UK Conservatives rebel over gay marriage (like conservatives everywhere)
David Cameron, British prime minister, is facing deepening splits within his Conservative Party, with a divisive bill to legalise gay marriage returning to parliament. The bill was approved by a comfortable 225-vote majority when it was last debated in February despite the opposition of almost half of Conservative lawmakers.
But dozens of disgruntled Conservative MPs are expected to deliver a blow to Cameron's agenda by backing an amendment saying that if gay couples are allowed to marry, then heterosexual couples should also be able to have civil partnerships.
The vote comes at a time when Cameron is already under pressure from a large section of his fractious centre-right party over his stance on a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. Grassroots Conservative supporters fear that with a general election two years away, Cameron's backing for gay marriage is driving traditional Tory voters to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which had its best electoral performance last month when it made gains in local elections.
On Saturday, France became the 14th country to legalise gay marriage when Socialist President Francois Hollande signed it into law, despite fierce protests from the main opposition right-wing UMP party. New Zealand, a member of the British Commonwealth, legalised gay marriage in April.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/201352020124355115.html
