The Guardian gleefully heads up its article ~ "Tory backlash against same sex marriage"~ with a gobby line-up of rent-a-quotes predicting priests forced by policeman to marry gays and an awful future of polygamy or origami. Espousing the value of 'normal marriage' as a defence becomes them as they maintain the basic premise: that we are only allowed to marry if they license us. Why? What business of an MP is it if I marry one, four or sixteen ladies from TOWIE? Or if Kenneth Williams kept a bathhouse harem?
But the Labour and Liberal Democrats are no better. At least some Tories are exercised at the abuse of state power brought about by this campaign for equality. That there may not be sufficient defence for freedom of conscience (because most religions remain opposed to gay unions). The other parties view this as an equal right of recognition by the state, as if the state has any business in telling you who you should be with, what you do with a consenting partner and how you should celebrate your relationship. Agreements and mediation are sufficient; not the secretive network of 'family courts' that destroy families and create wards of the state.
Equality under license is not liberty; and if some fears do come to pass then equality gained is liberty lost. A poor trade.