Equal Marriage

I've been pretty disgusted with how the Tories are treating equal marriage, so I decided to put the case to my local MP.

Here's my letter and his somewhat disappointing reply.

Dear Jonathan Lord, I understand that there will shortly be a free vote on the issue of equal marriage. Some politicians have insisted that this is an issue which is not a priority for the electorate. I disagree - this is a hugely important issue which I hope you will support. I have seen some objections by other Conservative MPs and I would like to preemptively tackle them, if I may. Civil Partnerships are not a substitute for marriage. If they were, we wouldn't be asking for this change. Would you and Caroline be happy to be "Civil Partnered" rather than married? Marriage is not solely about having and raising a child. Many couples - like me and my wife - either will not or cannot have children. Is our love unworthy of marriage? There are some objections from religious quarters. The UK is not a religious country - as evidenced by the recent census and multiple surveys. If religious people don't like the idea of equal marriage - they should simply avoid marrying someone of the same sex. Finally, equal marriage does not diminish existing marriages. Whenever my wife and I attend the marriage of a friend, it enhances and reinvigorates our commitment to each other. Seeing our gay friends able to marry would in no way negatively affect us; it would fill us with joy. Gay people deserve equal rights. Please don't be on the wrong side of history. Yours sincerely, Terence Eden PS - As ever, an email reply is preferred to one send through the mail.

For some reason, Jonathan Lord never replies via email. He always used to until he was elected. Here's his reply:

So, basically, his reply implies that he has an open mind. I suspect that unless enough people write to him he'll go with the "traditional" view. Go on, drop your MP an email and let them know that we won't stand for bigotry in this country.