Heterosexual Couple Take Civil Partnership Case To Supreme Court

[Deskdiary]

Can anybody think of a reason (other than the law as it currently stands) as to why heterosexual couples should not be allowed to enter into a civil partnership?

Because I can’t.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41004378

I think the couple make a good point that the current law is “incompatible with equality law”.

[albaqwerty]

I can almost understand their point, but surely it would have even cheaper for them to have gone to a Registry Office and grabbed a couple of witnesses off the street?

[Peter Pedant]

// Pixie - I thought about a will but I don't think that protects against pension rights etc...//

blimey no - oddly enough the pension rights may only be protected for contributions after 1986
and the other differences are
no divorce - dissolution instead
no annulment ( which is religious any way innit )
no scrapping the whole thing thro non-consumation ( hur hur hur)

very important for peope to realise that pension rights and succession rules are the same for marriage and CP

[pixie374]

You can't pass on pension rights in a will, can you?

[QuizmasterG]

is it a case of:
"someone else has something, so I want it too!" (cue foot stamp and trembling lip a la six-year-old)
With all the wars, famines, natural disasters, race riots etc etc etc. is anyone going to start addressing the real issues of the world?

[pixie374]

Equality is a fairly real issue.

[albaqwerty]

agree Pix xx I know what I want to say, but the typed word isn't going to convey it properly.

Equality is Utopia.
We would like every human being to live without fear, hunger or prejudice but that doesn't seem to be how the world works which is very sad.

[mikey4444]

Pixie....no, not normally. Pensions run of what are termed Discretionary Trusts. Its up to the Pension Trustees exactly what to do with a pension of a deceased Member.

In most cases, they will take into account an "Expression of Wish" that a Member has made in their lifetime, but it has to be discretionary, to take into account any wishes that have been made, that are now not possible.

You could, for instance, make a wish that someone should receive any result pension after your death, but that person has pre-deceased you. In that case, the Trustees would then need to make enquiries who would now be suitable.

Some private pensions have conditions attached, that leave nothing to any survivor....ie, the Pension, or more properly, the Annuity dies with you !

[pixie374]

Ah, thank you, mikey x

[albaqwerty]

this is extremely cheery.

I've instructed my private pension pot folk to release funds to either Mr Alba or the youngsters. They quite happily received that written request.
Won't be around to find out if they do pay out on it tho.

[mikey4444]

Alba...if your personal circumstance don't change between now and your eventual death, than I think you can rest easy !

Don't get divorced though !

[zebo]

I recall reading about two elderly sisters who had never married and had lived in the family home since birth but because of the law were disadvantaged in respect of inheritance. They wanted to enter a civil partnership but were told they couldn't, seemed very unfair.

[ummmm]

Zebo - I think that's the story I was thinking about.

[albaqwerty]

Mikey, could have quite happily last night lol
(that's a different story!)

Zebo, I think there's a lot of similar stories regarding siblings, unmarried and living in same house for years and will be penalised re. inheritance tax and such like. Incredibly unfair

[mikey4444]

Zebo....a simple Will would take care of any problems for a couple of sisters like that.

I know of two elderly bachelor brothers, who live together, in the same house that they were born in, and they told me that they had realised a problem might be forthcoming at some point in the future, so visited their Solicitor and he sorted it could without any problems.

[ludwig]

There is no reason, and they are right to say it's incompatible with equality law.

[mikey4444]

Ludwig....reluctantly I must agree, but I am still not sure what a CP will give this couple, that a marriage won't.

Can anyone explain the legal aspects of this please ?

[pixie374]

Choice.

[mikey4444]

Pixie....but what extra choice would this couple have in a CP, rather than a proper marriage ?

[pixie374]

I don't know. It's irrelevant really. Common sense says if something is available for some adults, it should be available for all.

[ludwig]

// Common sense says if something is available for some adults, it should be available for all. //

Exactly. It's not about what it will give them that a marriage won't. It's about not being denied access to a something purely on the grounds of your sexuality.