Respect for one’s Elders?

Anyone who knows David Ford knows him to be a person of great depth, a fundamental seriousness, and immense commitment. Commitment to many important things that contribute so much to life here in Northern Ireland. To the Social Services. To the Ministry of Justice. To his constituents. To Alliance. To the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

To any observer, it seems disproportionate and unnecessary that, after a lifetime of service, he is, because of a disagreement over a single issue, being denied the chance to continue to fulfill that last commitment. To anyone who knows Mr. Ford, and knows how much Presbyterianism means to him, it seems disproportionate, unnecessary, reactionary, humiliating and very, very cruel.

It is not the province of this blog to instruct those who hold power in Mr. Ford’s church. Those who wish to function in a reasonably secular public space must grant a reasonable privacy in the religious space.

We would, however, offer, in a genuine absence of rancour, and in a genuine spirit of free and open exchange, the following quotation from a lecture delivered by the Dalai Lama at Harvard University in 1988:

“The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticise others. Rather, we must criticise ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, my jealousy? These are the things which we must check in daily life.”

First Minister plays gay and abortion cards in flag dispute

Earlier this evening the First Minister issued a statement, though it appears it has been issued as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party or unionism and not as a leader of all in Northern Ireland.

It appears to be largely an attack condemning those that wish to see a return to direct rule as a way to protect Northern Irish sovereignty. However, what is telling is the language that the first minister uses to try to prevent people from seeking that road.

One thing he says is:

“This is the Direct Rule that left unionism powerless and put Sinn Fein in the driving seat with a Dublin government fighting the nationalist case while the British government remained neutral.”

Of course this cannot be him speaking as First Minister in an office he shares with a Sinn Féin deputy First Minister. A position that has been decided upon democratically by the people of the Northern Ireland to enable Sinn Féin to take on a power sharing role with the DUP. It does seem a rather strange argument to put, especially as under devolution the Westminster government also remains neutral on issues that are devolved, including what position each council takes on when to fly the Union Flag (which is devolved below Stormont level).

But more telling is in the last paragraph, the crescendo to end his appeal:

“Let them explain to the people the benefit of Water Charging and higher Regional Rates which would automatically follow Direct Rule.  And are they content to have Westminster impose same sex marriages and abortion on demand on our community?  Such folly.  Have they so quickly forgotten the decisions of direct rule in the past?“

So, not only is the First Minister wanting to maintain all services without taking a cut or looking at alternative revenue streams, such as the water rates in the rest of the UK, he is also playing two big cards. Remember his playing to a crowd here, he is talking to people who have already threatened elected representatives and spokespeople. So he stirs those people up further by saying that direct rule will lead to abortion and equal marriage.

There are already accusations that Peter Robinson was trying to make political gain out of this flag decision in a bid to win back the Westminster seat of Belfast East. He is now trying to make further political gain in unrelated areas without due care to the repercussions

It is not quite as direct an incitement to homophobic attacks as his wife made, but in light of the people he is trying to address in this issue he has placed another fear into the arena. Somethings which have no direct correlation to the flags protest women’s right to choose and LGBT rights are now what the First Minister has thrown into this debate debacle.

He is trying to fight fire with lighter fluid, this is the not the act of a leader.

Northern Ireland gay couple adoption ban unlawful

Originally posted on LGBT+ Lib Dems Northern Ireland

Earlier this year we raised the issue of the discriminatory Northern Ireland policy preventing Lesbian and Gay couples from adopting.

Today in the High Court in Belfast Mr Justice Treacy has deemed that the ban was unlawful. He said:

“Excluding persons from the whole adoption process on the sole basis of their relationship status can only serve to narrow the pool of potential adopters which cannot be in the best interests of children.”

