As I write this, Ireland is about to vote on whether to allow same-sex marriage. Much of the debate on the matter has seemed confused to me. I regret that it has been necessary for this vote to take place at all. Civil marriage was introduced to England and Wales by the 1836 Marriage Act. […]
One of my most deeply-held convictions is of the benefit of having a secular state. It is the best protection against excesses committed in the name of a belief system, which applies as much to the oppressions of atheism as to those of any religion. Let’s distinguish between secularism on the one hand and anti-religion on […]
Former First Minister Jack McConnell recently dismissed the surge in SNP support as a “protest movement”. Hearing that brought to mind a scene from a Mel Brooks film[1]: Count De Monet: It is said that the people are revolting. King Louis: You said it; they stink on ice. In October 2014, not long after the referendum, I heard […]