Introducg gay marriage one of my proust moments: former PM David Cameron | ITV News

Contents:

• DAVID CAMERON: GAY PRI? OF URSE I HAVE GAY PRI!
• I DISLIKE DAVID CAMERON, BUT HE WAS RIGHT ON GAY MARRIAGE
• DAVID CAMERON: MY WIFE SAMANTHA NVCED ME TO TRODUCE GAY MARRIAGE
• INTRODUCG GAY MARRIAGE ONE OF MY PROUST MOMENTS: FORMER PM DAVID CAMERON
• DAVID CAMERON APOLOGIS TO GAY PEOPLE FOR SECTN 28
• DAVID CAMERON STUMBL THROUGH TERVIEW ON GAY RIGHTS
• DAVID CAMERON SAYS LEGALISG GAY MARRIAGE WAS ONE OF HIS REER HIGHLIGHTS - FOR AN EXTRA SPECIAL REASON
• DAVID CAMERON REVEALS HE 'WORRIED AND WOBBLED' OVER GAY MARRIAGE
• DAVID CAMERON SAYS HE IS ‘PROUD’ OF GAY MARRIAGE BILL
• WATCH DAVID CAMERON'S POWERFUL FAL GAY PRI SPEECH TELLG PEOPLE TO 'BE YOURSELF'
• A POLICIAN SHOWS REAL COURAGE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• WHY DAVID CAMERON BACKS GAY MARRIAGEWHY DAVID CAMERON BACKS GAY MARRIAGE—AND WHAT THE GOP N LEARN OM HIM. BY ALEX MASSIE.ALEX MASSIEUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 9:19PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 19, 2011 2:59PM EDT ANDREW WNG, RTERS / LANDOVIF EVER YOU NEED REMDG THAT BRA AND THE UNED STAT ARE DIVID BY A MON LANGUAGE, NSIR THE FACT THAT A CONSERVATIVE-LED ERNMENT LONDON NOW ENDORS GAY MARRIAGE. AS NTENRS FOR THE REPUBLIN PARTY'S PRINTIAL NOMATN SIST THAT SAME-SEX MARRIAG MT STROY MARRIAGE, THEIR NSERVATIVE UNTERPARTS BRA ARGUE THAT POLICS AND MORALY ALIKE REQUIRE THE ERNMENT TO M TO LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAG.CONSEQUENTLY DAVID CAMERON'S ERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED A NSULTATN ON TRODUCG LEGISLATN LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAG BEFORE THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTN, SCHLED FOR 2015. CCIALLY, THE NSULTATN IS NOT A MATTER OF "WHETHER" TO WELE GAY UPL TO THE MARAL FOLD BUT "HOW" TO DO SO. IT IS A WELE VELOPMENT.SUPPORTG GAY MARRIAGE, THOUGH TOO MUCH FOR THE CSTIER BREED OF NSERVATIVE, IS NEVERTHELS A SOUND TORY PRCIPLE: MMENT NNOT BE TERMED BY SEXUALY, AND THERE'S NO REASON TO NY OR REFE TO RPECT THE SCERY AND VALUE OF SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS. A POLIL PARTY THAT BELIEV THE VALUE OF MARRIAGE SHOULD NOT BE RTRICTG S BENEFS TO HETEROSEXUAL UPL.SO THIS VELOPMENT SATISFI LIBERAL ASPIRATNS WHILE ALSO, HAPPILY, MONSTRATG THE VALUE OF TIMELS TORY PRCIPL. SOCIETY CHANG, AND THE PROPER SORT OF TORY, HOWEVER MUCH THE PAST ATTRACTS HIM, APPRECIAT THAT NSERVATIV MT ALSO CHANGE IF THEY'RE TO PROTECT THE VALU THEY HOLD MOST AR AND REMA RELEVANT A MUCH-CHANGED WORLD. CAMERON IS KEEPG A PROMISE HE MA WHEN HE BEME TORY LEAR. AS LONG AGO AS 2006, HE CLARED, "THERE'S SOMETHG SPECIAL ABOUT MARRIAGE. IT'S NOT ABOUT RELIGN. IT'S NOT ABOUT MORALY. IT'S ABOUT MMENT. WHEN YOU STAND UP THERE, ONT OF YOUR IENDS AND YOUR FAY, ONT OF THE WORLD, WHETHER 'S A CHURCH OR ANYWHERE ELSE, WHAT YOU'RE DOG REALLY MEANS SOMETHG. PLEDGG YOURSELF TO ANOTHER MEANS DOG SOMETHG BRAVE AND IMPORTANT. YOU ARE MAKG A MMENT. YOU ARE