PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

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Sir Nicholas Mountstuart
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Sir Nicholas Mountstuart »

I do not think there are many people in this country who actively hate homosexuals because they are homosexuals, and that is a good thing. It is also not what the repeal of Section 28 is about at all - toleration does not equal implicit support for homosexual activities, which many find abhorrent on moral and religious grounds. But I shall speak for myself; I know a number of homosexuals, many of them I like very much as individual people, many of whom are fighting very hard against what they know to be morally wrong, and a grave sin - they deserve our compassion and pity.

However, there is no moral equivalence between homosexual activity and heterosexuality, and I am confident that the vast silent majority of people in this country believe that to be an intrinsic truth. Let us keep in mind where the need for Baroness Thatcher's Government to pass Section 28 arose from; local councils -largely Labour controlled- trying to use public money to showcase homosexuality within schools. Repeal will open the floodgates to public subsidy for the work of the gay lobby within schools; I am talking about the likes of Peter Tatchell, who has spent years trying to push an agenda that has nothing in common with the values of the vast silent majority. The innocence of children must be nurtured and protected above all else; the Prime Minister has not consulted anyone over this repeal, not least concerned parents, or rates payers who do not want to see their taxes used for the active promotion of homosexuality in the classroom - this legislation shows once again that Labour's priorities are vastly different from decent hardworking families - the Conservatives will oppose their war on traditional values at every turn.
Rt Hon. Sir Nicholas Mountstuart Bt QC MP
Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (2001-Present)

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Rebecca Flair
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Rebecca Flair »

A just society has no business prescribing the morality of some to the lives of the rest of its citizens. All that Section 28 has done is create fear in teachers that they may be prosecuted and caused a generation of children to go through lives without any understanding of what is happening to them regarding their homosexual feelings. If these children can't talk to somebody about these thoughts and feelings then they will get a twisted and warped version of the truth from somewhere else, from an older kid or a stranger on the internet. The Conservatives talk about safeguarding children but it is their actions on Section 28 that put more and more children at risk every day as they search for a truth that this insane legislation is trying to hide from them.
Rebecca Flair
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Astrid Goldman
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Astrid Goldman »

I am grateful to my colleagues in Government for bringing this matter forward. I am somewhat disappointed to hear so many politicians on the Tory benches try to spin this matter as one about morality or whip-up worry among parents about this agenda or that.

As Education Secretary, I am happy to confirm very clearly that this is not a change to the National Curriculum. Schools are still expected to teach the same content as they did last year, schools are still expected to teach a broad and balanced curriculum that is of a predominantly Christian ethos.

However, schools are also expected to safeguard the children in their care. As Education Secretary, I am responsible for ensuring teachers and headteachers can do that effectively. What we have seen since the introduction of Section 28, is teachers too frightened of retribution to properly and adequately keep children safe.

It is unsafe to let children who think they might be gay or are perceived to be gay, get bullied. It is unsafe for teachers to be too scared to answer questions about safe sex to give appropriate advice. It is unsafe for headteachers to be too worried about a political comeback to challenge cases of neglect or abuse due to sexuality.

Schools should be safe, Section 28 makes them unsafe so it is has to go.
Astrid Goldman, Lady Goldman MP
Labour Party| Member for Pontefract and Castleford
Secretary of State for Education and Children 2001-present
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Brown »

"It is tempting to try to immediately silence ideas with which we disagree, but it is deeply dangerous and the ramifications are unmeasurably grave. Speech isn’t always going to make us feel comfortable, we’re not always going to like it, but allowing even the most grotesque speech is preferable than the alternative." Don't take my word for it though, those words come from the Leader of the Opposition himself just days ago! It is puzzling, so soon after expressing confidence in their leader, how quickly Conservatives stand up to stand in opposition to the message that their leader just gave in the United States. Every week, it becomes more and more difficult to see where this opposition is focused on opposing--the Government or itself.
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Will Frost
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Will Frost »

I’m happy that some in the Labour Party are such fans of the remarks I made to the ACLU, I hope they encourage their colleagues who are less inclined to support free speech to study my remarks carefully.

