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Congratulations indeed to Michael Gove, for helping to emasculate this rotten bill.

Go Gove go!
A moment of bliss before turning in - especially the government loosing the second vote because TB was itching to leave the House so took the first excuse.
A thoroughly bad bit of legislation that has hopefully been emasculated.

Hilary Armstrong may as well quit before being booted out. This is her third serious mistake since Cameron became Leader.

That said lets hope Blair she stays - sure she will cock the education bill vote up as well.

Hilary Armstrong may as well quit before being booted out. This is her third serious mistake since Cameron became Leader.

That said lets hope she stays - sure she will cock the education bill vote up as well.

A fantastic victory for religious freedom and cohesion, I'd almost lost hope on this one a long time ago.

I think one bit of personal courage was that Mark Oaten turned up and voted against the government - couldn't have been an easy return to the House but without him they might have scraped through on the second division.

Interesting to note the parallel between this and the other debate regarding the EPP (and their right to views some of us may disagree with).

Personally I think free speech is very important and we should be very careful when circumscribing it.

I think religion is a bunch of outdated supersition and that some religions are worse than others, significantly so. And, I think, I should be free to say so. I have religious friends, they know my opinions, and they are free to disagree with them. That is the way things should be in a free country.

"I think one bit of personal courage was that Mark Oaten turned up and voted against the government - couldn't have been an easy return to the House but without him they might have scraped through on the second division."

Charles Kennedy and Pussy Galore, sorry Galloway, were there as well. Although Galloway voted with the government. It would almost have been worth the bill scraping through by one vote just to see the government's embarrassment at relying on Galloway to get the bill through!

The government should not be privileging some opinions over others. That includes Mr Gove's opinions on Scientology! I too consider it a scam, but the state has no more business banning it than it does banning criticism.

You would have thought Gorgeous George's recent experience of censorship in the other House might have made him think a bit...

Michael Gove's speech was a reminder why we love him so. Read the full thing on Hansard. I hope those rightwingers who have slagged him off on this site in recent times will now acknowledge his contribution to the Conservative cause.

I'm suprised that this has not generated more comment. I'll repeat "The governement lost a vote because the Prime Minister could not be bothered to vote"

This seriously undermines the Prime Minister. How can he persuade the wavering MPs to back him on future votes when the PM cannot be bothered to vote himself? How can he turn out his vote?

This is the begining of the end, the rebels have tasted success, and Blair will be gone within a year.

If Keith Joseph had one brain and David Willets has two brains - how many does Gove have??!!
I hope we find good ways of deploying this intellect without frightening everyone off.

If there is any justice in the world - ID cards would become Blair's poll tax, and I suggest Gove may well be the man to write the script for their downfall.

Amused hear poor Minister Goggins (Bloggins surely) claiming today that at least there was an offence of inciting Religious Hatred on the statutue book..last night he said at opening of debate
"Those changes considerably reduce the scope of the Bill, to the extent that, in our view, it would be virtually impossible to bring a successful prosecution."
So Government position seems to be that they have fulfilled their promise but it is pretty meaningless.

"So Government position seems to be that they have fulfilled their promise but it is pretty meaningless"

Of course.. in the immortal words of Sir Humphrey describing government forming policy

"Something must be done, this is something, therefore we must do it."

Yet another piece of unnecessary legislation destined to be used in inappropriate ways no doubt. How long before the Archbishop of Canterbury or Chief Rabbi are getting their collar felt? Shall we have a sweepstake?

Has anyone else seen the appalling problems Denmark has encountered when it entered the religious debate?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4669210.stm

The BBC outrageously seem to imply towards the end of the article that rather than Muslims over-reacting, that instead the people who published the cartoons should be ashamed of the 'unseemly row' they have created.

Unfortunately, with growing islamic populations across Europe I fear that religious criticism will soon vanish due to much more dark forces than the threat of police action, if the troubles in Holland in relation to Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirst Ali are anything to go by.

Mark Oaten turns up, Tony Blair doesn't, Michael Gove and Ann Widdecombe join forces (as do Rowan Atkinson and the Evangelical Alliance), 25 Labour MPs go up to Scotland on the day of a highly contentious vote, the Government's whipping operation falls apart, but Cornerstone's comes together.

Is this series of highly unlikely events a matter of mere chance or evidence of intelligent design?

AH Peter, does it matter how we got where we are? Can't we just embrace it as something important?

It certainly didn't all happen in the last 7 days...

Though on the second vote, having seen the mess the whips had created, our Lord Tony rested.

But for heavens sake, let Michael Gove upload a different picture, he doesn't look like a school boy in real life!

Michael Gove's speech was a reminder why we love him so. Read the full thing on Hansard. I hope those rightwingers who have slagged him off on this site in recent times will now acknowledge his contribution to the Conservative cause.

As a rightwinger who has criticised Gove in the past I will awknowledge that his speech was extremely good. That being said I still remain deeply suspicious of him. How does the speech he made last night square with his "I love Tony Blair" article.

No mention of Dominic Grieve. He worked hard in convincing many MPs to vote against this bill.

I think he is one of our most consistent performers. Not in the limelight like Gove, but always delivering.

Didn't he win Parliamentarian of the year in 2005?

I think he deserves more recognition. Perhaps next time we have a conservativehome poll, we will have the option of giving him a rating.

Definately agree with you on Grieve, one of the most intelligent speakers I have seen and deserves more recognition.

Thank you Biodun. We'll find a way of including Dominic Grieve and some of the other 'second tier' frontbenchers in a future poll (if not February's).

Surely it is time to ban the BNP, National Front, Socialist Labour, Respect and the Communist Party; in addition action needs to be taken to address the fact that currently only Anglicanism, Judaism and Sikhism are protected under the law - surely it would be logical to have a Blasphemy Law covering defamation of God generally and banning ridiculous slurs on the major religions against the Old Testament Prophets, the Apostles and Jesus Christ.

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