PUBLICLY SAYG: 'S NOT JT ABOUT 'ME, ME, ME' ANYMORE. IT IS ABOUT WE: TOGETHER, THE TWO OF , THROUGH THICK AND TH. THAT REALLY MATTERS. AND BY THE WAY, MEANS SOMETHG WHETHER YOU'RE A MAN AND A WOMAN, A WOMAN AND A WOMAN, OR A MAN AND ANOTHER MAN."IT ED TO BE SAID THAT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND WAS THE TORY PARTY AT PRAYER. DOUBTLS REMAS THE SE THAT RELIG BRONS ARE, ALL OTHER MATTERS BEG EQUAL, MORE LIKELY TO VOTE CONSERVATIVE. BUT AS FAR AS CIVIL MARRIAGE IS NCERNED, THERE IS NO NEED TO PANR TO THE OBJECTNS OF A FAHFUL MORY. INED, BRA IS A LARGELY SECULAR SOCIETY THE DAYS AND, AT LEAST AS FAR AS SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS ARE NCERNED, A MUCH MORE CIVILIZED PLACE THAN WAS THE SE YEARS GONE BY.EVEN SO, IS STRIKG HOW QUICKLY SOCIETY HAS CHANGED. HOMOSEXUALY WAS CRIMALIZED ONLY 1967; LS THAN 50 YEARS LATER, A CONSERVATIVE-LED ERNMENT IS PREPARG TO LEGALIZE HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAG. BY DOG SO, ACCEPTS THE ARGUMENT THAT CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—TRODUCED BY TONY BLAIR'S ERNMENT—ARE AN UNSATISFACTORY PROMISE THAT, ACTUALLY, DO MUCH MORE TO UNRME THE STUTN OF MARRIAGE THAN DO WELG GAY UPL TO THE MARAL NGREGATN.MOREOVER, CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—A STEP FORWARD AS THEY MAY ONCE HAVE BEEN—STILL FALL SHORT OF FULL EQUALY. ELIMATG THIS DISCREPANCY— SEEMS LIKELY THAT CAMERON'S MISSN WILL REMEND SCRAPPG CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—REMOV THE STIGMA, HOWEVER MOR MAY HAVE SEEMED TO SOME, OF SEND-CLASS STAT.THE CHURCH MAY DISAGREE. BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO GRANT THEM A VETO OVER THE CIVIL FN OF MARRIAGE. IT IS UNLIKELY CHURCH WILL BE PELLED TO REGNIZE GAY MARRIAG ANY MORE THAN A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIT MT BE CHEERFULLY EXPECTED TO OFFICIATE AT A PROTTANT MARRIAGE CEREMONY. THOUGH OFTEN NFLATED, THE CIVIL AND RELIG STAMPS OF APPROVAL ARE DIFFERENT, AND THE LATTER NEED NOT BE EXPECTED FOR EVERY BRAND OF CIVIL MARRIAGE.CAMERON'S OFFICE BRIEFED REPORTERS THAT THE ERNMENT'S CISN TO UPGRA SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS OM CIVIL-PARTNERSHIP STAT TO FULL-SLE, NO-HOLDS-BARRED, NO-QUTNS-ASKED MARRIAGE WAS BACKED, AND ED PROMPTED, BY THE PRIME MISTER'S ENTHIASM FOR THE ISSUE.THERE IS A POLIL BENEF TO BE GAED OM THIS, TOO: RERC CAMERON'S OWN BRAND OF "PASSNATE NSERVATISM" AND UNRL THE FACT THAT, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE MIGHT THK ABOUT HIS ENOMIC POLICY, HE HAS CHANGED THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY FOR REAL AND FOR GOOD.MORE THAN ANYTHG ELSE, HOWEVER, REGNIZ THAT SOCIETY HAS CHANGED AND, RRPONDGLY, SO MT SENSIBLE NSERVATIV. BY DOG SO, THEY MAY MAKE A VIRTUE OUT OF NECSY AND EVABILY WHILE REAFFIRMG THE SENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE. LOW POLICS AND HIGH PRCIPLE MEET A NVENIENT BUT PASSNATE MARRIAGE OF THEIR OWN. EVENTUALLY, PERHAPS, EVEN THE REPUBLIN PARTY THE UNED STAT WILL APPRECIATE THIS. ALEX MASSIE