The Government’s plan to ram through Section 28 abolition, of course, has nothing to do with strengthening freedom of expression, and everything to do with enforcing New Labour’s world view on the people of this country. There is nothing “free” about stripping parents of their right to oversee the materials and informing being presented to their children on incredibly sensitive topics. Labour isn't interested in expanding free speech or freedom of expression, if they were, they wouldn't deride every policy they disagree with as "racist." Instead, they are committed to forcing a universally unpopular and undesired legislative proposal down the throats of the British people. The Conservative Party sees this legislation for exactly what it is: an attempt by out of touch politicians to force the British people into accepting what they believe to be right. We will oppose it vigorously.

If New Labour was seriously interested in expanding freedom of expression in this country, they would give parents the power to choose if they want their local schools to change the way they present information about sexuality and the family. We all know, however, that they couldn't be bothered with doing something so reasonable.
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Brown »

Mr. Croft seems confused--as it exists now, parents and local schools can't change the way they present information about sexuality and the family and, indeed, can't allow students to form groups on campus for say, anti-homophobic bullying initiatives. Mr. Croft has perfectly explained why this legislation is needed. We need to give control back to our local governments, schools, and families about dealing with these issues. Section 28 prevents this, and imposes a directive from Westminster that forbids these issues from being tackled. If Mr. Croft and the Tories really believe in giving powers to local schools, parents, and local government to address these issues, I look forward to seeing them in the Aye lobby to end Section 28, which currently prohibits these groups from doing just that.
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Will Frost »

Abolishing Section 28, without providing any safeguards in place to replace it, does nothing to empower choice and strengthen the rights to parents. If Mr. Brown is serious about extending choice and power to parents, he will amend his legislation to ensure that Section 28 can only be abolished for local communities if voters choose to do so by ballot initiative. Will he? I think we all know the answer to that.
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Alex Cardigan »

Mr Croft has argued local communities should vote on Section 28, to give parents choice. This does not give parents choice, though, does it. The proportion of electors in any given constituency, ward, division, community, whatever, is never made up by a majority of people who currently have children at school. The voice of parents who have children at local schools would be swamped, they would have almost no say. Even if we were to suggest this policy was workable - and wasn't going to cost millions - there are far wider issues of note. Encouraging localised referenda on issues of ethical magnitude is an insanely irresponsible policy that would have major unforeseen consequences and cause huge division in local communities across the country.

If Mr Croft's main desire is to give parents a choice, then the best way to do that is to vote to get rid of Section 28. The current legislation bans parents from having a choice to educate their children or not. It removes control from parents, teachers, headmasters, schools, and imposes a top-down view on education from Whitehall. If we get rid of this legislation, all it means is that schools and teachers are given a choice, and given freedom to teach appropriately. Mr Croft has no interest in that in truth, though, he simply has an interest in pandering to the right-wing press, to claw back any remnants of support his party has.
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Owain Jones »

Section 28 is a cruel and discriminatory law and The Tories should be ashamed to support it. I can only hope moderate forward thinking tories turn up and back this repeal.
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Re: PC 8: Section 28 Repeal

Post by Clarice Ashbridge »

The Conservative Party's support of Section 28 does not come from a place of hatred or from ignorance, as Labour has tried to claim. It instead comes from a feeling that is no doubt felt by almost every single parent in this country: love for our children, and a deep and burning desire to protect them. Schools are perfectly able to teach about homosexuality in a fair and balanced way under Section 28. There is nothing preventing them from doing so, and I think those suggesting otherwise have fallen for the New Labour spin a bit too much. What it does, however, is prevent the promotion of homosexuality as equivalent to heterosexuality, and prevent left-wing local authorities from spending taxpayers money teaching the nation's children the ins and outs of gay sex. If however Section 28 is going to be repealed, it should be local rate-payers who decide what their children are exposed to and whether or not their money is spent on campaigns against decency.

Labour's latest attempt to blur the lines of the traditional family is one that is a deliberate wound into the social fabric of this country, and it is no doubt going to be as unpopular as their last attempt to do so. Whilst we are now more than ever before accepting of alternate lifestyles as a country than at any point in history, we know what the best family unit for our children is: at home with mum and dad. Labour doesn't seem to agree. With the scrapping of the Married Tax Allowance, and failing standards in our schools, this government has waged a war on the traditional family that shows no signs of stopping with this deeply divisive and wrong legislation they now present.
The Hon. Clarice Ashbridge MP, Lady Ashbridge
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