Austin Mitchell
MP for Great Grimsby
Latest:
From Mess to Success
I agonised over how I was going to vote on Same Sex Marriage (which lead a lot of people to wrongly assume I was voting against) but that process, which has been going on for some weeks and was particularly intense on Tuesday, ended with a decision to vote for the bill.
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Same Sex Mess
I’m in an agony of indecision over same sex marriage. On the one hand I’m not illiberal or homophobic. On the other I am not particularly bothered about this, think civil partnership is enough, and have concerns about the legal repercussions.
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Blog from the Dead
Cameron’s revival of the Conservative’s poll ratings through his EU con has encouraged me to revive my blog. Firstly let me apologise for neglecting it so much. The truth is it had become too easy to criticise the shambolic Government and was becoming repetitive.
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Olympic Mess
I’ve had my doubts about the organisation of the Olympic game staffing ever since two young friends told me what had happened to them.
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Saving Private Clegg
Charles Kennedy the only Lib-Dem who deserves respect wants Labour to save Clegg from his own folly by voting for Lords reform. Sorry Charles. The second Chamber shouldn’t have an elected majority.
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Knights of the order of St Emma
The Tory Party is rallying to defend Emma Harrison of A4E and Working Links by turning its boot boys loose on Margaret Hodge, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
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Same Sex Mess
I’m in an agony of indecision over same sex marriage. On the one hand I’m not illiberal or homophobic. On the other I am not particularly bothered about this, think civil partnership is enough, and have concerns about the legal repercussions. It will probably pass but why now when there are so many other things the Government needs to sort out?
Churches, their congregations, and older people don’t want it. Young people are more relaxed and, of course, homosexuals passionately want it. Though strangely when I spoke to the North East Lincolnshire LGBT even they were divided.
Either way it’s an issue that needs to be thought through quietly. But this is impossible under the almost hysterical pressure I have received from both sides. Indeed when I put a few cautionary words on Twitter I was deluged with abuse as an old homophobic dinosaur. It’s very off putting.
Leon Ward, nurtured by the Grimsby Labour Party, tells me I should step down, presumably to make way for a young person. Even my daughter and grandchildren threaten not speak to me if I don’t vote for it, no bad thing.
The question is why the hell is Cameron precipitating this mess? The best thing would be to separate marriage into civil marriage and religious marriage. Under the current bill there are supposed to be guarantees for religious groups but I don’t think it will be long before legal action is brought against a church.
What agony. As of now I am inclined to abstain.