DAVID CAMERON: GAY PRI? OF URSE I HAVE GAY PRI!

I was prime mister, drivg forward a bill that would allow gay people to get married. For ten years now, gay upl have been able to get married.

Gay marriage quickly beme one of those reforms that ends up a permanent fixture: no party would serly ntemplate s repeal. It may have been dly ntroversial at the time, but gay marriage quickly beme one of those reforms that ends up a permanent fixture: no party would serly ntemplate s repeal.

I DISLIKE DAVID CAMERON, BUT HE WAS RIGHT ON GAY MARRIAGE

There are some perfectly good arguments to be ma that Cameron don’t serve real cred on gay marriage. Some would claim Tori such as Gee Osborne and Boris Johnson were braver on gay equaly.

“It was only through long nversatns wh lleagu, iends and my wife, Samantha, that I beme nvced that nyg gay upl the abily to get married ma them feel like their love for one another unted for ls than straight upl, ” he Cameron said he uld ‘always’ see the practil arguments favour of gay marriage (Getty)“It wasn’t jt about symbolism – they wanted to show mment to one another the same way as heterosexual upl. ”Mr Cameron, who had “somethg of a nvert’s zeal myself” wrote that he uld “always” see the “practil arguments” favour of gay people beg allowed to get ex-PM, who qu polics after losg the EU referendum 2016, also scribed attendg his first gay weddg after the law me to effect. ”Mr Cameron’s aln ernment ultimately passed the Marriage (Same Sex Coupl) Bill wh a large majory beme law the followg year, allowg same-sex upl to marry civil ceremoni and relig ceremoni where the church has “opted ” Church of England and the Catholic church still do not regnise same-sex marriag, although the former recently said would perm misters to bls civil 2023 marks 20 years sce Sectn 28, the law that banned the ‘promotn of homosexualy’ the UK, was Month started on 1 June and the ma event London, expected to attract more than a ln visors, tak place on 1 July and will feature paras, parti and protts.

DAVID CAMERON: MY WIFE SAMANTHA NVCED ME TO TRODUCE GAY MARRIAGE

He tells Michael that he always knew he was gay, but he thought if he worked and received higher tn he uld be anythg, cludg straight. David Cameron said the troductn of same sex marriage was one of his proust moments as Prime Mister, havg worried and “wobbled” over the issue the face of some heated opposn wh the Conservative his tobgraphy, Mr Cameron says he do, however, regret abstag om votg on a motn put by Tory lleague Ia Dunn Smh to block gay upl’ right to adopt children, rather than votg agast . So I don’t support gay marriage spe beg a Conservative, I support gay marriage bee I am a Conservative.

”Mr Cameron still laments, however, his actn over an ultimately unsuccsful bid to prevent gay people om adoptg. “I also end up abstag on — rather than votg agast — Ia Dunn Smh’s rejectn of gay upl’ right to adopt, ” he said. Guardian journalist Owen Jon tweeted a simple “no” rponse to the news, while almost two thoand others retweeted an attack on Cameron cg the alarmg 147 per cent rise homophobic hate crim sce the EU referendum vote.

