one ever forget that this is the same organisation which for decades in many of the countries in which it operates actively covered up the criminal misconduct of its paid operatives (aka 'priests') in their deviant paedophile activities involving children of both sexes, misguidedly placed under their care by parents and guardians. Supposedly this organisation has now 'cleaned up its act', but I remain sceptical and whatever changes it has made have been brought about solely by the threat of financial sanction, not because it has fundamentally changed its ethos of intimidation and control, as is amply demonstrated by this ridiculous and hateful 'pastoral' letter. For a religion which is supposed to stand for peace and support for the weak and downtrodden is in fact nothing more than a crude protection racket in the Roman Catholic 'cult' version of it.

Of course, adherents of this subversive cult have the right in our democratic society to believe whatever nonsense they choose to and even to promulgate their deluded ideas should they so wish, but it gives them absolutely no right to have any more attention paid to their notions than that accorded to any other citizens. Elected politicians are how we as a country choose to run our affairs and it is time that this subversive cult remembered this. The Scottish Executive (aka 'Government') will, I hope, carry out its stated policy of legislating for same sex marriage as soon as possible.

Separately, the UK government has held consultations on introducing similar legislation in England and Wales and will, no doubt, continue to be the object of similar tactics there on the part of the Roman Catholic 'sky fairy' cult; I hope the UK government will be just as resolute in standing up for democratic values.

Roman Catholic cardinal in Scotland throws a wobbler & Boris comes good

So what else is new? Roman Catholic Cardinal Keith O'Brien has thrown his toys out of the pram - not really the first time he has done this, but passing on...

The good Cardinal's strop relates to the intention of the Scottish Executive (aka 'Government') to [consult to] legislate for same-sex marriage in Scotland and his decision to cease personal contact with the First Minister. Well, bully for him! But who really cares? This is just the petulant reaction of a person who has no serious commentary to make. Anyone who has read my blog will know already that I have little time for Alex Salmond (the First Minister of Scotland, Gawd help us!) and none at all for the aims of the SNP, but even I must sympathise with Mr Salmond having to deal with self-important nonentities such as O'Brien. In any case, why should the Roman Catholic Church be given any special right to have discussions with the Executive, or even officials - of course, individuals within that sky-fairy organisation, as citizens, have a right to have their opinions heard, just like any other citizen, but beyond that I fail to understand what special right this organisation has to any special consideration. His sky-fairy organisation is trying the same tactics of intimidation it tried with the last Spanish government in 2005, when it legislated for same sex marriage in Spain in the face of the virulent attacks of O'Brien's co-religionists in that country and the rogue-state Vatican, the nexus of that sinister organisation (* - see below); the current Spanish government (and its President/Prime Minister) is trying to reverse that legislation, but have so far not stacked the Constitutional Court there sufficiently to assure themselves of success, fortunately, but it will require continual vigilance to thwart these homophobes whose real job should be to try and solve Spain's economic problems and importantly to try and reduce the chronic levels of unemployment there - witch-hunts against the LGBT community may satisfy their core supporters but will do nothing to address these issues.

Now, passing on from nonentities such as 'Cardinal' Keith O'Brien to more important matters, it is pleasing to note that the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has become the latest senior politician to express his support for permitting same sex marriage. Well done, Boris!



(*) Just for clarification, this is not a commentary directed solely at the Roman Catholic Church; it applies equally to the Church of Scotland and the Church of England, which are just as blinkered in their own ways, if perhaps less blatantly publicity-seeking for their sick ideas. If this offends any reader, then I make no apology - if you adhere to such disfunctional organisations please note I consider they merit all the negative commentary that is justifiedly thrown at them.

Rajoy's attempt to reverse gay-marriage law rejected by Spain's Constitutional Court

(Please see UPDATE at end)

Spain's economy may be in a complete shambles, but at least some sense still prevails. The Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal by the governing Partido Popular and President ('Prime Minister') Mariano Rajoy against the 2005 change in the law which permitted same-sex marriage on the grounds that it was 'unconstitutional', asserting at the time the law was changed that it flouted article 10.2, relating to protection of the family, women and children. Of course he ignored the fact that a ban on same-sex marriage would constitute gender discrimination, and segregation on the grounds of sexuality, two situations forbidden by the Constitution.

