Lynne Featherstone: Government Minister for the Promotion of Homosexuality

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, is outshining both his successor and our own Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, in defending natural marriage against the State. He, at least, appears to be publicly conversant in the issues that are at stake if marriage should be redefined by the State. Unlike our own Catholic Archbishop, he appears to be in combatant mood when it comes to defending natural marriage. More power to his elbow.

He knows what is at stake. Let us remind ourselves once more of what, exactly, is at stake. For 'gay marriage' is not fundamentally a movement by the State recognising the inequality and injustice experienced by the lesbian and homosexual community. If that needed to be addressed, it surely already has been. It is only this on surface level. 'Gay marriage' is a radical departure from traditional morality so great, so culturally explosive, so antithetical to societal expectations and norms, so contradictory to objective morality, that it can only be the movement of the State towards totalitarianism.

There was a time when I considered that the smoking ban that came into force in the United Kingdom under the previous Labour Government was primarily to do with smoking and public health. It has taken me time to realise that it was only to do with public health on surface level. It wasn't primarily about smoking being a danger to public health or even about the State performing a blanket ban on a public habit enjoyed by a minority of people and making it illegal in public places for the benefit of a perceived 'health-conscious' majority.  It wasn't about health. It was about the State flexing its muscles over its own citizens. It was primarily about the State telling its own citizens, 'YOU CAN NO LONGER SMOKE IN PUBLIC PLACES'. It was about social control. And my, how we all rolled over to have our tummies tickled by the State. Not for us Brits to light up and stick two fingers up at the CCTV cameras. Not for us to tell train station attendants to kiss our behinds if we're going to put out our fags on this station when only fresh air surrounds us! If only! No, we do just as we are told!

Likewise, 'gay marriage' is not primarily about the State's recognition of the injustice perceived, this time, against a small minority of its citizens - namely homosexuals and lesbians, since grievances have already been addressed. That's what 'Civil Partnerships' were about, remember, even though at Magisterial level, at least, the Catholic Church condemns them as contrary to the natural law and the law of God. 'Gay marriage' is primarily about the State taking a human institution - marriage - and radically altering and changing in substance its meaning and nature. It means that whether those who defend natural marriage are religious in their view - or indeed not - the fact that this issue is being depicted as the Church Vs the State is merely a side-feature of the main event. The main event concerns the State's relationship with YOU and me, its citizens.

Welcome to your future, United Kingdom

It means that whatever YOU thought marriage was, YOU were wrong. Whoever YOU thought was able to define marriage, YOU were wrong. It is primarily to do with the State's desire to control every aspect of human life. It is now up to the State to decide what marriage IS and what marriage IS NOT. What YOU had thought marriage IS NOT now IS. And conversely, what you had thought marriage IS, it IS NOT. Whatever religion may teach, until now, YOU thought marriage was not something which two men can undertake, whether YOU believed in God, or not.

Whatever religion may teach, until now, YOU thought marriage was something that takes place between a man and a woman, whether YOU believed in God, or not. The most human institution of all, marriage, is now believed by the State to be in the hands of the State. The question is, is it safe in the hands of the State? Is anything so fundamental and integral to the human person and to society safe in the hands of the State? The answer to these questions simply has to be: 'No'. The State has no business in this area of human life. By its very actions, the State is over-reaching its remit and its democratic mandate. Even the very fact that this is under discussion in the media should have bells ringing in the houses of all men and women in the United Kingdom, whether those bells are Church bells, or indeed not. Years of propaganda from the liberal media, Stonewall and its supporters in Parliament and the Press have paved the way for this moment by a process of incrementalism aimed at undermining and destabilising Britain's cultural and moral life subtly, until the 'revolution' could be won.

Gay marriage is not fundamentally about recognising the new rights and freedoms of the homosexual community in the United Kingdom. It is about an institution which is universally recognisable as the most human of all institutions, passing from the ownership of Almighty God and humanity itself, to an Almighty State. Be assured, also, that if marriage is redefined, then the new respectability conferred upon 'gay marriage' will soon result in any opposition to the Brave New World, even opposition to gay religious ceremonies taking place in Churches, being crushed, since the State now decides what marriage is - not the Church and not even the citizens of the United Kingdom.

'Gay marriage' is Orwellian in nature. The Equalities Minister, the Head of the 'Department for Equalities' is Orwellian. The idea that this department is interested in just and fair treatment for its citizens is laughable and ridiculous and the current situation, with Lynne Featherstone telling Churches not to 'polarise the debate' by opposing the Government's plans (in other words, by publicly disagreeing with the Government's plans) is straight out of 'Nineteen Eighty Four'. It is absurd. It is beyond parody. It is living satire.

How can a Government minister for a Department for Equality tell religious 'minority' groups (and the Head of the Established Church, HRH the Queen at that) that it basically doesn't matter what they say or what they believe, this 'gay marriage' proposal will go ahead regardless and that they should, basically, all shut up, including Her Majesty? By virtue of the position she holds as Head of 'Equalities', Lynne Featherstone should, by all accounts, resign, along with Trevor Phillips of the Human Rights and Equalities Commission, because it is blatantly obvious that neither she nor he are capable of being objective, impartial or even vaguely 'equal' in their treatment of the concerns of the homosexual lobby and the Churches - two different minorities with very competing views and interests.

The idea of a Government minister in any other department behaving in such an obviously partial manner towards one lobbyist or interest group or of that Minister demonstrating partisanship in such a public and high-handed manner would draw a barrage of criticism resulting perhaps in that minister's resignation or sacking. Why doesn't she just rename her ministerial role to: 'Minister for the Promotion of Homosexuality to the Detriment of Religious Folk and Others Who Aren't Quite Sure About It'?