I don’t buy the Tory iology, but I do buy his ’s an often fotten fact that David Cameron backed equal marriage before Barack ObamaGay rights aren’t pots to be sredHistory has a tenncy to be re-wrten.

INTRODUCG GAY MARRIAGE ONE OF MY PROUST MOMENTS: FORMER PM DAVID CAMERON

Cameron and Clegg uld have done their time Downg Street whout a gay rights fight – wasn’t any party manifto.

When I terviewed Tony Blair for Gay Tim’ 30th anniversary, he told me he regretted not gog for full marriage equaly ernment. David Cameron has embarked on another major step the mornisatn of the Conservative party by offerg a public apology for sectn 28, the notor legislatn which banned the "promotn" of homosexualy a gture hailed by gay rights mpaigners as "historic", Cameron nmned sectn 28 as "offensive to gay people" and predicted that a Conservative would bee Bra's first openly gay prime Tory lear, who voted agast the repeal of sectn 28 as recently as 2003, reached out to the gay muny on Tuday night at a Tory fundraisg event lked to Gay Pri this weekend. "Y, we may have sometim been slow and, y, we may have ma mistak, cludg Sectn 28, but the change has happened, " Cameron said of the repeal of the legislatn origally passed 1988 when Margaret Thatcher was prime remarks reported by the Pk Paper, he admted that he did not have a "perfect rerd" on gay rights, a reference to his cisn 2003 to vote for the retentn of sectn 28.

But he add: "It do give me great pri to be standg here to celebrate Gay Pri and all you have achieved. "If five years ago we had a Conservative and Gay Pri party, I don't thk many gay people would have e or many Conservativ would have e. The Conservativ had the first woman prime mister and we are bound to have the first black prime mister and the first gay prime mister.

DAVID CAMERON APOLOGIS TO GAY PEOPLE FOR SECTN 28

"Did Mr Woodward orr a survey of lol opn about the issue that triggered his rignatn – clse 28 and the promotn of homosexualy schools? "However as recently as last year, Cameron alarmed gay and lbian mpaigners by votg to rtrict accs for lbian upl hopg to nceive children through vro fertilisatn (IVF) the surprise of Tory mornisers he supported a Commons amendment by the former Conservative lear Ia Dunn Smh that would have strengthened existg laws to make IVF clics nsir the "need for a father and a mother" before allowg women to beg fertily treatment. Exceptnally good gay themed movie.

I am always pleased when I see a gay themed movie wh good actg, an engagg story, and high productn valu. Chad Connell put a very strong performance as an emotnally nflicted gay man as he go through a major psychologil crisis.

DAVID CAMERON STUMBL THROUGH TERVIEW ON GAY RIGHTS

The film has lots of ndy eye, but that don't seem to be a problem for an homophobic dience, sce the plot velopment not is too aggrsive, at least om my pot of view. The story pulled me and even though the plot twist at the end which I won't reveal (spoiled other reviews anway) isn't as well executed as one might hope, still took me by surprise and felt actg by lead actor Chad Connell as Daniel is by far the bt aspect as he livers a solid and rtraed, subtle yet effective performance as a tormented gay man tryg to e to grips wh his realy. Gay man mental breakdown yawnathon.

OK so I thought to myself "hmmm gay films are never ually that good. The 't get me wrong, I totally get why they did this and I'm not sayg didn't make sense bee did, but jt h me the gut when they revealed a lot of gay films out there suck. In fact, I serly don't know how the producer got the money to create this movie wh such polish (then aga, this is a Canadian film, so I'm sure they got a public grant for their required quota of gay films per year).

This is one of those gay films that I'll e back to and thk about how ma me feel. Gay-themed psychologil drama. If you are not seekg an actn-oriented film, but more of a character study wh eye ndy, then I would remend this film as most gay- themed films have vapid characters and unimagative plots.

