I recently read a news item on the Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s (LGF) website about the Euro Elections this year. As are many people, the LGF were particularly concerned about the rise of extreme Parties in elections across the UK. Each of the main parties were highlighted and given the chance to air their views about why they think people should vote in the Euro elections and why they should consider voting for their Party.
I was a little disappointed that the author of the article had not been able to contact someone from the Conservatives to enable the Party to comment on this as they seemed to have been able to contact everyone else. But when I made contact I was very pleased that the LGF were willing to take a comment from me on the subject.
For the benefit of any other people who may read this and would like to know about LGBT issues and the Conservatives, especially in the run-up to the European elections on 4 June, this is what I said:
1. Why is voting in the European elections so important?
There is so more in modern Britain that unites us, regardless of Party politics, than divides us. As Conservatives, we urge everyone to use their votes on Thursday 4 June to reject the politics of hate and extremism, and to elect MEPs who reflect the diversity of the North West.
2. Why should LGBT people vote for the Conservatives?
The Conservative Party today is a modern, dynamic, forward-looking Party. We are recruiting and promoting from a diverse range of people, communities and interests. Among the Party and the Shadow Cabinet are Margot James, Vice Chair responsible for women’s issues; Nick Herbert, Shadow Secretary for the Environment and Alan Duncan, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. Apart from the fact these people are leading Conservatives, they also have one other thing in common. They are gay. The Conservatives are in touch with Britain as it is today.
By ensuring that the Party is run by people, drawn from across society, we can make sure that never again are sections of society marginalised or neglected from what we do.
We supported civil partnership legislation and we backed plans to crack down on homophobic bullying. We also gave strong backing to action on hate crimes in the Criminal Justice Act.
Two years ago, it was a Conservative MEP who launched the written declaration on homophobic bullying in schools to the European Parliament’s Gay and Lesbian Rights Intergroup.
3. Other comments and response to the Green representatives comments (who highlighted a possible link between the Conservatives and various other Parties across Europe.
Despite all the laws and much progress over recent years, a poll in the Observer found that 24 per cent of the public think that gay sex should be made illegal. Nine years after the age of consent was equalised, and four years after civil partnerships were introduced, a quarter of the British public want to reverse these changes and take us back to the situation that existed before the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.
This shows why continued work by all of us, in all mainstream parties, is so important. Legislation may change behaviour, but it may not always be enough to change attitudes. Only by showing what we all have in common can we reach a situation where extremism and division cannot thrive and where we are all treated fairly, with dignity and respect.
That also means we must be consistent in what we say, regardless of who we are talking to or where that discussion takes place.
That’s why the Conservative MEPs elected on June 4 will not sit as part of a group with MEPs from other countries who do not share our view on the way Europe should be run. We will not speak up for Britain’s rights when in Britain only to then vote against Britain’s interests when sitting in the European Parliament. Between now and then, we will be meeting with like-minded MEPs to form a new group and we have stated that this will NOT INCLUDE any group with racist or homophobic members.
In the North West, last May across Greater Manchester, we received more votes than Labour. We have LGBT councillors and candidates across the region and our new branch of LGBTory is going from strength to strength, not least with the fantastic support we received at last year’s Manchester Pride.
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