UK MPs: Debate Same Sex Marriage In Bermuda
British MPs are set to debate “same sex marriage in Bermuda” during an Adjournment Debate on Monday [Jan 29] in the House of Commons.
The “upcoming business” section for the Commons Main Chamber lists the debate and Labour MP Chris Bryant’s name, with Mr Bryant having already made his position clear, previously asking that the UK Minister to “tell the Bermudian Parliament very firmly ‘no way, we are sticking with same-sex marriage.”
The Domestic Partnerships Act — which is designed to replace same-sex marriages with a domestic partnership which can be entered into by both same-sex and heterosexual couples — passed in the House of Assembly, then passed in the Senate on December 13th, 2017..
The Bill was went to the UK-appointed Governor for assent, which is generally seen as a formality, however it has been a topic of speculation and discussion in this case, and the Governor has not yet signed the Bill.
The last statement from Government House on the matter said that the “Governor is continuing to consider” the Bill and is “taking legal advice as appropriate.”
Last month, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO] said: “The UK Government is a proud supporter of LGBT rights and continues to support same sex marriage.
“While the UK Government is disappointed with the implications of this Bill, this is a matter for the Bermuda Government acting within the terms of the Bermuda Constitution and in accordance with international law.”
The matter was also recently discussed by the British Foreign Affairs select committee, with Commonwealth Minister Lord Ahmad being asked what decision he has made about “Bermuda and same sex marriage,” and you can watch the exchange below.
The Bill passed in the Senate approximately six weeks ago; however Bermuda’s Constitution does not stipulate a time frame for assenting to Bills.
According to the official UK Parliament website, “The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament [MPs] to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons.
“MPs consider and propose new laws, and can scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about current issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees.”
Looks like the PLP have chosen to poke the beast. Let the pieces fall where they may.
We all know the PLP won 24 to the OBA 12. The lost was because the previous Government who was afraid to ruffle the feathers. The PLP was very clear the way they were heading months before and right up to the election.
Before the election BDA spoke at the Preserve Marriage Demonstration At Parliament, May 25 2017.
The UK has no business getting in Bermuda’s affairs. The Bermuda Government should lower the Governors annual income and his living quarters.
Or better yet the UK should as I’ve read else where give Bermuda 3billion dollars per year since it has such an influence over Bermuda’s affairs and they should start paying the Givernors salary and his accommodations going forward.
The Governor should not be influenced over the UK and do his damn job, the job the Bermudian people are paying him to do.
They have every right!!! We are a colony and the UK have made it clear…we can leave anytime and they might prefer us to go…so I don’t get your anger here…3b LOL. Unfortunately for you, the majority dont want Ind and now due to passporting likely never will want it. So therefore we answer to the UK.
So if UK have no business getting in our affairs then what right does Bda government (a.k.a. Church) have getting involved in an individuals affairs?
You obviously don’t get how it works….the changes you want would have to go through….you guessed it…the governor…and also England did colonize Bermuda first….just saying
Also you act as if Bermuda hires the governor….I swear he is appointed from that end….
I hope they stop this nonsense… Long Live SSM
Typical Colonial Rule and Conquer tactic.
For centuries Natives and People of colour have been subjected to European Reconnaissance that eliminated their language, religion and culture and imposed their ideology, belief and culture.
Same $#!+ different day.
And by supporting a ban on SSM, you are no different from those Europeans……
I dont support anything other then marraige between man/male and woman/female, so that makes me a bad peron.
Sighhhhhh
Yes. That DOES make you a bad person.
So does the fact that you CONSTANTLY lie to promote this hate.
So does the fact that you spread false information because you don’t actually have a real, honest reason to push this agenda.
Promoting hate, inequality and baseless discrimination does, in fact, make you a bad person.
Please go for independence then. I’d prefer not to have to fund passport rights, Bermudian students and social welfare and allow them to take our jobs. Go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before the “Europeans” arrived.
Excuse me for being ignorant if I am, but how can you call this colonialism? When the English settlers made this a home, to my knowledge, there wasn’t anyone else here. So how can it be colonialism?
I think most black people forget they were not the first to settle in Bermuda. Therefore when you say “Typical Colonial Rule and Conquer tactic. For centuries Natives and People of colour have been subjected to European Reconnaissance that eliminated their language, religion and culture and imposed their ideology, belief and culture” is simply misguided. If you said that black people now run Bermuda and want to go independent and set a new set a new culture then that makes more sense.
Africans were Colonialized when we came here, even though we were not the first people here, when we came here we were treated unjustly and in some cases STILL being treated unjustly) and worked over 300 years with free labour which helped make Bermuda and its merchants a wealthy place.
So African descendants have every right (after decades of social protest and legislative adjustments to earn a livable wage) just as much as the European descendants who wallow in the realm of undeserved privilege.
You are all over the place, aren’t you? Are you honestly trying to argue that by going independent every black person is going to all of a sudden earn a ‘livable wage’ (whatever that means, but we’ll ignore that for now). You are ignorant to say the least. Scary that your vote counts the same as mine.
