It's still not over!

The result of the vote in the House of Lords was a source of disappointment to many of us.  However, as one peer who responded to the letters I sent (426 - one to every member of the Upper House!) said: "Should we lose the vote at 2nd Reading, I believe there will be further opportunities to scupper this legislation at later stages, so please do not despair just yet."

The following is the wording of an e-mail from the Christian Institute.  If you believe that marriage is only between male and female, please keep praying, writing, and supporting both the Coalition for Marriage, and Scotland for Marriage, in any way you can.

"The House of Lords tonight decided to allow the same-sex marriage Bill to progress to the next stage, but many Peers said they were doing so because they wanted to take a closer look at the Bill before deciding whether to vote against it at a later stage. The Bill must overcome other votes in the Lords, so it’s not over yet. 

We believed we could have won a vote if it was held last night (Monday) as originally planned, but at the last minute the Government rescheduled the vote for this evening (Tuesday). It was an underhand procedural tactic, and they were able to get 390 votes after switching the dates. Without the switch, the Government and the Labour leadership were genuinely worried they would have lost. 

Tonight, 148 Peers voted with Lord Dear against the Bill. That number is likely grow for key amendments at later stages, and may grow by the time the Bill reaches Third Reading in the Lords. That’s why we won’t give up defending the real meaning of marriage. It’s not over yet."