A Gay UK Primeminister?...apperently not...

[Plain old me]

As you may or may not know Michael Howard, the leader of the UK conservative party, is standing down during this term, leading to a race for leadership.

However, on Monday, Alan Duncan, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, announced he would no longer be running for leadership due to low parliamentary support. Mr Duncan, somewhat of a moderniser in the Conservative Party, is perhaps most famous for being the party's first openly gay MP.

My point is this...

Those of you from the UK...how do you feel a homosexual leader would have affected the Conservative Party? Would it lose support? Gain it? Or is the UK sufficiently modern thinking enough to not give it a second thought?

How about the US? Would an openly homosexual Primeminister have affected your view of the UK? How do you think it would affect relations, if at all? Would it affect the move for Gay Marriage in America that seems to be the source of much debate on this site?

I realise in the modern world his sexuality should not matter, policies count more, and I respect the man for his belief in modernisation of the tory party, but this is something that interested me, as Alan Duncan is my own MP...I feel the first woman PM was quite a big thing, so howzabout the first gay Primeminister?

 

[vergiss]

Personally, I feel that love is more important than what sort of genitals a person has. I wouldn't give a sod either way.

 

[Urethra Franklin]

As a Brit in exile, I wouldn't give a damn.
It's widely believed that we've already had a gay prime minister, albeit not openly so due to the more constrained times.

I live in a city with an openly gay mayor, Bertand Delanoë. Nobody makes an issue about his sexuality. They're more interested in the fact that after Tiberi before him, and Chirac before that, we actually have an HONEST politician running Paris. He's a damn good mayor; that's all that matters. Who he shags is neither here nor there.

 

[vergiss]

I'll be able to vote in UK elections when I turn 18... hooray for dual citizenship! :mrgreen:

 

[Plain old me]

hmm, s'nice to know that it isn't a factor, personally I think the Tories have missed a trick there. I think an openly gay leader would demonstrate just how committed they are to modernisng themselves...

...before I sound too much like I'm into positive discrimination, I actually think he would be a good leader / Primeminister, although this is based on an appraisal of the man, none of the hopefuls have expressed real policy views yet.

I'll be able to vote in UK elections when I turn 18... hooray for dual citizenship!

Lucky you, same here, not that it affects it at all, 80% of my area vote Conservative, so anyone else doesn't really have a say. :doh

 

[GarzaUK]

I think if the Conservative Party had a gay leader they would lose some votes but not many. My worry would be that those votes might go to the BNP (god help us all).
I wouldn't mind if we had an openly gay Prime Minister. It would prove that the Tories have come on in leaps and bounds. Maybe young people might actually vote for them lol.

 

[Naughty Nurse]

It wouldn't make any difference, and a gay First Man would be a huge improvement on Cherie Blair!!

 

[Arch Enemy]

London will get a new make-over! It'll be prettier with a Gay Leader.

With all the joking aside: I couldn't care less whether the person perfers the male genitals over that of the Female. If he's a good leader, PICK HIM! There's no reason why someone shouldn't make it, just because he likes males. I wish America would get over about Homosexuality, It'd be chaos if we ever had a Homosexual candidate.

 

[Plain old me]

It'd be chaos if we ever had a Homosexual candidate.

In all honesty I think you'd see a fair few conservative heads explode over here too.

 

[Arch Enemy]

Really? You mean there's actually people against the ideals of Tolerance in good ol' Britian as well! They must be currently on America's leash, if they be good boys they'll get a bone...

 

[KevinWan]

I think a gay Prime Minister would certainly make big news here in the US. I don't think it's make us necessary look down upon the British, but it might make us think they're a little too liberal, at least the media would be asking that question. The gay marriage debate would flare up again I'm sure. But I doubt anything much would come out of it. I think the US only has like one or two gay Congressmen. A gay President isn't happening anytime soon...

 

[Plain old me]

Really? You mean there's actually people against the ideals of Tolerance in good ol' Britian as well!

Sorry...wasn't clear enough, enough tolerent people over here I think...I meant the conservative party still has its appearance to shake off, and a gay leader would be quite a surprise.

 

[GarzaUK]

In all honesty I think you'd see a fair few conservative heads explode over here too.

To be fair though I think a gay UK PM would be way more likely than a gay US President. The conservative party have got a few openly gay mp's in parliament. The BNP would explode, but they explode about everything. Fair enough some Tory heads mind explode but not that many.

Actually I might venture to say that within 50 years we will have our first gay PM. It might be even possible now, as long as she/he would keep their private life behind closed doors.

LOL tough question who would you rather have as PM? George Galloway or the BNP leader lol?

 

[Plain old me]

LOL tough question who would you rather have as PM? George Galloway or the BNP leader lol?

Tricky, very tricky....Gorgous 'those barrles were there when I got here Mr Nasty Senator man' Galloway or Nick 'never gonna win' Griffin? Hmmm...

Gotta go with Galloway, he may look like Saddam Hussien, but he dared to insult Jeremy Paxman, and that takes courage. And at least he isn't racist...