Yes, slavery was wrong. Yes, there are people who are more advantaged than others (both black and white). That’s life, get over it.
” undeserved privilege.”
Is that the new name for the plp?
lol@OJ, you’re such a hateful little beast.
Well, there IS undeserved privilege. That’s a thing.
The problem is that, for all he rails against it, Onion Juice isn’t looking to get rid of it, like most of us are.
He’s looking to be the one that HAS the undeserved privilege.
He’s a supremacist. That’s all that drives him.
It’s sad and it’s bad for our country.
Please look up what colanialism means…”Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony: Colonialism, the extension of political control to new areas. A colonist, a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there to colonize the area”…… soooooo…it refers to both a place with people (Africa, Brazil) and also new territories….
Exactly… still being controlled by their colonial. This governor is not good at his job. How many times will he need help with decisions? Useless and a waste of money.
What specific culture is being eliminated by Marriage Equality?
Oh, wait. You don’t have the courage to actually engage on the subject, do you? You just post lies then run away.
Shame on you.
And the definition of marriage has now “evolved” to include same-sex couples the European Court of Justice says. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gay-marriage-eu-same-sex-marriage-european-court-of-justice-ecj-definition-evolved-advocate-general-a8153096.html
As our constitution is based on the European Charter of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the question now is does this removal of “human” rights comply with our constitution?
Instead of being perceived as the forward thinking, leader of the Caribbean nations and a feather in Her Majesties cap, Flip Flop and the spineless 20 have reduced Bermuda to nothing more than a naughty child being brought in front of the Headmaster to get their hands slapped.
How can you be a leader of the Caribbean nations and they ALL are on the same page, anything of all we will be the laughing stock of the Caribbean and African Diaspora.
African diaspora records 55.9 million people in Brazil. Brazil have had same sex marriage since 2013.
So thats one African Diaspora country out of how many that dont except it, and by the way was colonized by Portugal. And I guess you will mention South Africa too.
Not part of our Culture.
Sorry Charlie.
That diaspora number is larger than the 39 million total population of the Caribbean.
What countries in particular are you referring too?
Your culture is one of hate, greed and vanity.
You need to shut your mouth and clean up your own back yard, troll.
Culture? Bra Bermudas culture is mixed taken from all parts of the world….lol even the “onions” where imported….come on now
Of course our culture is mixed from all parts but its still CULTURE, Europeans have their culture, African descendants have their culture Portuguese have their culture, Philippinos have their culture, Canadians have their culture.
And ya point is.
So you’re saying that SSM shouldn’t be permitted because African/Caribbean culture is superior and trumps all others?
Your the one that said “not part of our culture”….The places you listed created significant things that other cultures adopted…very true. What has Bermuda contributed to the world? But you act as if this islands is the center of it…and why are you anti foreigner when everything that influences us is foreign….even kites and gombeys….can you catch Cod in Bermuda?
Then you slate England…yet they are the ones that created Bermudas infrastructure…
My point with the “onion” comment is that even your nickname was imported to Bermuda in the 1700′s and became well known because it thrived here…
New Zealanders are nicknamed “kiwi’s”… but the birds been there forever….see the difference?
Embrace all, and stop being so “pro Bermudian”…there may be many countries, cultures and races…but there is only a few blood types….
Hey Dreamer when I say our cultrure um talking about African Desendants/African Culture.
O really…you wouldn’t last a minute in Africa…you are westernized fool. What part of Africa’s culture you partake in…please tell…..
Nothing you write is ever true. Don’t you get sick of being wrong?
don’t compare Bermuda to Brazil because there are heart braking things happening there on a daily bases that i hope and pray will never happen in Bermuda. Bermuda is another world and should say that way
Actually the spineless was the OBA 12. They did nothing for the SSM.
same old story bid bad England forcing their nasty way of life on their so called loyal subjects
time has come for Bermuda to tell Britain and all that royal hog wash
good buy
Nobody is forcing you to be gay or marry someone of the same sex.
So I think you have it backward that some in Bermuda are trying to force their way of life on gay couples.
No, they’re trying to enforce an unatural way of lifestyle that is counter-cultural.
No one is trying to enforce anything on you. You don’t have to marry your same sex partner if you don’t want to.
Who made you God? And what qualifies you as the judge of what is and isn’t “counter-cultural”?! Nobody is forcing anything on you and those who think like you. You are discriminating against those who are different from you plain and simple. It’s EXACTLY the same as racial discrimination.
Racial discrimination is in a league of its own which has led to countries being built from hundreds of years of free labour and generations suffering economically through legislative policies which partitioned neighbourhoods and estates, neglacted high paying jobs, being blackballed and losing mortages and denied loans just to name a few.
It is an insult to Freedom Fighters and Civil Rights Leaders and Advocates who lost their lives for their cause and try to equate this issue with it.
PATHETIC
Good, Onion Juice!!
Thank you, the Truth is an offence but not a sin.
You’re an offence to REAL bermudians, OJ.You know nothing of the truth, but you do know howto sin.