I may think that Zapatero's PSOE was a lousy manager of Spain's economy (just as was the last Labour government in the UK), but both introduced reforms of the law which brought their countries into the forefront in terms of granting badly-needed rights to enhance the equality of their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens.

It is great to know that the Spanish Constitutional Court is prepared to stand up to the government when it seeks to deprive a segment of the population of recently-won and hard fought-for rights. I recall at the time the last government introduced the change how vehement was the opposition of the then opposition and the Roman Catholic church. We are seeing exactly the same opposition to the changes currently under discussion in the UK from the very-same Roman Catholic church. Although Spain is nominally a Catholic country, whereas the UK is not, both are modern democracies which have, fortunately, moved well beyond the crude propaganda efforts of the Church and neither is a theocracy, a concept the main churches in both countries (Catholic and CofE respectively) will just have to learn to live with!

And referring back to the first line of this article, doesn't Mariano Rajoy have more important things to worry about than attempting to reverse gay-marriage laws, for example the urgent task of sorting out the Spanish economy, which still has a very long way to go (quite frankly)?!

(NB/ This article is cross-posted from my Spanish blog casabill.blogspot.com)

UPDATE (Wednesday 7NOV2012 06.41 GMT) Spain's Constitutional Court has re-affirmed the 2005 law granting same-sex couples the right to marry. See later post here.

I'm Out4Marriage - are you?

As part of the Government's consultation process on the advisability of changing the law to allow same-sex civil marriages, campaigns have been started by people who hold opposing viewpoints on the matter. This article is about those who support a change in the law (you can find out about the other side - those who oppose permitting same-sex marriage - for yourself, if you are interested).

I support the concept of same-sex marriage. Period. My only 'disagreement' with what the Government is proposing is that same-sex religious marriage should also be permitted, for those religious bodies which wish to carry out such ceremonies (and there are many) and I fully accept, without any quibble whatsoever, that those religious organisations that oppose such unions should not be obliged to carry them out.

In any case, many individuals have been happy to add their support for same-sex marriage and have recorded video-clips in the support of the Out4Marriage campaign and you can see the play-list of those who have done so, so far, here in the YouTube website. I high-light two of those who have so far added their support:

Theresa May, MP - Home Secretary


Desmond Swayne, MP - Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, David Cameron


So far there are 103 video-clip recorded in this series, many from quite well-known people in politics (of many political view-points), or business, etc.

Equality is for everyone and those who oppose equal marriage rights for same-sex people are on the wrong side of history - I am pretty certain that in fifty years time it will seem just as bizarre to most people that same-sex marriage was once not permitted, just as most today find it difficult to comprehend why equal votes for women were once not permitted, why inter-racial marriage was once not permitted in some places, why equal rights irrespective of race, creed or colour were once not recognised in many countries. It really is that simple.

If you support the idea that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry if they wish, please sign the petition to support this by visiting the website of the Coalition for Equal Marriage here. Finally, to those who say that Civil Partnerships already give the same rights as marriage, the sad truth is that this is not entirely so and that there are important differences between the two which generally disfavour Civil Partnerships; the following video-clip explains clearly some of the disadvantages of a Civil Partnership when compared with a marriage:

US President Obama 'comes out' in support of gay marriage

It is good to see US President Barack Obama finally affirm what have been thought to be his views on the issue of gay marriage (or his 'evolving' views) - that same sex couples should be able to get married. It has taken him some time to state this plainly, rather than couching his views in decidedly ambiguous language, but this is a sensitive issue in the US and in many other countries and of course it has certainly required some courage in a US Presidential Election year:



Here's a reasoned riposte to the recent passing, 2 days ago, of Constitutional 'Amendment 1' in the US State of North Carolina which outlaws any form of civil union other the marriage of one man to one woman, a very retrogressive step indeed. However, as this video-clip points out, North Carolina has 'form' when it comes to unpleasant legislation as it was only as a result of a Supreme Court ruling (the case of Loving v. Virginia) in 1967 that laws against inter-racial marriage were finally deemed unconstitutional and in North Carolina it was not until 1971 that the first legal mixed-race marriage took place:



One day soon I hope same-sex marriage will be allowed and uncontroversial in the US - and of course of more relevance to me in the UK, too.

PS/ I hope you find my little joke in the title of this article amusing.