QUENTIN LETTS: Fingers were wagged about not respecting minorities

Yesterday's gay marriage debate was a battle of intolerances. ‘You’re less tolerant than me.’ ‘Rubbish!’ 

Yes, folks, it was another day in the modern politics of egalitarian one-upmanship and legal menaces, another day of MPs wagging fingers about the wickedness of not respecting minorities – and then shouting down Hon Members who disagreed with them. 

First there was a brief debate about how much time should be given to the debate. The pro gay marriage lot, who long called for ‘a national debate on this issue’, were suddenly keen to introduce a time limit.

One of the culture ministers put the motion. Chris Bryant, shadow minister, said just two words by way of his formal speech on this aspect of the Bill: ‘We agree.’

A speech in favour of tolerance: At yesterday's gay marriage debate, Edward Leigh was opposing discrimination against people who disagreed with same-sex marriage

Has motormouth Christo ever been so succinct? For him to limit his oration to just three syllables was like taking Nigel Farage to your favourite pub and for him to order a pineapple juice. 

The anti-gay marriage lot wanted much more time for the debate – even though they are forever complaining that ‘Cameron should not be wasting time on this’. What was going on here? Well, the pro-gay marriage lot wanted to push the Bill on to the statute books without further awkwardness.

The antis wanted to cause trouble for David Cameron and also ventilate a few of the Bill’s problems. 

Prominent antis were a wild-haired Peter Bone (Con, Wellingborough), vinegary Sir Gerald Howarth (Con, Aldershot) and Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough). Speaker Bercow called Mr Leigh ‘Sir Edward’. MPs: ‘Not yet, he ain’t!’

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Mr Bercow, acknowledging his slip, said that a knighthood for Right-winger Leigh (no favourite of Downing Street) was ‘against the odds’.

And yet Mr Leigh made a speech so in favour of tolerance that a visiting martian might presume that he was a Cameroon, a Blairite, a devotee of the Harmanite creed of anti-discrimination. Trouble was, he was opposing discrimination against people who disagreed with same-sex marriage. At this point egalitarianism completes a zooming circuit of the moon and prangs into itself.

Mr Leigh being well liked, he was heard with relative respect. At one point he was talking about Christian groups facing pressure to ‘solemnise’ gay marriages and he stumbled on the word. 

It popped out as ‘sodomise’. Blimey. That really would be asking a bit much.

Sir Gerald, a less sympathetic figure, refused to accept a Labour MP’s intervention at one point because ‘your last one was stupid’.

Sir Gerald Howarth made the point that employees can feel bullied by the rights culture and the way it is imposed in the workplace

But Sir Gerald made the same point as Mr Leigh, namely that employees can feel bullied by the rights culture and the way it is imposed in the workplace. He said that staff at the Palace of Westminster ‘feel intimidated about expressing a view’.

Naturally, this ignited grumbles from MPs in favour of gay marriage. David Lammy (Lab, Tottenham) made a speech about the slave trade.  He often does. The Rev William McCrea (DUP, S Antrim) spoke up for the Book of Genesis, as is his wont.

Tory MPs worried about school teachers being forced to tell pupils about gay marriage. Apparently they are already required to tell children about heterosexual marriage. Er, why? Ben Bradshaw (Lab, Exeter) responded to these Tory fears by saying that Education Secretary Michael Gove is happy with the Bill.

But Mr Leigh wanted more legal safeguards and Julian Brazier (Con, Canterbury) argued that ministers’ assurances in the Commons meant nothing because they are ignored by the courts. What a legal tangle our legislators have made. Much of this is rooted in New Labour’s Equalities laws.

In other news, William Hague made a pessimistic statement about Syria. The possibility of our becoming involved militarily has increased. In an adult democracy, that would be the top story.

Instead we have the media banging on about ‘gay rifts’ and a remarkably silly row about an off-the-record joke an obscure adviser to Mr Cameron may or may not have made in a boozer late at night. Anyone got the number for Dignitas?