THERE’S been a fair bit of speculation that UUP leader Sir Reg Empey might be the Ucunf candidate in South Antrim. This comes after his party colleague Adrian Watson was blocked by the Tories because of his view that gay couples would not be welcome in his family’s bed and breakfast – a view defended by the Shadow Home Secretary.
But it is also a view shared by Sir Reg himself, if his vote in the transitional Assembly is anything to go by. East Antrim Alliance candidate Gerry Lynch noted:
UUP Leader Reg Empey, who is now being touted as Adrian Watson’s replacement in South Antrim, voted in the Assembly to ask the Westminster government to withdraw the amendment to the Equality Act. This law prevents gay people being discriminated against by guest-house owners, as well as in every other area of the provision of goods and services.
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The Ulster Unionists claim to believe in equal treatment for gay and lesbian people, but they voted to make it legal to discriminate against gay people in the provision of goods and services. That means they want to allow people to refuse me service if I want to stay in a guest house, sit down for a meal in a restaurant or even pop into a shop to buy something. What century do they live in exactly?There is no difference between Adrian Watson’s point of view and Reg Empey’s point of view. Neither believe that gay and lesbian people are entitled to equality of treatment. If David Cameron’s Notting Hill clique have a problem with that, they should have carried out due dilligence before they shacked the Tory Party up in the UCUNF marriage of convenience.
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