You’ll burn in hell, bigot…while we all laugh and sing and eat cake
YOU are pathetic. Discrimination IS Discrimination!
Who is forcing their way of life on you?
Oh yeah. No one. No one at all.
where do you think the sexual deviance of today comes from?
“good buy”
This says more about you than the bigoted garbage you spew.
goodbye….fixed it for you!
and you want to try to go it alone when you cannot even spell…LMAO.
Frank, think about what you are saying. If we do that, a large portion of international business may well say good bye to Bermuda. It is our ties to the UK that make us attractive to international business. I, for one, do not want to go back to an economy based on onion and Easter Lilly exports
That is not correct. IB in Bermuda functions totally separate from the UK. If anything, the UK is detrimental to our IB economy because it is the UK who is constantly branding us as a “tax haven” and trying to make life difficult by imposing all sorts of rules of restrictions, such as trying to gain control over our ownership register. We don’t even have economic ties to the UK, since we don’t receive financial support from the UK and Bermuda abandoned the UK pound as our currency way back in the 70′s, and you know what, IB still thrived.
If Bermuda decided to go independent, IB would be just fine.
O really? No economical ties you say….lol. One example is the “Queens bottom”…all water surrounding Bermuda belongs to her majesty…if you want a dock you are taxed…Mariners have to pay up to half a million a year….that’s just one example….why you think they send a governor? To protect their assets…..
And we give UK $2 Million a year.
You want to stop Bermudian kids from getting university education in the UK. How nice.
*And we give UK $2 Million a year.*
Really ? Please do explain .
Besides , if we could just figure out that unaccounted for 800 mil that’s 400 years worth of payments right there !
Actually not true. One of the reasons that IB finds Bermuda attractive is that legal disputes will ultimately end up with the Privy Council. Remove that and the island will definitely be less attractive.
Countries in the Commonwealth that go independent can choose to retain the right to appeal to the Privy Council (i.e. Jamaica and Cyprus). But in any event, how many IB cases actually go to that extent? It’s too costly and time consuming, most big companies would likely prefer to settle before it got to that point.
Would Cayman have a competitive edge if Bermuda went independent? Methinks yes, if I was a CEO I’d be moving my business to Cayman if Bermuda became independent.
So why is IB not a major industry in the independent Caribbean countries like Barbados and Jamaica?
UK link is hugely important to IB.
Something Burt & followers are completely unaware of.
People like you think Bermuda is untouchable, it ain’t! Hence why your Premier is scared to increase payroll tax this year. What would independence do? Lol
“Government acting within the terms of the Bermuda Constitution and in accordance with international law”. There lies the problem. Which one overrides the other?
I’m thinking INTERNATIONAL LAW overrides the constitution of some little dot in the ocean.
I’m NOT thinking that international law overrides ANY constitution. And the Americans, Brits, French and a host of other countries agree with my view.
I’m not fond of the Size Matters argument when it comes to a country’s laws and application. Where do you draw the line?
Hmmm,
PLP claims to church going folk going into an election that they will keep same sex marriage out of Bermuda.
Once elected by church going folk, plp goes back on campaign promise, and allows same sex unions….
glad to see they are consistent:
WE HAD TO DECEIVE YOU.
So now they have a reason to ask for independence from England as well! excellent populist political strategy!
The Guv ain’t going to sign your bill and your won’t ever get Independence!
Stop Dreaming!
Lol….your won’t ever? You mean you will never….hold up who’s the English one here?
You have to get the majority of us to agree to independence we are not that stupid I mean what do we become weeduda?
It was okay with THEM when oba was in power. The tables have turned. Now THEY are running helter skelter.
HHmmm…. cutting the sword on both sides…..the irony of the head!!!
Amazing, yet totally believable….wanting the whole package!!!!
SSM is the thin end if the wedge ,they will want more , like their own island and they know how to get it.
What nonsense is this? “They”? Who is “they”?
Do you have examples of this happening elsewhere?
Come on. Back up your claims or admit you are a liar.
With all your comments you’re still the biggest fool and blogger on here.
You voted oba and they did nothing for SSM. How you going to support a Government that did nothing for your cause. Your x premier Dunkely did even show up to vote. LOLOL facts are facts.
We all know you didn’t vote PLP.
This is nothing more than a childish lashing out, based on absolutely nothing.
As has been explained many times, and your ignorance of this fact is breathtaking, a vote for a party does NOT mean support. Sometimes it is a vote for the lesser of two evils.
As for what the OBA did for SSM? They were weak and spineless, yes. But when the ruling came in, they didn’t actively try to harm people by reversing it, by weakening the HRA, an act that protects ALL of us.
Your proposal that I supported the OBA is baseless and ridiculous. You’re just making things up and basing it on the colour of my skin. Shame on you.
Why am I even bothering to respond to this? It’s not like you’ll reply with anything lucid, intelligent or even intelligible. It’ll just be more biased, ridiculous nonsense like this.
That is if you even deign to reply. Cowards like you who make personal attacks while hiding like a worm under the hood of anonymity generally run away like roaches when confronted.
Grow up. Do what’s right for this country.