The last acceptable prejudice

AJScobbie Sun Oct 15, 2006 at 11:25:14 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

Once again the Government seems to be cautious on meeting the expectations of the LGBT community.



In today's Observer they are running a story that sent me back a few years to the debates over s.28.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1922984,00.html

Let me take you back to the early days of the Scottish Parliament. The Communities Minister, Wendy Alexander, had decided that it was time to take a lead and meet our manifesto committments on abolishing s.28 (well it was actually s.2A in Scotland but enough of semantics!) The late Donald Dewar stood by Wendy over this issue even though several of his cabinet (the briefings at the time indicated that Jack McConnel, Henry McLeish and Tom McCabe were the ones spinning against the cabinet line) were urging concessions and retreat in the face of serious opposition from the Catholic Church, Brian Souter and most of the Scottish press.

Now once again disputes between the forces of progress and those of nasty prejudice are being exposed within the Labour Party and within the Government. At the Progress Conference in September the legislation to ban discrimination on provisions on goods and services was announced to the hall. This has been a long time coming. Now it seems (if you believe whoever briefed the Observer) that Ruth Kelly is sympathetic to the concerns of faith groups on this issue.

Why are faith groups the only ones in society that are allowed to maintain a prejudice? Racism and sexism are not granted this theological exclusion. Why are we dragging our heals on homophobia?

Dont let the media image of modern Britain fool anyone into thinking that homophobia is a thing of the past. Even in Manchester (remember it was the setting of all those trendy TV programmes that changed the minds of millions sarcasm included) there were numerous attacks (physical and verbal) upon on students at University last year. This exemption is a sop to those that still harbour deep prejudice and we must not give in.

Faith schools cannot be allowed to demonise and exclude LGBT pupils. Good for Alan Johnson for taking a stand on this issue. Some of those in the Labour Movement have chosen principals over politics in the past (ie Dewar) lets hope today's generation set aside their own personal feelings and do the right thing.


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The last acceptable prejudice | 16 comments (16 topical)

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#1)

by Mark Colburn on Sun Oct 15, 2006 at 01:55:48 PM GMT

You can't tell one group to integrate while giving another group distinct legal rights to be separate. Laws apply equally and should be equitable.

No opt-outs, no exceptions.


Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#2)

by alexhilton on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 01:33:21 PM GMT

I thought the last acceptable prejudice was fattism.

Or gingerism.


Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#3)

by AJScobbie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 03:03:10 PM GMT

Nice to see that people on Labour Home take the issue seriously:-)

Just proves my point really about no one in this Government or party trumpeting the massive changes that we have made in this area.

To paraphrase Alan Bennett

I'm gay, not anorexic, half-ginger and Scottish...I'm f***ed

(see I do have a sense of humour!)


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#4)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 03:29:49 PM GMT

I think you'd have got a better response if you'd pointed out that Johnson was fighting his corner without trying to imply that Labour is anti-gay.

"Once again the Government seems to be cautious on meeting the expectations of the LGBT community."

Right at the start!

This government has done more for the LGBT community than any other.

And it's done it without provoking any kind of major outcry from anyone - the absolute worst thing that could happen for gay rights is for the Labour government to start going off gung ho - we'd end up with it being divisive (like in the US) rather than having a shoulder-shrugging, "live and let live" attitude from the majority of the country.


Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#5)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 03:34:14 PM GMT

Just as an afterthought/example of why a softly, softly approach is neccessary - think about the way gay adoption was handled. There are people in this country who were hysterical about it.

The high-wire act is to get bills like that through parliament without letting bigots get any national traction with the issue. A 'heads down and charge' approach would do the exact opposite.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#6)

by AJScobbie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 03:54:04 PM GMT

Oh I agree on what you say entirely Glass House. I prefer concrete achievements rather than some glorious charge.

On several issues I realise I am in a minority.

The Human Rights Act, Devolution, Gay Rights, Electoral Reform and all that...

But time and time again you find the little things like the Observer article that makes you feel that we are afraid to set the agenda or at least be proud. Now I realise I am straying in a Toynbee style moan here..but thats how I feel.

As for implying that the Gov was anti gay. I disagree thats what I was doing. I compared the recent story with what happened in Scotland over s28. Surely the "spin" in both examples indicate that some within the party have been lukewarm on these issues?

And thats ok. Certain issues are of more importance to us all as members than others. I dont expect everyone to get all worked up about what I do. All I expect is that everyone in the party works from the same basic principal of equality.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#7)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:04:28 PM GMT

To be fair, I agree with most of what you said too. I just think that we shouldn't be so eager to cry "unprincipled cabinet" just because the observer says there is a 'split'


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#8)

by AJScobbie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:16:32 PM GMT

Absolutely. It was Sunday morning and I was a bit eager to go into cranky mode. Plus part of me wondered who was spinning this story.... am I too cynical to even consider that this is one way of Johnson demonstrating credentials to a part of his constituency?

Ah the art of the possible.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#9)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:19:34 PM GMT

Yeah, it could be a Johnson leadership move


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#10)

by AJScobbie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:49:50 PM GMT

Well he is speaking at Labour Students Weekend this week so I am sure someone will raise the issue of exemptions to this legislation.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#11)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:14:08 PM GMT

Has the McDonnell campaign said anything about this? Or the veil thing for that matter?


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#12)

by AJScobbie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:37:36 PM GMT

Not that I have read of...

From a purely student perspective I find the alliance between far left and islamists on campus to be one of strange bedfellows!

Thats not intended to somehow link McDonnell to the Respect agenda or anything like that. Just a mere observation about how certain issues unite groups that otherwise seem to have vastly different agendas.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#13)

by Glass House on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:43:49 PM GMT

I just think its a sad that those people are brought together by what they hate rather than for any positive reason.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#14)

by Andrea on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:53:41 PM GMT

I don't think he has commented about it
He has a 100% supportive record in votes regarding equal rights for gay people (I don't like "gay rights" tag, because it seems that you want to give something more to gays, when it's just giving what others already have) since 1997.

Actually I would also be interested in Gordon's opinions about it.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#15)

by Andrea on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 04:31:53 PM GMT

He has something about it on his blog now....he starts from the 80's, but it was interesting to read those GLC stuffs.


[ Parent ]

Re: The last acceptable prejudice (#16)

by marshajane on Sun Oct 22, 2006 at 05:07:30 PM GMT

John McDonnell commented re this on October the 17th and re the veil issue on October the 6th.

see http://www.john4leader.org.uk/


The last acceptable prejudice | 16 comments (16 topical)