Did any Nationalist or Republican vote to retain the traditional definition of marriage in Northern Ireland?
Nor, of course, did Alliance.
For whom are Catholics, those who do not already vote Unionist anyway, going to vote at this rate?
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Declaration of Interest...I am a SDLP member.
ReplyDeleteI am a daily communicant and I am 61 years old next week. I am also in my 31st year of marriage (it seems to be working out pretty well).
I like marriage....I resist any attempt to describe Mrs Fitzjames Horse as my "partner". She is my WIFE. I love marriage so much, I dont mind it being extended to people who are not heterosexual...even though the term "marriage" is plain daft when applied to homosexuals.
On your general point, nobody will stop voting Sinn Fein because of gay "marriage" ...after all they vote SF in spite of mass murder.
And nobody will stop voting SDLP on that issue either. Nor indeed will people stop voting UUP or DUP on that issue.
The Alliance Party (the NIOs favourite party) and essentially undemocratic as they have been supported by DUP-SF....are in a very peculiar situation.
Their policy is pro- gay marriage....but a disproportionate number of their eight MLAs are against it.
They are the ones with the problem.
Alliance has form on this, as of course you know. A group of its Councillors tried to block civil partnerships back in the day. I am told that Naomi Long's constituency party is riven on this latest issue.
ReplyDeleteWell yes...Naomi Long defeated Peter Robinson in East Belfast....on the back of IrisGate and a TUV and UUP-Tory in the field.
ReplyDeleteThe balance of probability is that Long will lose East Belfast in 2015....to DUP Mayor Gavin Robinson ( no relation). Indeed there will be a pact between DUP and UUP to ensure it .
The entire "flegs" (sic) issue is about this.
Alliance is a curious coalition....people I have dubbed LetsGetAlongerists....ecumenical Christians....liberal unionists...united by the fact that they are unprincipled chancers.
To some extent Alliance could cope with this...if they had more MLAs. But McCarthy the only Catholic is in his 70s and out of step with party policy.
Anna Lo the darling of the Liberals is pro-abortion.
The other six are caught between party policy and the electorate and their conscience.
David Ford has had to step down as an elder in the Presbyterian Church....in part that is DUP-UUP inspired.
For more on this you should check in with Slugger O'Toole not my favourite messageboard but pretty good on this issue.
I do read Slugger from time to time, but it has been a while.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the Unionists are quite extraordinary on this, still as convinced as ever that a highly specific form of nineteenth-century Revivalism is the quintessence of British cultural and political identity.
Well anonymous daily communicant SDLP member, I for one, will no longer be voting SDLP. I am a Catholic too and cannot support a party that supports so called same sex marriage. Our church's teaching on the matter is crystal clear and therefore one cannot be both a Catholic and an SDLP supporter.
ReplyDeleteThen for whom will you vote, Catholicus? And why?
ReplyDeleteGood for you Catholicus.
ReplyDeleteAs David Knows for the sake of cosistency, I have usually identified myself as Fitzjames Horse ...the only reason that i appear anonymous is my inability to negotiate the blogger system.