Civilised

Markos, from the Daily Kos, is writing for the guardian during the U.K. elections. He's shocked by the complete lack of gay bashing in the election.

I realize I threw something of a temper tantrum below, but I'm frustrated by how stupid Americans are. I'm frustrated by the tacit approval of bigotry and hate. I'm really upset that it's okay for the so called "Christian's" to be mean spirited, hateful bitches.

America is somewhat isolated to European liberalism, or at least what I would term "liberal", due to geography. I realize that it's only a matter of time before reason catches up with us. The Supreme Court has shown that by accounting for the legal opinion of other nations when examining the issue of executing minors. So it's just a matter of time.

That fact is not lost on the crazy people. That's why they are so upset about the SC given any credibility to world opinion. They know they rest of the world (I'm talking industrialized western nations) is not full of religious freaks who have a very thin grasp on reality. It is apparent that the likes of Frist and DeLay want to make sure we isolate ourselves from enlightened thought and continue the puritanical hypocrisy. I know it's just a matter of time, but I'm impatient.

Anyway - a taste of what Markos wrote and posted on his blog.

So from an American supporter of equality, the lack of gay-bashing in this election is somewhat startling. The embrace of gay equality by the Conservatives is, to me, downright staggering. Is it genuine?

"It's always impossible in politics to distinguish what's completely genuine from what's pragmatic," said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, a gay equality lobbying organisation. "But we welcome any party that is committed to equality. We're completely mindful that just 25 years ago, even the Labour party was not committed to equality."

And the fact is, the British public was clearly turning away from homophobic rhetoric. In 2003 a Pew Study of attitudes toward homosexuals showed that 42% of American respondents thoughts homosexuals should not be accepted by society, compared to 51% who said they should. In Britain, only 22% percent thought they shouldn't be accepted, compared with 74% who said they should. It was a tide the Tories couldn't resist lest, as Summerskill said, they be "perceived to be stuck in the mid 20th century."

Interesting.. Markos is using a Brit spell checker... "organisation instead of organization"