Unlike in the rest of the UK legislation in Northern Ireland deliberately went out of its way to exclude those in civil partnerships from adoption, while maintaining that individuals could still legally adopt. As we said earlier it meant that a lesbian or gay man were not prevented from adopting as long as they had no partner, or at least not one recognised by the state. But if they were committed to a relationship then they would not be allowed to adopt. Speaking on this issue Mr Justice Treacy said:

“In choosing to make a public commitment to one another, they become totally excluded both as individuals and as a couple from eligibility to adopt, ie not eligible at all.

“This is quite irrational and plainly unlawful.

“The present legislation essentially entails that a gay or lesbian person must choose between being eligible to adopt, or affirming their relationship in public via a civil partnership ceremony.”

The Northern Ireland Attorney General, John Larkin QC, had argued on behalf of the Department of Health that the change wouldn’t be in the best interests of the children, contending that Northern Ireland’s adoption laws were to ensure child welfare rather than satisfy the wishes of would-be parents. But Mr Justice Treacy stated:

“The rigorous scrutiny and assessment of suitability will ensure that only persons capable of providing a loving, safe and secure adoptive home will ultimately be considered.”

He acknowledged that that issues such as sexual orientation, lifestyle, race and religion must be taken into account, but added:

“But they cannot be allowed to prevail over what is in the best interests of the child.”

With the high number of children in Northern Ireland waiting for adoption the Equality Commission’s Chief Commissioner, Professor Michael O’Flaherty said of the ruling:

“Given the high numbers of children in care, who need a family in Northern Ireland, the importance of this case in widening the pool of prospective parents cannot be overstated. We are therefore delighted with this outcome.

“It brings Northern Ireland law in line with the rest of the UK and means that couples who are not married, those in civil partnerships and same sex couples will be now be allowed to apply to adopt.”

Statement on marriage equality debate

This afternoon Stephen Glenn, co-ordinator of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland, sat in the gallery of the Assembly while our MLAs debated the motion from the Green Party and Sinn Féin about marriage equality. He was not alone as a large number of equal marriage campaigners were there in the hope that the DUP’s petition of concern would prove to be the only way this motion could be defeated. Sadly it was defeated by four votes even without it.

Forty five of our MLAs did vote for it, one sole unionist voice, that of Basil McCrea spoke in favour despite saying “many in my community are deeply uneasy about it”. He went on to challenge those who said we cannot redefine marriage by pointing out that our state had in the past about my reformed groups including Presbyterians. Before saying something that pretty much summed up the concept of this motion:

“Allowing one group to use a word does not diminish its use by another, and the context will be understood by all. Society accepting equal marriage does not mean that everyone has to agree with the practice.”

However, one minister speaking in a ‘personal’ capacity said the motion was ‘pointless’ and a ‘worthless course to follow’. Another, who responsibility presenting the legislation would be said “I have no intention of bringing forward any legislation to this House to facilitate gay marriage” even before a democratic vote was taken on the issue to ask him to do so.

Speaking after the debate Stephen Glenn said:

“It was great to have this debate take place in Stormont today, it is sign that we have come a long way. I’d like to praise those MLAs and parties that have taken a stance today for equal marriage and the LGBT community, even though the votes did not go in favour. I know that many have come on a long journey both individually and collectively to stand beside the LGBT community today on this issue.

“However, it is sad that a Democratic Unionist Minister should state in his speech that he would fail to act even if a democratic vote, not then taken, asked him to on this matter. While another unionist minister considered it pointless and a worthless cause. This isn’t a sectarian issue despite the petition of concern and how the vote looked today, and I’d particularly like to thank Basil McCrae and his two party colleagues for their support in the division today.

“Bizarrely, after the Covenant celebrations, it seems the unionist side is less able to debate civil freedoms without religious overtones as those that feared Home Rule would bring a hundred years ago. So even though a motion on a tough issue managed to address civil and religious freedom for all it was knocked down. In the words of Mr Wilson they have chosen a road and are unable to facilitate, or even contemplate trying to facilitate other routes.

“However, with 45 MLAs voting for we know that the pendulum of political and public opinion has swung a fair way from previous debates on LGBT issues.”

