Controversial Question Time tackles gay rights
October 23rd, 2009 by Kaite.Welsh
Baroness Warsi, Shadow Community Cohesion Minister, has stated that she supports civil partnerships despite previous homophobic outbursts. The Conservative politician was asked the question during last night’s controversial Question Time, in which BNP leader Nick Griffin was a panel member.
However in 2005, Baroness Warsi produced campaign material that stated that lowering the age of consent for homosexuality meant “allowing school children to be propositioned for homosexual relationships.” She has since said that she regretted her “hostile language”.
When Nick Griffin said during the debate that he found the sight of two men “creepy”, audience member Beth Mellington-Pritchard informed him that “as a homosexual and someone in a civil partnership, the feeling of revulsion [was] mutual.” The discussion had turned to gay rights via the controversy over Jan Moir’s article for the Daily Mail, as moderator David Dimbleby wanted the panel to address issues other than racism.
I think she came out best of the whole panel last night. Not bad for a Tory!
Bonnie Greer was fabulous, obviously, but politically I think Baroness Warsi was on pretty firm ground.
Nice to hear a former ‘opponent’ come out in support of civil partnerships, regardless.
Lola ∼ October 23rd, 2009 9:02 amHm…the impression I got was that she was backed into a corner by the question. She didn’t want to flat-out say that she opposes civil partnerships at the risk of being allied with he views Griffin espouses. It would have made a perfect counterpoint to his constant equivocating if she had said that she had actively changed her opinion instead of effectively going ‘ummmm….sure’, and repeating the party line.
But I do agree that presentation-wise she came off best out of all the politicians. Looks like she’s a rising star in the Conservative Party as well.
KaiteW ∼ October 23rd, 2009 9:30 amI was reminded of the bit about gay marriage in the US vice-presidential debate last year, which was just like this but in reverse. Joe Biden was asked if he supported the concept, and he sort of hemmed and hawed for a bit before saying no, but he and Obama supported fully equal civil unions if states passed them. Both Obama and Biden have good records on LGBT rights, but he ended up trying to pander to both sides because the campaign couldn’t afford to lose centrist right-wingers. (The LGBT vote was pretty much a given, regardless.)
While I’d like to believe the best from Baroness Warsi, to me it read the exact same way as that–trying not to offend people on behalf of the Tories trying to expand their base, and not to link them in with the BNP, but not giving the regular Tory constituency something to Panic And Freak Out about.
Except for that question, she did come off looking well, though, and got some good points in at Griffin.
PK ∼ October 23rd, 2009 10:20 amCall me cynical, but I thought it was very smart of the Tories to have Baroness Warsi represent them last night.
She could trot out the right-wing party line to attract the BNP supporters who hadn’t realised how extreme Nick Griffin was, while her presence as an Asian woman was a way for the Tories to position themselves as progressive to the centre-left viewers.
But really the star of the night was Bonnie the British Museum director. Can we elect her please?
Milly Shaw ∼ October 23rd, 2009 10:52 amTo be honest, I don’t want to elect her so much as I want to civilly partner her…
KaiteW ∼ October 23rd, 2009 11:49 amI think Baronnes Warsi came out on the side of Civil Partnerships under duress. It was her only slip of cool on the whole show. You could tell by the way she answered that she was wholly uncomfortable with the question and the subject. She floundered. She’s still a homophobe, but has obviously reigned in her language and her views to follow the party line. Tories have never been a ‘gay friendly’ party, by majority, and they never will be.
Dingledoodie ∼ October 23rd, 2009 12:21 pmI find the sight of Griffin creepy. Can I have him banned?
polly styrene ∼ October 23rd, 2009 6:56 pmI think I would have had more respect for Baronnes Warsi if she would have answered the question fully rather than skimming over it. If she doesn’t agree with civil partnerships or homosexuality she should have had the guts to say it. However I am glad that she lost her cool with this issue, for the rest of the show she came across very well and I was starting to like her… really should have known better from a Tory!
Vivien ∼ October 24th, 2009 12:59 pm