An example of conservative obtuseness

The Government have announced that they intend to introduce legislation which will offer protection to people on the grounds of sexual orientation with regard to the incitement of hatred. This is good.

But now we have the fringe religious certifiables of the 'Lawyers Christian Fellowship' sounding off because, poor dears, the Government haven't invited them to put their case before the relevant committee whereas that nasty horrid Stonewall group have pride of place straight away. Or not 'straight' away as the case may be....

What these poor deluded people fail to realise is that the Government wishes to gain insight and guidance from a group who share their aims and who wish to offer constructive suggestion as to the way the legislation might be framed. The LCF don't want any legislation at all, because they are afraid that if they rant on about how their BigDaddyHomophobeInTheSky hates poofs, then they might even be thrown into jail.

Of course, that isn't going to happen, as attractive as the idea of homophobic conservative evangelical lawyers (couldn't get much worse, all told) being banged up in the nick might appear. But why should it be a governments priority to invite a group who don't want the legislation to appear before the relevant committee in the first instance?

This is all too typical of the sense of personal loss of status which these people feel. At one time they ruled the roost, now, even the Conservative party finds them an embarrassment.