Partners News No 8 - August 2001
By Dave Percival
On the marriage agenda
Marriage is certainly going to be on the Political agenda over the next year or two, probably driven by two factors:-
- Charles and Camilla - signals are already coming from the palace that the Queen would like to see the situation between Charles and Camilla regularised after the Golden Jubilee next year. This is also steadily growing in popular support. According to the latest Guardian/ICM poll, 43% think the pair should become husband and wife, compared with 32% who object. That represents a sharp turnaround from the situation in August 1998 - a year after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales - when 46% were opposed to a second marriage for Charles and only 35% approved.
- The Gay "marriage" issue - With debate raging in the US, fuelled by a proposed amendment to their constitution to ban same-sex marriages, and with challenges likely under European law following the formal acceptance of homo-sexual "marriage" in Netherlands, it is only a matter of time before the debate is started here. What should our response be? It took the threatened banning of fox hunting to unite the Countryside Aliance - will the Gay "Marriage" issue provide that spark for a Marriage Alliance?
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