News archive
News archive 2003
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Queen's
Speech: |
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Queen's Speech:
Civil Partnerships
Bill announced |
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Gay
marriage bill
in Queen's Speech
The
Government has confirmed it will introduce legislation
to give all the rights and privileges of marriage to
gay couples. The announcement came in the Queen's Speech.
Read
our press release... |
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Religious
Liberty : |
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Bishop of Chester:
hounded by police
for saying gays need 'help'
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Free
speech in danger
as police hound bishop
The
Christian Institute is appalled that the Bishop of Chester
is being investigated by the police merely for stating
orthodox Christian doctrine. In a newspaper interview
the Bishop suggested that some homosexuals can ‘reorientate’
themselves.
Read
our press release... |
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Cannabis:
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Howard:
Decided not to ask
Tory Peers to vote aginst weakening the law on cannabis
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Howard
could have blocked
reclassification of cannabis
The
Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, could have
defeated Government plans to weaken the law on cannabis,
but instead chose not to ask Tory Peers to vote against
the plans in the Lords.
More |
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Cannabis:
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Cannabis:
Softer laws will
encourage more use
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Lords
vote in favour of
weaker cannabis laws
Governemnt
plans to downgrade the cannabis laws have been forced
through the House of Lords.
Peers voted by 63 to 37 in favour of reclassifying cannabis,
but expressed concern about the health implications
for young people.
More
information (including how MPs and Peers voted)...
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Age
of consent: |
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Letwin:
Tabled the Conservative
amendment to weaken the age of consent law.
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Attempt
to weaken
age of consent law
The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats have
tabled amendments to the Sexual Offences Bill which
weaken the age of consent law.
The Government is expected to reject the amendments.
Read
our press release... |
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Civil
Registration: |
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Up in smoke?
Plans to ditch the
marriage certificate.
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Proposals
to ditch
marriage certificates
The Government plans to scrap marriage certificates,
scrap the legal content of marriage declarations and
permit novelty and fantasy weddings. It also wants to
phase out birth certificates and death certificates.
Click
here for information |
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Gay
Marriage: |
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Civil Partnerships:
Gay marriage in
all but name.
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Government's
gay
marriage plans
The Government is proposing to introduce a form of “gay
marriage”. It plans to allow homosexual couples
to register a “civil partnership” at a registry
office. Their new legal status will entitle them to
the same rights as married couples.
Click
here for information |
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Cannabis:
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Cannabis:
Softer laws will
encourage more use
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Softer
cannabis laws
put before Parliament
The
Home Secretary's plans to weaken the law on cannabis
have been officially laid before Parliament.
A vote on the proposals is expected before Christmas.
| Publication: |
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Read our booklet which demolishes the most
popular arguments for softer cannabis laws
Click
here
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Sexual
Offences Bill: |
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Giving way: Home Secretary, David Blunkett
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Blunkett
accepts Lords' ban
on sex in public toilets
Sex
in public toilets will become a specific criminal offence,
the Home Secretary has announced.
David Blunkett reluctantly accepted a House of Lords
amendment to the Sexual Offences Bill which bans all
sex in public toilets.
More... |
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Section
28: |
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Courageous: Baroness Blatch
How Peers voted. |
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Lords
reject giving parents
more say over sex lessons
A
proposal to give parents more control over their child's
sex education has been rejected by the House of Lords.
The proposal, put forward by Baroness Blatch, was an
attempted to give children more protection. This was
in light of the Government's determination to repeal
Section 28.
The
plan was defeated by 180 votes to 130. |
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EU
Employment Directive: |
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Churches are being squeezed into a secular mould
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Major
Government U-turn over
churches' employment freedom
Parliament
has passed new employment 'equality' regulations.
The
regulations on sexual orientation include significant
new protections for religious groups.
The new protections were introduced after a last-minute
U-turn by the Government.
more...
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Sexual
Offences Bill:
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Libertarianism:
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New
booklet criticises
'libertarianism'
A
new publication from The Christian Institute assesses
the damaging new political ideology of 'libertarianism'.
Click here for more. |
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Section
28: |
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Courageous:
Edward Leigh's amendment to retain Section 28 was defeated
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Commons
votes
on Section 28
MPs
have voted to repeal Section 28, the law that prevents
local authorities from promoting homosexuality.
Click here for more. |
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Religious
liberty: |
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Churches are being squeezed into a secular mould
Listen
now
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Institute's
religious liberty
campaign hits the headlines
The
national press and broadcast media have reported the
Institute's campaign against new laws which stop religious
organisations having the freedom to employ like-minded
staff.
Click here for
more.
New
laws threaten
freedom of association
Proposed
new laws will stop religious organisations having the
freedom to employ like-minded staff. Religious groups
will be forced to employ people who don’t share
the organisation’s views.
“This is like banning the RSPCA from taking action
against its Director who is found to have shares in
a fur-trading company” said Christian Institute
Director Colin Hart.
Click here for
more.
New
equality laws ‘substantially’
restrict religious liberty
Top legal academics have accused the government of undermining
religious freedom. They say that the Government has
decided to implement an EU Employment Directive without
granting the full range of safeguards which are permitted
under EU law. All religious faiths will be affected.
Read
our press release |
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The House of Commons debate.
Read a Government summary of the plans
pdf
