Ha ha ha ha, yes, because two people having the civil rights that come from marriage of course leads to orgies and glitter.

Let's not forget all the glitter, everywhere.

Actually, more people having stable relationships does improve society, they buy houses, take better care of the community, crime goes down, etc.

Perhaps to you, but like voting to Emily Davison, to the people that are effected it’s important.  Civil rights are only nothing to you, if you are not effected by the lack of them. Even, not a fan of marriage John Barrowman of Doctor Who/Torchwood, finally got married recently to his (now) husband in California.

Plus, what about when you leave the country?  Marriage rights in other countries are quite different than ‘domestic partners.’

I honestly can't say exactly what the difference are in the UK, but in the USA a Civil Partnership is missing about 10,000 (total at the federal level) rights from marriage.  (like Immigration, taxes, social security, inheritance, etc.)

Legally there is no difference, that's his point, a Civil Partnership was a marriage as far as many were concerned because by law it is no different. The reason Civil Partnerships were brought in was to highlight the obvious rediculousness that you can be with a person for 15 years and not be their next of kin if you die suddenly. Civil Partnerships gave gay couples the exact same rights as straight couples.

In the terms of this, it's just the term 'marriage'. So a gay couple can say they are married essentially by religion as it was defined in law, this changes that. No law changes other than the term would have changed. I'm all for this but do think it pointless and a waste of time especially as Civil Partnerships exist and we have more pressing issues to deal with.

The only issue now is getting a minister to perform it, many are more comfortable with it but many churches won't do it and it's their right to say no.

Ppl today have no clue whats happening to the western economy. (B/c the Fed and B of E stole our responsibilities) When our civilization is dead, too like the Roman Empire, ignorant zealots will comfort a new generation of economic fools. No one tells of ceasar's plan to take back the ppls right to coin money. No one tells of the banking system that bankrupted the roman economy. We're told they were wicked. Its true that an unvirtous society cannot stand. But the virtues we lack most are economic wisdom and political participation.

Personally I wish the government could get out of the marriage field. No tax brackets no divorces, no grouping... Its all privileges. What ever happen to rights? I digress, I'm happy for the ppl who this effects.

Maybe we can finally move on now.

In other news, Abortion is now legal in Ireland

And yet in the 1960's she wasn't against gay people at all.

Anything to get power, especially if they are conservative. 

But yeah, Britain has become very tolerant since the 1980's. I think we started to learn after what happened at Brixton in 1981. But i guess immigration of many ethnicities also made us more tolerant too. Before, Tony Blair's government. Immigrants were a very small minority in London but now make up 40% of London's 8 million, a huge change in a short amount of time. I'm actually glad we became tolerant like this. 

That tolerance you speak of can change in the blink of an eye. Anti-immigrants - more so muslims - is on the rise. The rise of UKIP proves not everyone is as welcoming to immigrants as you are although I do respect your views on this matter.

Hard times is a test of a peoples true character and if the economy worsens these tolerent people who talk of will soon become very intolerant as history as shown.

OT: Kowen is right but I think it is the symbolism of marriage that makes a difference.

Good news. Now give us a kiss

The problem here is that the media is being allowed to put the blame on them, when it's not even there fault though. The immigrants have always been blamed for problems in history and it just makes things worse. Fortunately, we aren't in the depression like Greece is, otherwise the fascist BNP would be popular like the Golden Dawn party is in Greece.

We need to stop blaming each other and just sort out our problems together.

Also, people who support UKIP are usually old and white who usually support conservative so not too many people then.  

About damn time, it's embarrassing it's taken this long.

I'm deeply ashamed that my own country still hasn't allowed it.