Will These Proposed Measures Finally Take The 'heat' Out Of The Marriage Equality Debate?

[sp1814]

http://metro.co.uk/2012/12/11/church-of-england-to-be-banned-from-
carrying-out-gay-marriages-3312009/

One of the major concerns expressed over civil same sex marriages is that religious organisations would have to perform ceremonies that are an affront to them.

It would seem that the government are taking sensible steps to ensure this doesn't happen, and tying it to article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights (rights to religious freedom) looks like a bit of a master stroke (in that once written into law, the legislation would have primacy).

[sp1814]

Not sure what happened to the link:

http://metro.co.uk/2012/12/11/church-of-england-to-be-banned-from-carrying-out-gay-marriages-3312009/

[emmie]

i can't see that Orthodox Jews, or indeed the Muslim fraternity allowing gay marriage to go along in their Synagogue or Mosque, can you?
Haven't the government got better things to be getting on with than this.

[anotheoldgit]

Can't see why so much importance has been given over to this matter when there are much more important matters that should be taking up our politicians time, and which would be more beneficial to the vast majority of citizens of this country, not just a select and small minority?

[woofgang]

I heard about this yesterday. Amazingly it seems to be both a fair and sensible compromise.

[mushroom25]

the test of the government's resolve to sort this issue will be whether or not the parliament act is invoked to force the matter through the house of lords.

[sp1814]

em10

No - that's not quite what the legislation is all about. It allows same sex ceremonies at mosque and synogogues if Muslims and Jews want to perform them. It doesn't impel them to.

Also - you know the the argument 'hasn't the government got anything better to do'? That seems a little strange - its like believing the government can't multitask.

AOG - has the government literally ground to a halt in order to to manage these proposals?

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// AOG - has the government literally ground to a halt in order to to manage these proposals? ///

Of course not, that is just sensationalising the issue. what I am saying though is that other more important matters could have taken preference.

/// It allows same sex ceremonies at mosque /// LOL

Can you ever see that happening?

[modeller]

Apart from the titles Partnership , Marriage, are their any legal differences ?
How about separation and divorce ? Who would be responsible for any adopted children ? How about Inheritance who gets what if you die intestate. It appears it's mainly believers who want this title but what if someone wanted the title but not the blessing of a church ? Could they get 'married' in a registry office ?
I should imagine the Partnership contract may die out if there is no difference from Marriage .

[sp1814]

AOG

what I am saying though is that other more important matters could have taken preference.

I understand what you mean, because it's been it's been chewed over so much in the news. I suspect that the government aren't expending nearly as much time on the issue as the media...

...as evidenced by the activities of goverment departments:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/the-coalition/the-government/

Clicking on the link for each department shows that there are hundreds of initiatives underway...marriage equality is simply one of them.

[sp1814]

modeller

I never thought of that...what happens to civil partnerships when same-sex marriage becomes law???

There's no legal difference between CPs and marriage, but one of the arguments put across is that CPs are 'pretend marriages'. They have all the trappings of marriage and people entering them call them marriages and refer to them as 'our wedding day', but legally, they're no more than agreement dressed up to look like a marriage.


How about separation and divorce? - Not sure about separation, but 'divorce' doesn't exist. It's referred to (I think) as a 'dissolution of the partnership'.

Who would be responsible for any adopted children? - Decided case by case.

How about Inheritance who gets what if you die intestate? In a CP, your partner would automatically inhereit.

Could they get 'married' in a registry office? Yes.

[naomi24]

I can fully appreciate the reasons the church is reluctant to conduct gay marriages, and it seems fair to me that they will not be obliged to. However, I think the new proposals should be taken further. Civil Partnerships should be abandoned completely in favour of ‘marriage’ for those who want to be ‘married’, and the same laws applied across the board regarding divorce or custody of children, but I do think the idea of Civil Partnership should be retained solely for those who want to share their lives and their assets with another, eg, siblings or good friends.

[ZedBloke]

I couldn't give a monkey's testicle about whom get's married to whom and where they do it and what bunch of mythologist carry out the ceremony. I'm more concerned that the government even has this on the agenda, they must have a 1000 more important/relevant things to be getting on with.

[sp1814]

ZedBloke

But the rest of government haven't stopped working in order to concentrate on this. It might seem like it because it's big news at the moment, but that's more to do with the interest the media has with the story, and the fact that special interest groups from both sides of the debate have expended so much time keeping it in the news.

From what I can see, the country hasn't ground to a halt over this.

[Hopkirk]

Am I alone in not being bothered about this whole thing?

[sp1814]

Hopkirk

I suspect you might be in the majority...thank God!

(Ooops...should avoid the 'G' word!)

[naomi24]

How about Zeus ... or Thor? ;o)

[jno]

I don't see why a privileged state organ, which the CofE is in England, should be allowed to opt out of equality laws. Mosques, being a private club, can do as they please. But as long as bishops sit in Parliament, their sees should obey the laws they impose on others.

[Hopkirk]

Yes, perhaps if I believed in a god then I might get more excited about it.

[naomi24]

//as long as bishops sit in Parliament, their sees should obey the laws they impose on others. //

So the answer to that is to remove the bishops from the House of Lords. Good idea.

[youngmafbog]

Just don't get why those that want a marriage cant get on and have one. If the church wont marry you then leave the church, I mean who wants to be married by an organization who hates you.

Its a load of waffle over nothing.