Dear Ms Clwyd,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the government proposal to redefine marriage.
My major concern is that the government is also redefining the term "consultation".
It is apparent that the "consultation" will not be about whether marriage should be redefined, but only about how it can be redefined, this in spite of the fact that opinion poles demonstrate that 70% of the population want to maintain the status quo and over 230,000, including myself, have signed a petition calling for the retention of the current definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
May I respectfully remind you of the dictionary definition of democracy:
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
I fear that we may see the demise of democracy if the government is allowed to act contrary to the will of the people without proper consultation.
I am therefore asking you to oppose any attempt to violate the democratic will of the people in this matter.
Yours etc.
Dr Colin Hurt
33 Bryn Onnen
Penderyn
Aberdare
CF44 9JA
Dear Dr. Hurt,
Thank you for your email concerning redefining marriage.
I will be voting with the Government on the matter of equalising same-sex marriage. The reason I that give my support to this has been clearly expressed by Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, in which she said:
“Some people opposed civil partnerships when they were introduced, some people opposed the whole idea of civil marriage. But both were the right thing to do and have strong support now. It is welcome that most people also already support the chance for gay couples to get married too.”
If you have any further queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Yours sincerely,
Rt. Hon. Ann Clwyd M.P.
Dear Ms Clwyd,
Thank you for you reply to my email.
I am not surprised by your response, but I am disturbed.
You state that you will be voting with the government, yet, as far as I understand it you cannot know how the government is going to vote as the consultative process is not yet complete, unless, as I suspect, the "consultation" is a sham.
Can you please inform me:
1. What percentage of your constituents are in favour of redefining marriage?
2. What scientifically proven statistical method was used to ascertain this percentage?
3. If it could be demonstrated that the majority of your constituents were opposed to redefining marriage, would you still vote for the government or would you demonstrate your support for democracy by representing the will of the people?
I fear that the government and its supporters on this issue are going to discover that a large number of the citizens of the United Kingdom will refuse to accept a law that is a clear violation of deeply held convictions. I remember a certain politician who ensconced herself in Tower Colliery because she believed that a parliamentary decision was not in the best interests of her constituents. Government is not always to be obeyed, especially when it is acting in a way it was not mandated to act by the people. This is such a time.
Dr Colin Hurt.
