8 December 2007

Gay Marriage snafu - Stanhope bonehead thesis confirmed

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times informs us that the Rudd Government has put the kibosh on the ACT’s planned civil union legislation.

“It’s quite clear the assurances given yesterday are not as clearcut as they first appeared,” Mr Corbell said.

Neither Mr Corbell nor Mr McClelland would publicly outline the sticking points of their meeting, but it is understood federal Labor does not condone the ACT legislation because it too closely mimics the act of marriage.

The first of a great many disappointments to come for St Kevin the Progressive’s true believers.

But I’d like you to cast your mind back to midweek when caf analysed Stanhopian utterances and determined the deal had been sealed.

Of course any analysis assuming to competence, intelligence, or even sanity of our elected leaders should be viewed as suspect. But I’d been out of town for a while and had forgotten how bad it is.

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Agreed. I don’t regret my rudd vote either. But I wasn’t under any delusion that ‘millionaire preppy jesus boy’ was ever going to have any other position on the gay marriage issue.

I’m still happy with my ‘anything but John Howard’ vote too.

Deadmandrinking5:10 pm 10 Dec 07

Maelinar – I was never under any illusions that Rudd would be no more than Howard Lite. Nor were alot of Green voters whose preferences helped win the election.

However, what I was mainly concerned about was the Kyoto Protocol and Workchoices. The first he’s already ratified, the second he’s going to (better bloody) get around to.

Wrong light bulb.

Did anyone bother to find out what Rudd’s position was on the whole gay marriage thing before manically wearing their Kevin07 shirts? He conspicuously avoided ALL questions on the topic when asked so it was pretty clear he didn’t want to rock the boat before being elected…. Can’t really be too disappointed in something he never promised. I LOVE this “millionaire preppy jesus boy”. Priceless.

light switch goes on.

Mmm, looks like I was wrong, and humiliating backdowns ARE the order of the day.

Having thought about this a bit more over the weekend though, I’m not sure that it’s really possible to do away with ceremonies anyway – even with the registration-only model, wouldn’t people just hold their own ceremonies and sign the registration-application-document at the ceremony? A bit like a marriage license…

johnboy i am truly afraid your commentary on rudd’s role in this issue might be spot on as in it’s the first in many disappointments. i bought both myself and my dad a kevin07 shirt in the leadup to the election and my feeling over the last few days has been gutted to say the least.

“Put not your trust in princes” Toriness!

Or as Deb Foskey wisely observed, It doesn’t matter who you vote for, you get a Government.

“god, don’t we want our politicians to aspire to great reforms/improvements where needed in any and all policy areas? “

Sure, provided they’re not an outright pr!ck.

And a bonehead to boot.

thumper, essentially registration is considered a ‘lesser’ model than civil unions/partnerships. yes couples will still get legal recognition from the registration model – but in terms of true social equality it really doesn’t cut it. i register my car and dog. i don’t want to register my life partner. similar countries with similar legal systems to ours (UK, Canada and NZ) have civil unions/partnership schemes to elevate the status and recognition of the civil union to an appropriate level. there is no reason why we shouldn’t have the same in australia. i don’t see why stanhope should be criticised for pushing this issue – god, don’t we want our politicians to aspire to great reforms/improvements where needed in any and all policy areas? it’s exactly why we should elect people to such positions.

johnboy i am truly afraid your commentary on rudd’s role in this issue might be spot on as in it’s the first in many disappointments. i bought both myself and my dad a kevin07 shirt in the leadup to the election and my feeling over the last few days has been gutted to say the least.

Did somebody think that the ‘me too’ meant something other than Rudd wasn’t so similar to Howard that naturally his policies would fall in line ?

Jess, kind of reeks of what I was saying a few weeks ago though doesn’t it re: churches/religion and the term ‘marriage’ ?

If’n they had come up with their own word for it…

Well, we’re just getting the New Labour sensation about a decade later. Suddenly all the old lefties are realising that they can’t get everything they want with the current mob, but the other mob is even less likely to offer them anything. So it’s a choice between empty platitudes and absolutely nothing…

Deadmandrinking3:49 pm 08 Dec 07

I’m disappointed with Rudd.

I hardly think the liberals would have done better, though.

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!

(They never listen to me when I tell ’em about the rabbit, with the big teeth.)

he’s a bonehead for his incompetent approach to negotiation which owes more to headlines than outcomes.

As for NSW Simbo I missed that election. But Paul Green is now the CDP golden child and rails against sinful couples living together out of wedlock.

I don’t see how you can describe Stanhope as a “bonehead” for trying to provide all citizens equality before the law – long assumed as one of the most fundamental human rights.

Would we tolerate a law prohibiting black people, asian people or fat people from getting married?

Really, same sex marriage is an inevitability and I’ll believe Rudd’s position on same sex marriage when I see it, his christian beliefs I understand are widely misinterpreted.

I believe, from further reading, that the preferred approach is that ACT labour adopts the Tasmanian approach, which is basically a relationship register.

From the undercurrent of the press releases, my understanding is that Corbell may have been told “look, pick the least embarassing course of action and shut up, or else we’ll send the factional dragons in to roast you”.

Of course, it’s still enough for Fred Nile to say that Canberra’s always been a Gamorrah (after all, we sell porn) but this is somehow, super Gammorrah-ish, and no tourists should visit here for fear that they will be turned into a pillar of salt or something.

Actually, as a NSW voter, you’d be able to tell us, JB – did Fred run for the Senate in NSW again this year?

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