This week Labour MP Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill was drawn from the ballot, with a first reading reading expected within weeks. According to 3 News the “Gay marriage debate takes off”. I suspect that the Nats are smiling happily to themselves, and hoping for a nasty fight. It would be an excellent distraction from their damning list of incompetence and woes: the moribund economy, the unpopular and bungled asset sales, the record exodus to Australia, their dependence on John “technicality” Banks, and so on.
Wouldn’t it be great if we as a country were mature enough to avoid a demeaning circus, and resolve the issue quickly and without fuss. What possible reason is there to deny a couple marriage? With luck the only dissenting voices will be isolated extremists like Colin Craig:
Conservative Party leader Colin Craig has launched into the same-sex marriage debate with a controversial argument why it’s wrong.
He says same-sex couples who want to marry lack respect for what already exists. He also says it would allow them to adopt, which would be harmful for children.
The Christian party leader is not a Member of Parliament, but waded into the debate on Twitter this morning, saying it wasn’t intelligent to pretend gay relationships were normal.
His series of tweets was followed by a press release which said the minority were busy with their “social engineering” and trying to “meddle with the system”.
Mr Craig told 3 News that people choose to be gay rather than being born that way, many as a result of being abused as children.
Mr Craig is a tool of ignorance, superstition and prejudice. He represents a small minority of New Zealanders, and that’s all that needs to be said about him. In contrast, and true to his usual form, John Key is of no fixed opinion:
The Prime Minister won’t say whether he’ll support a bill allowing same sex marriage beyond its first reading, but says most of his MPs are likely to vote against it. … “Probably my electorate would be opposed to gay marriage. I might just decide to make my own mind up on it.”
Get back to us when you’ve run your focus groups John. With any luck they’ll tell you to do the decent thing, and you’ll throw your political influence behind supporting gay marriage. That way you can be remembered as a PM who got at least one thing right.
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