By accepting that 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland could vote on their future during the Scottish referendum, we undermined the case for not extending the franchise further.
Also: Sargeant’s son to contest his seat at Welsh by-election; and Labour may use direct rule to align Northern Irieland with the mainland on abortion and gay marriage.
Ulster citizens deserve the same marriage rights as their fellow Britons. But a recent bid to secure them through the courts was wrong.
Also: Green MSP hits out at nationalist hardliners; cracks appear in DUP’s gay marriage position; and Northern Irish Labour officers resign over infiltration.
Over time, proposals have either been denounced as politically correct nonsense, or embraced with an enthusiastic “me, too”-ism. Neither approach is exactly rigorous.
The Scottish Conservative leader is fine-tuning the art of intervening on the subject in a way which emphasises not just her own liberal credentials, but the Party’s.
An under-informed London media is allowing the province to be cruelly misrepresented. Ulster voices are the only antidote.
I was instrumental this year in getting the gay pardon legislation extended to Northern Ireland. Significantly, this was accomplished with the assent of the DUP.
Also: Davies defends Welsh devo-sceptics; Tory peer spearheads bid for gay marriage in Ulster; Davidson attacks SNP’s policy vacuum; and Foster comes out swinging for Brexit.
Politicians have mostly failed to have the difficult but necessary discussion about what happens when one protected characteristic clashes with another.
Also: Davies defends Johnson; Fox’s bid to quit EU customs union heightens Irish border concerns; Brexit fails to boost Scottish separatism; and more.
Controversial among Conservatives – but one of the landmarks pieces of legislation for which he will be remembered.
The media never understood him, and was surprised both by his successes and his failures.
A significant slice of Party members will share Leadsom’s view on same-sex marriage. A larger proportion will value the role of the churches.
Those who voted against same-sex marriage were more likely to support Leadsom than those who voted for the legislation, whilst the opposite was true for Gove.