DAVID CAMERON SAYS LEGALISG GAY MARRIAGE WAS ONE OF HIS REER HIGHLIGHTS - FOR AN EXTRA SPECIAL REASON

It's not too bad but 's kda bad pared to other gay-themed movie. Here we have a gay paranormal story about a hot, succsful talk show host who be disabled wh panic attacks, which stem om a childhood trma. Connell a real gay romance....

You reer md, wholome, mature, mascule gay men who happen to fall love.

I me to this expected a n-of-the-l bad homo film, but this was so paful to watch I had to dig up my lost IMDb log tails to warn people off story is a b flat and rny, the dialogue is chey and the sre is so far over-the-top as to be jarrg. Basilly, for a homo film you'd almost be better jt watchg st do okay wh the material but, really, you would be better off watchg pretty much anythg you are very to stori about people gog mad, or jt really, really, really want to see Chad Connell naked.

DAVID CAMERON REVEALS HE 'WORRIED AND WOBBLED' OVER GAY MARRIAGE

I am here to tell you, I have yet to see a more attractive (and mascule) male lead any gay love story. There is not a gay man alive who won't be thkg about him long after the movie ends. Tory lear asked for mera to be swched off while he gathered his thoughts discsn about gay rights Gay TimDavid Cameron's efforts to prent the Conservativ as a mornised party suffered a blow yterday when he stumbled an terview over gay Tory lear has attempted to reach out to the gay muny as part of his attempts to persua voters that the Tory party has changed s views on equaly he repeatedly faltered a vio terview wh Gay Tim magaze, at one pot askg for the mera to be swched off while he gathered his Bradshaw, the culture secretary, who is gay, acced Cameron of makg a "major gaffe" the terview Cameron was prsed on why, light of his recent pronouncements on gay rights, his MEPs refed to support a motn nmng a homophobic law agreed that gay equaly was a fundamental human right, before gog on to say that the Tori ually had ee vot on equaly issu.

"The party lear has assiduoly been urtg the gay vote over the past 12 months and the party is fieldg a number of openly gay ndidat at the next general summer, Cameron offered a public apology for sectn 28, the ntroversial Tory legislatn troduced the 1980s that banned the "promotn" of homosexualy schools. Cameron also predicted at a gay pri event last summer that a Conservative would bee Bra's first openly gay prime issue of gay rights surfaced as the ernment nfirmed that cg hatred agast gay people bee of their sexualy is now a crimal offence that n lead to a jail term of up to seven Eagle, the junr jtice mister, nied that the measure, aimed at those stirrg up "homophobic hatred", would affect edians makg polilly rrect said: "Intentnally stirrg up hatred bee of sexual orientatn will not be tolerated.

DAVID CAMERON SAYS HE IS ‘PROUD’ OF GAY MARRIAGE BILL

"The move was weled by a mpaign group for gay rights.

WATCH DAVID CAMERON'S POWERFUL FAL GAY PRI SPEECH TELLG PEOPLE TO 'BE YOURSELF'

Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, said would enurage more lbians and gays to report hate crim. "Lbian, gay and bisexual people are entled to live whout fear like everyone else, " he said.

Speakg at the 2012 Conservative Party nference, Cameron said his missn as lear was to show “the Conservative party is for everyone: North or South, black or whe, straight or gay.

Cameron support of same-sex marriage was laid out 2011, when he said: “I don’t support gay marriage spe of beg a Conservative.

A POLICIAN SHOWS REAL COURAGE ON GAY MARRIAGE

I support gay marriage bee I am a Conservative. David Cameron says legalisg gay marriage was one of his reer highlights - for an extra special reasonUnr-prsure Labour lear Jeremy Corbyn said he didn't often see eye-to-eye wh the ex-Conservative lear - but there were some thgs he should be thanked forVio LoadgVio UnavailableGay marriage: Corbyn and Cameron's mon groundOutgog PM David Cameron today explaed how legalisg gay marriage led to one of his favoure moments the job.