Astonishingly, Ms Featherboaconstrictor then goes on to tell us that 'this is the will of the people', which will look even more ironic if she repeats such a statement in Holy Week. Remember, citizens of the United Kingdom, Big Brother knows best what is good for you and knows what you should believe, even if you don't quite believe it! Ms Featherstone has the temerity to suggest that this is the 'will of the people' without even asking what the people actually think. Well, we know that David Cameron is making 'gay marriage' a central issue of his Premiership because Lynne Featherstone has today told us so. However, while David Cameron may be committed to the pink cause now, now indeed, that he is in occupying Number 10 Downing Street, Mr Cameron was a little more coy on this subject in the months before he was elected to be PM. Take a look at how reticent Mr Cameron was to promise to a Gay Times journalist anything other than a free vote for the Conservative Party MPs and MEPs in voting on the proposal that he now presents to us as totally in keeping with Conservative tradition and with such evangelistic zeal.



Mr Cameron knew his own party would see that interview. With the Gay Times journalist he therefore found himself between a rock and a hard place, as he attempted to be 'all things to all men' but with none of the holiness of St Paul. Did you notice, also, the astonishing power and influence that the gay lobby, this time in the form of Martin Popplewell, has over even our Prime Ministers?

"Why," he sneers, "should we (speaking on behalf of all gays) vote for you if you won't vote for us?"

It does not enter into Mr Popplewell's thought processes that this could, you know, be an issue of conscience for Conservative MPs and MEPs and that to whip the party into line might cause, you know, bitter resentment and divisions in the party. For the militant gay community, it's all about them, you see, nobody else. A great question for Mr Popplewell from the hapless Mr Cameron could well have been - indeed should have been: 'Why are you convinced that when you represent about 2% of the entire population of the United Kingdom, I should treat your minority's agenda with greater and more urgent concern than those of the rest of the population at a time of deep economic hardship for the country?'

Still, there we have it. That's the power of the pink vote, seemingly! It is true to say that Mr Cameron did 'modernise' the Conservative Party, but it is also true to say he seems not to be a conviction politician, but just another conviction-less politician in an empty suit courting votes. Now, now indeed that he is in office, it is obvious that nothing short of a supervolcano exploding in St James's Park will stall his desire to abandon natural marriage and to do give way to Stonewall's 'conjugal rights', but is it really as popular as he thinks it is, or is it just the concern of a small and liberal elite? For example, this was not the central issue which won the election for the Conservative Party, yet not outright enough to escape Coalition government. It did not form a central part of Mr Cameron's electoral mandate, so why is he so committed to the 'equality cause' now? Anyone would have thought he was Tony Blair or something! So strange that, is it not, that despite the fact that Mr Blair became a Catholic, we can guess that were he to vote in such a bill, he would vote for Stonewall too. Principles and politicans - not a good mix.

'Equalities' Minsiter: Lynne Featherstone MP

But as Lord Carey points out to Lynne Featherboa, if it is really true that the British understanding of marriage has shifted so dramatically in this the early part of the 21st century, so much so that the vast majority of citizens desire that marriage itself be redefined, then let's give the British population an opportunity for the 'will of the people' to be made manifest through a national referendum. Will this happen? Will the 'will of the people' be requested by Parliament? Will it buggery! Excuse my french.

Just as the Abortion Act (1967) paved the way for personhood itself to be redefined, without a referendum, in the public consciousness and those of every future generation of children, so too will the Same-Sex Marriage Bill of 2012 pave the way for marriage to be redefined, without a referendum, in the public consciousness and those of every future generation of children. Mr Cameron is playing with fire. He can expect to get his fingers burnt - if not in this life - then the next. No, what Lord Carey has suggested will not occur. There will be no referendum on this because Lynne and Dave just instinctively know what British citizens really want - and that's 'gay marriage'.

Such an exercise in democracy as a national referendum on the biggest change to English law for 800 years or more is the last thing - the last thing - the Govenrnment intend to do, because this is not just about marriage, but a cultural revolution echoing that of Chairman Mao of China, in which YOU and YOUR FUTURE CHILDREN are to be told by the State what you believe and think of marriage, not your conscience, not the Church, nor even the cultural prejudices of your own particular social milieu. All that will be swept away. This is about progressives dominating both the left and right of the political spectrum using the tools and frightening power of the State to compel the whole population of the United Kingdom to believe something which has always been held as objectively untrue, to be held as suddenly true - that marriage could be redefined by the State to be between parties other than one man and one woman. Ultimately, this is about the State telling you what to think, and, eventually, about banishing any voices which oppose the 'Brave New World', to the wilderness.

Do you really think that if the Same-Sex Marriage Bill is passed in the Year of Our Lord 2012, that spontaneous parties will erupt all over Great Britain, from Hackney to Heathrow, from Bournmouth to Bristol, from Glasgow to Glamorgan? I somehow doubt it. There will be some, and of course, Brighton will love it, but not everywhere, dear readers, as you know, is like Brighton.  There will be pockets of celebrations in parts of the United Kingdom if this law is passed, but there will be a great many people who will be sitting at home watching TV thinking, 'Gay marriage, eh? Well I never. What has the country come to?' Of course, they'll be allowed to think that...for now...but Heaven help the first British child who stands up in front of the classroom and says, 'But Miss, I believe, and my mummy and daddy believe, that marriage is between men and women because that's how babies are made'. Heaven help that child and Heaven help that child's parents because in 21st century Britain, the State owns marriage and what YOU may or may not think about it.