I can't believe I've not blogged since Monday! And now I'm on another train, this time headed for the Midnight Doctor Who convention in Birmingham.
Anna is well excited at the prospect of getting her photo taken with David Tennant and Billie Piper on Sunday.
There has been so much I have wanted to blog about this week but haven't had time. The equal marriage legislation has been unveiled both north and south of the Border. I am a bit irked by the total exemption for the Churches of England & Wales. Should they ever decide to drag themselves into the 21st century, there will have to be even more legislation to enable it. All the faffing about pandering to religious organisations gets us exactly nowhere. They have a cast iron guarantee that they won't be forced to perform same sex marriages, practically written in Ministers' blood, but still insist on continuing their vocal opposition as if only their freedom mattered.
While I think about it, I can live with our MPs not being whipped. I guess if they were that opposed, even the Wrath of Carmichael, mighty though that is, wouldn't stop them voting how they choose and at least this way it makes it easier for our lot to amend the legislation by, for example, allowing trans people to have their marriages reinstated.
It has seemed over the past few weeks that everyone's wanted a piece of me. I have been monumentally busy. I will get back to blogging properly very soon. Although next week is the week before Christmas and I have not done much in the way of Christmas shopping or preparation.
The ability of the Church of England to opt for marriage equality in the future is not affected. Ecclesiastical law is part of the law of England, and the way that the Church changes it is to ask Parliament to rubber stamp legislation through a special fast track procedure. This could still be done.
ReplyDeleteOr you could disestablish the Church of England and give it the same status as every other church and religion in the UK. Why should it continue to enjoy privileges simply because Henry VIII needed to create it to get divorced and remarried (perhaps the ultimate irony given its continued prejudice against marrying divorcees).
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Chris. And , VL, Iyou won't find any argument from me on that one!
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