He told MPs at his fal PMQs this lunchtime that there are 30, 000 gay people our untry who the last six years have been able to get married, clarg "real progrs".

WHY DAVID CAMERON BACKS GAY MARRIAGEWHY DAVID CAMERON BACKS GAY MARRIAGE—AND WHAT THE GOP N LEARN OM HIM. BY ALEX MASSIE.ALEX MASSIEUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 9:19PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 19, 2011 2:59PM EDT ANDREW WNG, RTERS / LANDOVIF EVER YOU NEED REMDG THAT BRA AND THE UNED STAT ARE DIVID BY A MON LANGUAGE, NSIR THE FACT THAT A CONSERVATIVE-LED ERNMENT LONDON NOW ENDORS GAY MARRIAGE. AS NTENRS FOR THE REPUBLIN PARTY'S PRINTIAL NOMATN SIST THAT SAME-SEX MARRIAG MT STROY MARRIAGE, THEIR NSERVATIVE UNTERPARTS BRA ARGUE THAT POLICS AND MORALY ALIKE REQUIRE THE ERNMENT TO M TO LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAG.CONSEQUENTLY DAVID CAMERON'S ERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED A NSULTATN ON TRODUCG LEGISLATN LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAG BEFORE THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTN, SCHLED FOR 2015. CCIALLY, THE NSULTATN IS NOT A MATTER OF "WHETHER" TO WELE GAY UPL TO THE MARAL FOLD BUT "HOW" TO DO SO. IT IS A WELE VELOPMENT.SUPPORTG GAY MARRIAGE, THOUGH TOO MUCH FOR THE CSTIER BREED OF NSERVATIVE, IS NEVERTHELS A SOUND TORY PRCIPLE: MMENT NNOT BE TERMED BY SEXUALY, AND THERE'S NO REASON TO NY OR REFE TO RPECT THE SCERY AND VALUE OF SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS. A POLIL PARTY THAT BELIEV THE VALUE OF MARRIAGE SHOULD NOT BE RTRICTG S BENEFS TO HETEROSEXUAL UPL.SO THIS VELOPMENT SATISFI LIBERAL ASPIRATNS WHILE ALSO, HAPPILY, MONSTRATG THE VALUE OF TIMELS TORY PRCIPL. SOCIETY CHANG, AND THE PROPER SORT OF TORY, HOWEVER MUCH THE PAST ATTRACTS HIM, APPRECIAT THAT NSERVATIV MT ALSO CHANGE IF THEY'RE TO PROTECT THE VALU THEY HOLD MOST AR AND REMA RELEVANT A MUCH-CHANGED WORLD. CAMERON IS KEEPG A PROMISE HE MA WHEN HE BEME TORY LEAR. AS LONG AGO AS 2006, HE CLARED, "THERE'S SOMETHG SPECIAL ABOUT MARRIAGE. IT'S NOT ABOUT RELIGN. IT'S NOT ABOUT MORALY. IT'S ABOUT MMENT. WHEN YOU STAND UP THERE, ONT OF YOUR IENDS AND YOUR FAY, ONT OF THE WORLD, WHETHER 'S A CHURCH OR ANYWHERE ELSE, WHAT YOU'RE DOG REALLY MEANS SOMETHG. PLEDGG YOURSELF TO ANOTHER MEANS DOG SOMETHG BRAVE AND IMPORTANT. YOU ARE MAKG A MMENT. YOU ARE PUBLICLY SAYG: 'S NOT JT ABOUT 'ME, ME, ME' ANYMORE. IT IS ABOUT WE: TOGETHER, THE TWO OF , THROUGH THICK AND TH. THAT REALLY MATTERS. AND BY THE WAY, MEANS SOMETHG WHETHER YOU'RE A MAN AND A WOMAN, A WOMAN AND A WOMAN, OR A MAN AND ANOTHER MAN."IT ED TO BE SAID THAT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND WAS THE TORY PARTY AT PRAYER. DOUBTLS REMAS THE SE THAT