From: keith@earth-sciences.oxford.ac.uk (Keith Refson)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: UK General Election
Date: 7 Apr 92 12:58:46 GMT
Article-I.D.: rahman.1580.9204071258

In a soc.motss article jf@threel.co.uk (John Fisher) writes:

[ An impressive, passionate and damning indictment of the UK's Government]

John, I agree with every word you wrote.  I just wish I could express
myself so well.

I too am nauseated by the Conservatives cynical ploy to gain gay votes:

"If you vote for us we may not be too nasty to you.  We don't hate you
as much as that nasty Mrs Thatcher did.  But we aren't going to promise
you any law reform or anything. In fact we promised Mary Whitehouse
[Our version of Anita Bryant] that we wouldn't.  But we hope you'll
vote for us anyway because we think you're all mostly well-off and as
greedy as we are. (And we don't give a damn about you if you're not
'cause you wouldn't vote for us anyway)."

Or the Labour Party

"Some of our Best Friends are Homosexual.  We really don't mind them at
all providing, of course, they don't force it down our throats, or
embarrass us by making us say in public thay we like them.  Some of us
even think privately that the law is a teensy bit unfair to them.  But
we're scared to say so in public in case the Tories accuse us of having
principles.  So we will promise a free vote (*) on the age of consent.
That way, if it wins we can disclaim responsibility and if it loses we
can say "tough, that's the will of the Commons".  

What?  You want more?  Like full equality in all laws, and being
treated as first-class citizens.  Well, you should just be grateful for
the crumbs we might throw to you.  After all, it's either that or the
Tories so we don't think you have any choice"

[That last paragraph is a paraphrase of a letter sent to me about three
years ago in reply to a letter I wrote by the aspiring Home Secretary
and deputy leader of the Labour Party, Roy Hattersley.  He would be
responsible for introducing any law-reform legislation.]

(*) [Note for US readers -- most votes in the House of Commons are not
free, when MPs make up their own minds but "whipped".  That means that
the governing party cajoles, bribes (with promises of advancement) and
occasionally blackmails all its members into supporting the Party
Line, with severe penalties for dissenters. ]

The best of the "real" parties seems to be the Liberal Democrats:

"We really think that gays and lesbians are real citizens with rights
like everyone else and we actually intend to do something about making
that so.   We really like our gay friends ( actually a *leader* of our
party not so long ago was gay, but we hope that everyone's forgotten
that by now ).

But we don't care about abandoning our principles if it will get us
elected.  If there is a gay candidate standing for another party we
will show that we are just as good at homophobic abuse as the next
bigot (even though our own candidate is gay too).   But that's just the
cut and thrust of politics isn't it really?  That's OK isn't it? Isn't it?"

So it seems that the only party with any real commitment is the Liberal
Democrats.  And since neither the Monster Raving Loony party or the
Corrective Party (leader: Miss Whiplash") are standing in my constituency
I will be voting for them.  Despite my reservations.

Keith

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