Local party chair John O’Neill added:

“It is profoundly disappointing, to the NI Liberal Democrats, and to all the people of Northern Ireland, that the Assembly has voted to reject marriage equality. The agreements which instituted the Assembly, and from which its authority is derived, have at their heart equality of citizenship. Not just across the Unionist-Nationalist dyad, but across the whole of the increasingly diverse Northern Ireland, which we all celebrate.

“It is sad that the political representatives of the first nation within the United Kingdom to institute Civil Partnerships have today rejected the obvious next step in the full equalisation of same-sex relationships. However, we are confident that, as debate on this matter continues at Westminster, Cardiff and Holyrood, this is not the last time that this matter will be addressed at Stormont. We are confident also that our MLAs will look to the decisions made in other capitals of the UK, and will not impose second-class citizenship upon the Lesbian and Gay citizens of Northern Ireland.

“Meanwhile,we will continue to work to persuade others both in office and those who elect them to achieve our party’s policy on equal marriage here in Northern Ireland, as our colleagues do so elsewhere in the UK.”

Worrying insight into prejudice in Northern Ireland

The Equality Commission NI has published a worrying report looking at social attitudes to different communities in Northern Ireland.

Taken from the Equality Commission Northern Ireland report Do You Mean Me? (2012)

Over on LGBT+ Lib Dems NI there is a look at the issues surrounding the LGBT findings. But in summary while the attitudes to those of other religions is one of the better findings.  Emigrant workers are more welcome as neighbours and in-laws than a lesbian, gay or bisexual, though the LGB fare better in the workplace on that split. But transgender and travelers are sadly together at the peak, with transgender only more accepted as neighbours than the travelers by any margin.

As the commission’s chief commissioner Michael Wardlow said:

“This is a worrying insight into the population’s psyche and proves that much work remains to be done to break down barriers in our mindsets to create a fairer and more equal society for everyone in Northern Ireland.”

More work needs to be done by our political leaders in portraying the right attitudes themselves especially to LGBT issues, so that others will be able to follow into a shared, equal future.

Secretary of State opposes marriage equality

Cross posted from LGBT+ Lib Dems Northern Ireland

Owen Paterson – “together” for the national interest?

Maybe the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, has spent too much time in the presence of First Minister Peter Robinson and his DUP cohorts. Or maybe he was one of those very conservative Conservatives that David Cameron could foist upon Northern Ireland without upsetting the apple cart too much. Whatever the reason Mr. Paterson has become the first cabinet minister to speak out against the cabinet commitment to equal marriage.

In a letter to a constituent in his North Shropshire seat he wrote:

“Having considered this matter carefully, I am afraid I have come to the decision not to support gay marriage.

“However, the government is rightly committed to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and has already taken action to do so by allowing those religious premises that wish to carry out civil partnershipsto do so, erasing historic convictions for consensual gay sex and putting pressure on other countries that violate the human rights of LGBT people.

“The prime minister has made clear that he supports equal civil marriage and the government is rightly consulting widely on this issue before making any changes to the current position. I am worried that this will be a disappointing response.”

It is disappointing for those of us in Northern Ireland who are fighting for marriage equality to even be considered here in Northern Ireland, and for other LGBT equality issues that we are lagging behind the rest of the UK that the Westminster Government minister should say this. It could give the DUP a scapegoat to hide behind when they are pressured by other parties to look at various LGBT issues. They can say that not all Government ministers support the full slate of LGBT equality issues and not have to point any further than the Secretary of State’s office.

When Liberal Democrat ministers are taking a line of collective responsibility for decisions that can be upsetting our voters and are seen by some as a compromise it is a pity that Conservative government ministers cannot do the same. What is most upsetting is that under Labour we had a number of Secretaries of State who were willing to get under the cosiness of Northern Irish conservatism and shake things up a little for the political status quo. Now we have one that has given ammunition to that status quo to carry on in the area of LGBT inequality with his views.