Now that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is asking the Queen to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections a month ahead of his term’s expiration, the fight is on to replace him. And there’s nobody leading the effort more strongly than Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who’s got some making up to do with the gays. And he plans to do just that.
Thanks to shadow home secretary Chris Grayling endorsing anti-gay discrimination in business, Cameron’s new priority is soothing relations with LGBT voters (and those who support them). Which means he’s going to get to the homos in his first official campaign speech.
While Mr Brown is with the Queen, David Cameron will begin his campaign with his pregnant wife Samantha, where Mr Cameron will say he wishes to give hope too “decent people”.
“We’re fighting this election for the Great Ignored – young, old, rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight,” it is understood he will say. “They start businesses, operate factories, teach our children, clean the streets, grow our food and keep us healthy – keep us safe. They work hard, pay their taxes, obey the law. They’re good, decent people – they’re the people of Britain and they just want a reason to believe that anything is still possible in our country. This election is about giving them that reason, giving them that hope. That’s the Conservatives mission – that’s my mission – for the next 30 days and I can’t wait to get started.”
Tory sources said 15 members of the shadow cabinet would be heading out into the country, with visits lined up for every region, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This is, clearly, an attempt to reshape the public image of the Tories. They don’t hate minorities; they embrace them! But no rational voter will mistake Cameron’s stumping for actual policy shifts. The Conservative Party, like America’s GOP, has deep roots in endorsing and trafficking in discrimination, and it will take much more than applauding the homos for starting businesses and cleaning the streets to sway public opinion.
UPDATE: Turns out Cameron did not mention the gays in his remarks.
RobP
Oh no he di’n’t!!
Paschal
It’s unfair to compare the Conservative and Unionist Party, to give its full name, to the G.O.P. It has changed a lot in recent years. It’s next to impossible to get even a small number of Republican politicians to do anything for equality for gays. Many British Conservative M.P.s voted for the civil partnership bill which passed in the U.K. in a free vote. There was, however, a lot of Conservative M.P.s who voted against it. The party isn’t as gay friendly as the Labour party or the Liberal Democrats but it is nowhere near as socially conservative as the G.O.P. Note: David Cameron didn’t mention gays in the speech mentioned above. According to what was given to journalists he was going to but he didn’t. He didn’t have a teleprompter so maybe he forgot.
dfrw
Well, actions speak louder than words and the Tories have a very long way to go to convince some Britons to vote for them….and that includes David Cameron.
Tallskin
Oh fuck, I panic and get cold sweats at the thought of the fucking tories winning.
It won’t be as bad as under Thatcher but it will mean gay issues will be securely pushed onto the back burner and, highly probably, social equality will be reversed.
Luke
I think that the main reason not to vote Tory is connected to LGBT equality. It is for a broader reason: social equality.
The Conservatives will adopt free-market policies, policies which have been shown to lead to extremes of inequality. Furthermore, the sorts of policies involved (e.g, deregulation of finance and of aspects of the econom) are widely thought to have been one factor in causing the recent economic crisis.
If you add to this that the Conservatives may try to scrap Britain’s adherence to the Human Rights Act, an act which secures many rights for LGBT people, you get a worrying picture.
If you then add to that the somewhat lukewarm attitude of many Tory MP’S to LGBT equality, and the dubious voting record, you get a party which is very difficult to support.
Gordon Brown may be terrible too, and Nick Clegg may be unelectable, but Gordon Brown is better, in the respects identified above, than Mr Cameron.
James
The Tory voting record is terrible regarding LGBT issues. Labour and the Liberal Democrats have given 97% and 96% support, compared to the Tories 27%
http://mygayvote.co.uk
Nick
God help us. The tories are coming!
Seriously, I’m fucking worried.