Scottish Tory leader wants gay rights pledge in any DUP deal - Polidicks

[URL="https://www.rte.ie/news/uk-election-2017/2017/0610/881638-dup-talks-pledges/"]https://www.rte.ie/news/uk-election-2017/2017/0610/881638-dup-talks-pledges/[/URL] [QUOTE]Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she has received assurances from the British Prime Minister over gay rights should the Tories do a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party. Ms Davidson, who is gay, spoke out after Theresa May outlined a plan to seek a deal with the socially hardline party, which has ten seats in the Commons, to prop up her minority administration. In an apparent criticism of the plan, Ms Davidson yesterday tweeted a link to a speech she made in favour of marriage equality, with the message: "As a Protestant Unionist about to marry an Irish Catholic, here's the Amnesty Pride lecture I gave in Belfast." Ms Davidson, who became engaged to partner Jen Wilson in May 2016, later told the BBC: "I was fairly straightforward with her (Mrs May) and I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than the party. "I asked for a categoric assurance that if any deal or scoping deal was done with the DUP there would be absolutely no rescission of LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK, in Great Britain, and that we would use any influence that we had to advance LGBTI rights in Northern Ireland. "It's an issue very close to my heart and one that I wanted categoric assurances from the prime minister on, and I received (them)." Same-sex marriage remains outlawed in Northern Ireland. The DUP has repeatedly used a controversial Stormont voting mechanism - the petition of concern - to prevent the legalisation of same-sex marriage, despite a majority of MLAs supporting the move at the last vote. Defending her party's stance on gay marriage in a recent interview, leader Arlene Foster insisted those who characterised the DUP as anti-gay were wide of the mark. "They are wrong and they need to understand why we take those positions from a faith point of view and why we want to protect the definition of marriage," she said. "I could not care less what people get up to in terms of their sexuality, that's not a matter for me, when it becomes a matter for me is when people try to redefine marriage." An online petition in objection to the Tories and DUP forming a minority government has gathered more than 300,000 signatures. With talks between the Tories and the DUP expected to begin within days, Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey expressed concern about the impact of any deal on the peace process. He told BBC Newsnight: "I think this current arrangement may well prove to be reckless, but we will have to wait and see. "We will expect the British government to honour their commitments in respect of the Good Friday Agreement. And that means they have to remain neutral. We will watch what's happening very carefully." Former United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Richard Haass yesterday expressed concern, saying with Brexit and the DUP going into government, the political future of Northern Ireland was "suddenly highly uncertain".[/QUOTE] Alternative title: "Tory gains conscience when issue affects them." ... no but in all seriousness, perhaps some good with come out of this if both the people of Northern Ireland and the people of the UK recognise how backwards the DUP is on many issues.

The DUP are solely responsible that gay marriage isn't legal in NI. Thinking that they'll suddenly change their minds is asking much, they're historically stubborn.

[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;52336243]Alternative title: "Tory gains conscience when issue affects them."[/QUOTE] While I do think this is true for the majority of the Tories I feel that Ruth Davidson is probably one of the most sensible figures in the party at the moment. She'd definitely be a breath of fresh air were she to become leader of the national party.

Oh boy, I can see them pushing LGBT rights on a party like the DUP due to public outcry and having it backfire hard and end up having them turn against them or something [editline]10th June 2017[/editline] Or it most likely means that there will be zero advancement of LGBT rights in the next 5 years in the UK or NI, everything will remain stagnant and the Tories will ignore the outcry and pretend everything is going well like usual

[QUOTE=Tacooo;52336292]Oh boy, I can see them pushing LGBT rights on a party like the DUP due to public outcry and having it backfire hard and end up having them turn against them or something [editline]10th June 2017[/editline] Or it most likely means that there will be zero advancement of LGBT rights in the next 5 years in the UK or NI, everything will remain stagnant and the Tories will ignore the outcry and pretend everything is going well like usual[/QUOTE] What rights/protections don't LGBT people have right now? (not being hostile, just curious)

[QUOTE=meharryp;52336329]What rights/protections don't LGBT people have right now? (not being hostile, just curious)[/QUOTE] Gays still can't marry in NI.

[QUOTE=Noss;52336565]Gays still can't marry in NI.[/QUOTE] I thought that gay marriage was legal everywhere in the UK, didn't know NI could just say no to it.

[QUOTE=agentalexandre;52336284]While I do think this is true for the majority of the Tories I feel that Ruth Davidson is probably one of the most sensible figures in the party at the moment. She'd definitely be a breath of fresh air were she to become leader of the national party.[/QUOTE] Please, you can have her. I think what you really mean is that she's better at dissembling for the public. Someone who supports the Rape Clause is not 'sensible'.