A higher morality than taught by the Bible

Here we go again.  Philip Lardner, the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran has been suspended for homophobic remarks, as just reported on Sky News.

Just to put Mr. Lardner’s remarks into context, he has tried to appear reasonable by holding out that he respects equality for gay people but refuses to acknowledge that their behaviour is normal or encourage children to indulge in it. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Larder is not alone in his views.  If you asked for the view of a Priest, Minister or Rabbi on this subject, you would not find much of a difference between the opinions of the clerics and Mr. Lardner.

If you scratch the surface further, you will find more politicians who privately agree with Mr. Lardner but will not say so in Public. 

Unfortunately for the Gay Community, there is one huge obstacle in the way of a post-homophobic society.  It is the Bible.  The most well-known reference against it is Leviticus 18:22   At various times, when a politician is accused of being an anti-gay bigot, he or she uses the Bible to defend his/her view.  Peter Robinson did just that a couple of years ago, following remarks made by his wife.  Philip Lardner has just made his own reference to his Christian beliefs.

For the Conservative Party, this is an ongoing problem but it should not be beyond their control.  We have a Parliamentary Assessment Board.  As an immediate measure, we must ensure that all of our candidates are properly screened so that their private religious views are exposed in that process.  When those views are exposed, they should then demonstrate a willingness not to air any view which could be regarded as being homophobic and understand that it is a breach of the party code of conduct if they do that.   I am not a party insider.  Perhaps that code exists and Mr. Lardner is clearly in breach of it.

Meanwhile, we as a society need to acknowledge, much more than we do at present, that as far as the law is concerned, it is not simply there to protect gay rights and promote equality.  It is much more than that.  The critical mass of our society has now moved on to embrace a higher form of morality, which is based upon humanist tolerance and decency.   To put it bluntly, as far as homosexuality is concerned, we are a post biblical society.

When it comes to human rights, the DUP is not a party to be trusted

Iris Robinson will not be prosecuted over remarks that she make last year about Homosexuals. 

Reports about what she said are well documented elsewhere and I will not repeat them here.  I am not surprised that there will not be a prosecution.  I thought that when I heard there would be an investigation, thinking with my Lawyer’s hat.  That will be of little consolation to people from the Gay community who see this as an injustice.  

I wish I could say that in some way, Iris Robinson will pay a significant political price for her remarks. Most of those who support her do not disagree with what she said.  Her husband, the First Minister, Peter Robinson has since defended her remarks using references to the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament where the practice of Homosexuality is referred to as an abomination (e.g. Leviticus 18:22).  

By contrast, discrimination laws, whether about employment or Human Rights, have developed and by-passed the Bible as a moral starting point for making law.  It is as if we need a new equivalent of Charles Darwin to take religion out of the dark ages on this subject. 

For anybody who would like an authorititave scientific understanding of homosexuality, I recommend a book entitled “Why men don’t listen and why women cant read maps” by Alan and Barbara Pease, two famous psychologists.  The book is easy for a lay person to follow.  It provides a wonderful insight into the differences between male and female brain-wiring.  People I have talked to who have read the book have acknowledged the positive impact of the book on their own prejudices, not only towards the opposite sex, but towards homosexuals too.  

There are many who do not agree with the laws against discrimination, particularly DUP politicians.  Indeed, the DUP do not like Human Rights, full stop.  Last summer, they supported the Labour Party over the 42-day bill despite Labour’s failure to put a case to Parliament that a longer detention period was needed to deal with terrorism.  Last November, Sammy Wilson MLA, once again demonstrating his tendency not to appreciate the bigger picture, called for a debate in Parliament on Human Rights.  This was because he could not accept reporting restrictions in relation to alleged drug trafficking.   

More than 2 years ago, Peter Hain, then Northern Ireland Secretary, pushed through regulations on sexual orientation in order to prevent them being blocked by the DUP.  When it comes to Human Rights, the DUP is not a party to be trusted.