Ahead of this past weekend's Pride march in London, a political war of words. First, the Labour Party's Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw observed that "a deep strain of homophobia" still exists in the rival Tories. Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant backed him up, stating, "If gays vote Tory, they will rue the day very soon."
These remarks followed an official apology by the Conservatives for implementing the anti-gay Section 28 in the 1980s. "I am sorry for Section 28. We got it wrong. It was an emotional issue. I hope you can forgive us," said Conservative leader David Cameron (pictured), who voted to keep the measure as recently as 2003. But his words were deemed "25 years too late" by Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman.
These remarks followed an official apology by the Conservatives for implementing the anti-gay Section 28 in the 1980s. "I am sorry for Section 28. We got it wrong. It was an emotional issue. I hope you can forgive us," said Conservative leader David Cameron (pictured), who voted to keep the measure as recently as 2003. But his words were deemed "25 years too late" by Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman.
Apparently, apology not accepted.
Striking back, Alan Duncan, a gay Tory Cabinet Minister accused Bradshaw and Bryant of "stirring up hatred and division."
More from the Times: "[T]he next generation of Tory MPs will be more socially liberal. In a survey of 133 prospective parliamentary candidates in winnable seats for the ConservativeHome website, 62 per cent said that same-sex couples should be given the same benefits as married couples, while 31 per cent disagreed."
"Cameron's apology on Section 28 is HUGE news," according to Boyz Magazine Managing Director David Bridle. "Gay people I know were delighted. This is a fantastic way for him to start rebuilding relations with the gay community."
With a large number of gay respondents saying they would vote Conservative in a recent poll, it would 
seem the current state of the Conservatives is one possible future for the Republican party in the U.S.—jettison the religious right, become more socially liberal and attract a broader spectrum of moderates, including quite a few gay people with short memories or whose priorities never included gay causes in the first place…or whose only liberal position is gay rights.
seem the current state of the Conservatives is one possible future for the Republican party in the U.S.—jettison the religious right, become more socially liberal and attract a broader spectrum of moderates, including quite a few gay people with short memories or whose priorities never included gay causes in the first place…or whose only liberal position is gay rights. In related news, PM Gordon Brown (Labour) didn't attend the London march, instead sending his wife (pictured).