RELIG BRONS ARE, ALL OTHER MATTERS BEG EQUAL, MORE LIKELY TO VOTE CONSERVATIVE. BUT AS FAR AS CIVIL MARRIAGE IS NCERNED, THERE IS NO NEED TO PANR TO THE OBJECTNS OF A FAHFUL MORY. INED, BRA IS A LARGELY SECULAR SOCIETY THE DAYS AND, AT LEAST AS FAR AS SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS ARE NCERNED, A MUCH MORE CIVILIZED PLACE THAN WAS THE SE YEARS GONE BY.EVEN SO, IS STRIKG HOW QUICKLY SOCIETY HAS CHANGED. HOMOSEXUALY WAS CRIMALIZED ONLY 1967; LS THAN 50 YEARS LATER, A CONSERVATIVE-LED ERNMENT IS PREPARG TO LEGALIZE HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAG. BY DOG SO, ACCEPTS THE ARGUMENT THAT CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—TRODUCED BY TONY BLAIR'S ERNMENT—ARE AN UNSATISFACTORY PROMISE THAT, ACTUALLY, DO MUCH MORE TO UNRME THE STUTN OF MARRIAGE THAN DO WELG GAY UPL TO THE MARAL NGREGATN.MOREOVER, CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—A STEP FORWARD AS THEY MAY ONCE HAVE BEEN—STILL FALL SHORT OF FULL EQUALY. ELIMATG THIS DISCREPANCY— SEEMS LIKELY THAT CAMERON'S MISSN WILL REMEND SCRAPPG CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS—REMOV THE STIGMA, HOWEVER MOR MAY HAVE SEEMED TO SOME, OF SEND-CLASS STAT.THE CHURCH MAY DISAGREE. BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO GRANT THEM A VETO OVER THE CIVIL FN OF MARRIAGE. IT IS UNLIKELY CHURCH WILL BE PELLED TO REGNIZE GAY MARRIAG ANY MORE THAN A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIT MT BE CHEERFULLY EXPECTED TO OFFICIATE AT A PROTTANT MARRIAGE CEREMONY. THOUGH OFTEN NFLATED, THE CIVIL AND RELIG STAMPS OF APPROVAL ARE DIFFERENT, AND THE LATTER NEED NOT BE EXPECTED FOR EVERY BRAND OF CIVIL MARRIAGE.CAMERON'S OFFICE BRIEFED REPORTERS THAT THE ERNMENT'S CISN TO UPGRA SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS OM CIVIL-PARTNERSHIP STAT TO FULL-SLE, NO-HOLDS-BARRED, NO-QUTNS-ASKED MARRIAGE WAS BACKED, AND ED PROMPTED, BY THE PRIME MISTER'S ENTHIASM FOR THE ISSUE.THERE IS A POLIL BENEF TO BE GAED OM THIS, TOO: RERC CAMERON'S OWN BRAND OF "PASSNATE NSERVATISM" AND UNRL THE FACT THAT, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE MIGHT THK ABOUT HIS ENOMIC POLICY, HE HAS CHANGED THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY FOR REAL AND FOR GOOD.MORE THAN ANYTHG ELSE, HOWEVER, REGNIZ THAT SOCIETY HAS CHANGED AND, RRPONDGLY, SO MT SENSIBLE NSERVATIV. BY DOG SO, THEY MAY MAKE A VIRTUE OUT OF NECSY AND EVABILY WHILE REAFFIRMG THE SENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE. LOW POLICS AND HIGH PRCIPLE MEET A NVENIENT BUT PASSNATE MARRIAGE OF THEIR OWN. EVENTUALLY, PERHAPS, EVEN THE REPUBLIN PARTY THE UNED STAT WILL APPRECIATE THIS. ALEX MASSIE

Cameron is proud of legalisg gay marriage durg his Premiership.