FibDems

The latest edition of the Inverness Courier carries a "people's" interview with Danny Alexander. Where the good folk of the 'sneck get to ask Danny some probing questions.

It is, for the most part, a fairly dull interview where Danny tries hard to please everyone.

Everyone, that is, except the homosexual community.

Danny was asked this question:

Q. I read in the Courier that you have asked the Governement to consider supporting the right of churches to ban gay groups from their premises. How can you justify this outright discrimination? Jan Duncan, Inverness.

Which relates to views which he expressed here.

In response to the question, Danny states:

Goods and services are needed by everyone, and where a commercial service is being offered to the public it is right that individuals should not suffer the humiliation, distress or lack of amenity of refusal on grounds of their sexual orientation. Preventing such discrimination is the purpose of the regulations that will soon be proposed.

However, it seems to me that some limited exemptions to these regulations are appropriate to make sure that correctly extending the rights of one group does not unacceptably curtail the freedoms of another.

I would like to see some religious exemptions in relation to churches. These should cover buildings whose function is as a place of worship and to the specific doctrinal activities of that religion.

This would prevent a church or other building of worship from being forced to hire itself out to a group that it believed would contradict the doctrines of its faith. This seems to me to be a fair way to tackle the unacceptable discrimination that is seen far too often, whilst ensuring the freedom of religious groups to practice their faith is also protected.

This will come as news to the Lib Dem peers who yesterday voted with the government to prevent a challenge by Lord Morrow which would have allowed religious groups to prevent homosexuals from using church facilities.

Do the Lib Dems support Danny’s position?

More to the point, what do gay rights groups think?

"And would the Secretary of State agree with me that I'm a bit of a twit?"