burntcopper: (Default)
burntcopper ([personal profile] burntcopper) wrote2002-07-29 02:25 pm

Gay MPs and the like

read here. Shadow Foriegn Secretary has come out as gay. Previous Conservative MPs that came out lost their seats pretty quickly or were forced to resign. Matthew Parris, one of the more respected politics journalists only came out after he stopped being a Conservative MP. There's plenty of out and proud Labour and Liberal MPs, and we're just waiting to see if the Conservatives will finally move into the 20th century, let alone the 21st.

Best reaction - if you scroll down - is 'So what?'. Most of the people who've posted their viewpoints have said something similar. And trust me, non-reactionary views on the talking point section of the BBC are rare as hell.

[identity profile] cangetmad.livejournal.com 2002-07-29 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, but the test is: can a gay Tory get selected as a candidate and win the election? It's all very well being out when you've got your safe seat and your front-bench job, especially when Duncan Smith's been farting on about a more "tolerant" Tory party (woohoo! I love to be tolerated!). So, I'll think it's no big deal when a poof (or a dyke. Yeah, right.) gets past a selection committee of blue-haired ladies. And it'll be a while yet.

[identity profile] blue-monday.livejournal.com 2002-07-29 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
It's this that annoys me:
"Mrs May told BBC Radio 4's World at One that, combined with her appointment as chairman, Mr Duncan's announcement showed the Conservatives were an "open, decent and tolerant" party. "

Big deal. One MP.

And yes, it's so nice to be 'tolerated' isn't it *rolls eyes*

Anne Widdecombe's comments made me laugh though.

Re:

[identity profile] burntcopper.livejournal.com 2002-07-29 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm. The Conservatives, completely changing their basic manifesto... And yes, that was just a porcine aviator you saw go by.