'I will not back gay marriage'

“Years ago when I was a young man -Yes 'years ago', as I took my first tentative steps into the big world -going to pubs and stuff, I came acroos expressions new to me, such as 'Common Law Marriage'.
I'd hear someone say, 'They're a "common law couple'... That sounded to my naive 'christian ears' as more than "different" -it made the couple in question appear as 'adventurous rebles' -Sort of saying to the world, and especially to the snooty world of "Authority and the Church' -"DON'T PRY INTO OUR AFFAIRS -THEY'RE PRIVATE OK !"
These people seemed in my young eyes (1950s/60s) -exciting and independent -carefree. Their kids were happy and well cared for, they were well liked in the pub or when in the Market or Betting Office -I was attracted to their way of seeing the world.
Now I came to learn much later in life -that contrary to popular belief at the time -THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS 'common law marriage' -it was simply ad way of giving it a 'euphmistic' stamp of approval. But they didn't care about that -their bottom linee was -"WE LIVE TOGETHER, WE LOVE OUR KIDS, AND IT'S NOBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS -SO "KEEP OUT -PRIVATE"

What's all the fuss? Why don't the gays and lesbians who love each other, just say -'We're a common law couple' -it's private and no one else's business.

Cerimonies Cerimonies Celebrities Celebrities -'we belong -we're here to be noticed -SO B L O O D Y WELL LOOK WILL YOU !!"
My great grandad is buried in a 'Common Grave' (also known as a 'paupers' Grave' or 'Public Grave') -and I feel just as 'connected' to him as I do to his son, my grandad -who was buried in a 'proper' marked Grave.

NB For the record; the founder of Josiah Spode in Stoke -his father is buried in a paupers' Grave in a Longton Cemetery. Long dead -but not forgotten. Documents don't dictate how people live and leave their mark.”

“@ Notanumber
Likewise, I'm not bothered by the thought of 2 people who love each other marrying regardless of their sexuality,
I couldn't care less, I'm a 'straight' bloke, so the religious, (and the h0m0phobic) are perfectly happy to 'allow' me to marry the human I love,
What DOES bother me though, is discrimination and ignorance often hiding behind religious beliefs, I very much doubt that more than 1 in 5 of those who say their opposition is due to 'deeply felt' religious beliefs, follow the bible to the exact 'letter of the law' but like the vast majority of the 'devout' they cherry pick the parts that suit them,

Either, the bible is the direct word of God and must be obeyed without question or deviation (unless one fancies an eternity of red hot pokers up ya sheriffs badge).... or it isn't,

Because I dont remember the bible lesson that said,
"These are my commandments and laws, thou mayest pick and choose which of them thou feelest suit thee best, and thou mayest cast by the wayside and spurn those that may trouble thee and cause thee to feel a pain in thine a***"

Perhaps one of the pious and devout amongst us sinners can point me to the chapter and verse?”

“We're on the same page for once Garry,

and @ easylife, Any MP who had said they would NOT vote for this before any election would NOT have got MY vote,
I'm for the promotion and advancement of equality for EVERYONE before the law and before God, (for those who believe in witch doctors n sky pixies) and that's regardless of financial 'status' age, race, gender, nationality, skin colour, religious beliefs, or none, politics and sexuality,

But 'some' of the 'so called' believers, seem to think their God condones treating some of his 'flock' differently to others,

Ya know, we often see a lot of angry posts on this site (and quite rightly) about Islam and the way 'some' of it's followers treat women,
We see words like, primitive, barbaric, cruel, and backward, used to describe the way 'some' of it's followers treat human beings who just happen to be women,
and yet, some of the very same people who are so quick to be indigant and outraged by the treatment of human beings who just happen to be women, by some followers of Islam,
are perfectly OK with christianity and 'some' christians, treating human beings who just happen to be homosexuals differently than the way they treat hetrosexuals, they must be 2nd class or lesser examples of "God's image" eh?

Hypocrisy ........ anyone?”

“I had to smile the other day when I read that among the straight general population, marriage figures had recently fallen dramatically. This at a time when people in same sex relationships were pushing for the church to allow marriage services for themselves. However, there are worse things going on in this world than what's being asked for by homosexuals. Let them marry in church, but don't expect everyone to understand or agree with that need or partake. Personally, I'm not bothered either way.”

“Here we go again, same old arguments. No political party has made a manifesto commitment on the subject, so arguments based on political affiliations must be invalid. And to say, "This is not the Labour party I voted for..." is ridiculous. No one voted Labour so that they could go around holding hands in the Men's bar or chaps kissing each other under the mistletoe. There were far more important issues to be addressed. (By the way, KingTut, I don't mind girls kissing each other if they so wish - I'm very broadminded).

However, in my opinion, it's wrong. (I presume I'm allowed an opinion)”

“STICK TO YOUR GUNS ROB”

“Even Flello disregards your view.

As he says: 'This is not as matter of faith'.

He believe that the State should not rewrite the laws of marriage.

That is a complete nonsense and a complete cop out of responsibility.

MPs are there to rewrite the law and to update them according to current climates.
That is what we pay them to do.

He is happy that discrimination carries on regardless and he is using some sort of religious (loosly) angle to prop up his discriminatory inner beliefs.

We wrote the laws on marriage and we can, and must, change them.”

“No MP has the mandate to vote for this, it didn't appear in any manifesto. If I'd known that my Labour MP was going to vote for this, I wouldn't have voted for her at the last election. I noticed that Joan Whalley has not commented on this matter. I e-mailed her two weeks ago, asking for her opinion, and as of yet, no reply has been received. It's interesting to see the comment from the grassroots Labour member, it might be that Rob Flello is listening to his constiuents instead of taking them for granted. It was this contempt for the voters that lost Labour the last election.”

“Here we go again, people being discriminated against based on nothing more than religous mumbo jumbo, as it says in the report, His church didn't select him or elect him.”

“Flello's stance is not disappointing at all.

It is typical.”