More evidence of liberality from the 'Equalities Minister'

"So – when I say the ‘modern world’ throws up new challenges – years ago this dilemma would not have existed because being openly gay itself was illegal. It is a measure of how far we have travelled that to not register a civil partnership is now illegal. I know I came in for a fair amount of chatter on the Internet amongst religious sites for saying, during the committee stage of the Equality Bill, that given these new challenges people would have to basically go into a different job – meaning that if your religious belief is going to make it impossible to carry out your work in the public sector – then that job is not going to be the right one. For those in the job as the world changes – of course – this is a very difficult circle to square – but in the end (and I believe quite rightly) access to public services cannot be anything other than free of religious belief."

Lynne Featherstone M.P.

I seem to remember from somewhere that Fr Arthur Stanton, [here] that hero of our Anglo-Catholic past, was a convinced radical Liberal in politics. One wonders what stance he would take now; but of course that was long before the centre-left decided, along with much of society, to take the easy option and pursue the more fashionable politics of sexuality rather than the laborious and often disheartening process of trying to improve the lot of the poor, deserving or undeserving.
But these kind of statements (yet more evidence of the growth of illiberal liberalism) are disturbing in their failure to understand the meaning of true cultural diversity, not to mention individual liberty, a belief in which which used to be close to the heart of the British Liberal Party.
Depressingly, Ms Featherstone, not to be left out, also has her two penn'orth on the subject of women bishops [here]
"So – from the brink – the Church creaks into the 21st century. I’m glad that they rejected the second class (for women) bishops and all the other equivocations that would have been all things to all men (literally)."
An interesting opinion from one of Her Majesty's ministers, yet somehow I doubt she is to be found in the pews on a Sunday morning. Some might think that such an absence should disqualify her from making comment.
Mr Gladstone would most definitely not approve [or, on the above evidence, even be eligible for a job in "the public sector."]