I continue to be in two minds about Twitter outrages. The part of me that longs for an easy life wants to believe they are deeply stupid and ephemeral. The part of me that makes Eeyore look like the tears-of-laughter emoji suspects they are deeply stupid and important markers of changing cultural attitudes. If you want to test whether an opinion you hold is still socially acceptable, post it on Twitter and hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of complete strangers will kindly enlighten you. Some of them will even turn off the caps lock first.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Tory MP, tweeted this today:
https://twitter.com/EdwardLeighMP/status/1047127417565974528
Some background first. The government has announced that civil partnerships, originally introduced as a stepping stone on the path to same-sex marriage, will be opened up to opposite-sex couples. Social conservatives, in such numbers as they remain, may lament that a bedrock institution is being elbowed aside and lament even more the hue of government doing the elbowing.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in