uncivil

the law that allows same sex civil partnerships came into force recently.
so lots of same sex couples are getting "hitched" in these partnerships (they can't be called marriage in case the moral fabric of the world disintegrates and we all become warthogs).
the pink pound is coming out in force here with lots of companies springing up to make money on the backs of these same sex partnerships.

for those living in same sex relationships it has been a crucial step forward as it gives the partners similiar rights to that extended to married couples. on that level it is a progressive move and is to be welcomed.
as for the fuss i just don't get it. i have heard various people argue that it is the end of moral civilisation as we know it. while i can see where some of these people get their ideas from it does sort of ignore the fact that many of these same sex couples have been living together for years. it also ignores the fact that many hetrosexual marriages are not exactly a bed of roses for the people in them either.

then there have been the radical gays who have welcomed the move but then argued that the hertro lifestyle is not something to be admired or aspired to. but it is ok you have to accept that an oppressed minority can use the sort of language that if it wa used against them would have them crying foul and calling the user bigots.

in amongst this you have to have a certain amount of respect for the boys and girls of the western isles in the outer hebridies who are doing the ceremony.

"What the local authority is quite responsibly doing is what it's obliged to do under statute.
"That is allowing people to register their partnerships but what it's not doing is providing the all-singing, all-dancing ceremony."

i like the fact that they are indulging in a bit of passive resistance, doing exactly what they are supposed to, no more and no less. (and if they do not extend ceremonies to hetrosexual couples then they are being even handed).

(a spokesman for the region implied that this was the case on radio 5 this morning.)

no one of course is suggesting that this is an example of scottish tightness.