I’m sure the story about the declining popularity of marriage will be even-handed in its approach, with well-balanced arguments presented from both sides.
“And critics blamed Labour’s 12 years in power for this erosion of traditional family values.”
Really?
“Experts said Labour’s constant political meddling and tax breaks for single mothers have given many women an incentive to shun a traditional married family life.”
The only person quoted was not even an expert, merely an old misery from Family Education Trust. Should I be surprised?
And why is this something that should concern us in 2009? In other news, the sacrifice of virgins at solstice to improve harvests has fallen sharply under Labour.
The marriage survey was covered by the Today programme this morning. I was only half listening, but they said that there were signs that the divorce rate was dropping and marriages were more likely to last.
I wonder if a scurrilous doom and gloom merchant might be able to work that into this headline. Marriages are lasting longer, fewer people are divorcing and therefore second marriages are occuring less often!
And possibly people are realising that it’s the commitment that counts, not the shiny piece of paper you get to prove it. Not that it matters, those people will soon be burning in hell.
Going on the bits Dan printed I don’t even need to read the whole article to know what the Express is going to say on Marriage. Hasn’t Marriage been declining for years anyway? I doubt it has anything to do with the government, Tory or Labour. I’m pretty sure its down to the fact that our lifestyles are so faced paced and that committment is becoming something less attractive. It also has to do with the fact that women don’t need to get married anymore because we actually have money. It has bog all to do with the vaugely partisan phrase, “family values”.
Or perhaps the migrants are stealing marriages as well.
I am in a committed and what I anticipate will be a lifelong relationship, but I choose not to be married. I have no problem with two people making declarations of commitment to each other, and having a ceremony to share the joy of having chosen a life partner with family and friends. But I do have problems with marriage, which I see as something which is still primarily religious and Christian. Even if you have a civil ceremony, your marriage is still accepted by the Church (insofar as your relationship is not seen as adultery or fornication, and you don’t have to remarry if you “find” Christianity at a later point). It is not something which is extended to gay people, because the Church still think they have dibs on marriage and who gets to do it and pull the strings when it comes to equal legislation. And many of the traditions associated with it (being “given away”, wives changing names, no women speaking at receptions) give me the feminist shudders, although I recognise these are optional and many people do none of them. And all the stupid etiquette irritates me too, like the father of the bride having to pay for the best man’s hat or whatever.
And the most pressing reason I won’t get married, of course: it really annoys the Express.
I would be glad to have a commitment ceremony with my partner and our friends and family in attendance if it were distinct from marriage and entirely secular (as in not recognised by the Church), for example if civil partnerships were extended to heterosexual couples. But even then, it’s only something I would like to do because I think it would be rather nice, not because of a pressing need or moral duty. The commitment itself still stands, no ceremony makes that any more real.
that’s an interesting point about the divorce rate falling, it could mean the marriage rate has fallen because there are fewer 2nd/3rd/etc marriages, although we can’t know for sure without an analysis of the statistics. the problem with this headline is that it makes it sound like people aren’t getting married in the 1st place, and i’m sure they chose to phrase it that way on purpose – bad news always sells better than good news.
Actually, some sociologists suggest that divorce rates are up because people have MORE value in marriage, i.e will divorce if they discover that they are not suited to their spouse and look to re-marry, rather than getting married at 20 and putting up with it for 60 years.
What are the bets that a review of the marital status & history of the DE (and DM for that matter) staff show them to be a bunch of hypocrites doing their usual lecturing at ‘the herd’?
I’m sure the story about the declining popularity of marriage will be even-handed in its approach, with well-balanced arguments presented from both sides.
“And critics blamed Labour’s 12 years in power for this erosion of traditional family values.”
Really?
“Experts said Labour’s constant political meddling and tax breaks for single mothers have given many women an incentive to shun a traditional married family life.”
The only person quoted was not even an expert, merely an old misery from Family Education Trust. Should I be surprised?
Not Norman bloody Wells again?
And why is this something that should concern us in 2009? In other news, the sacrifice of virgins at solstice to improve harvests has fallen sharply under Labour.
The headline re the French ports issue is interesting -
Is it that only Britons are angry about it (Rumanians, Germans and Italians are quite relaxed about it) ?
Or is it that only Britons are affected? Those perfidious French letting other nationalities slip through unchecked?
I think we should be told!!!!!
The marriage survey was covered by the Today programme this morning. I was only half listening, but they said that there were signs that the divorce rate was dropping and marriages were more likely to last.
I wonder if a scurrilous doom and gloom merchant might be able to work that into this headline. Marriages are lasting longer, fewer people are divorcing and therefore second marriages are occuring less often!
And possibly people are realising that it’s the commitment that counts, not the shiny piece of paper you get to prove it. Not that it matters, those people will soon be burning in hell.
Mel Gibson’s been busy….
Is there an it’s or a the missing from the headline?
Going on the bits Dan printed I don’t even need to read the whole article to know what the Express is going to say on Marriage. Hasn’t Marriage been declining for years anyway? I doubt it has anything to do with the government, Tory or Labour. I’m pretty sure its down to the fact that our lifestyles are so faced paced and that committment is becoming something less attractive. It also has to do with the fact that women don’t need to get married anymore because we actually have money. It has bog all to do with the vaugely partisan phrase, “family values”.
Or perhaps the migrants are stealing marriages as well.
I am in a committed and what I anticipate will be a lifelong relationship, but I choose not to be married. I have no problem with two people making declarations of commitment to each other, and having a ceremony to share the joy of having chosen a life partner with family and friends. But I do have problems with marriage, which I see as something which is still primarily religious and Christian. Even if you have a civil ceremony, your marriage is still accepted by the Church (insofar as your relationship is not seen as adultery or fornication, and you don’t have to remarry if you “find” Christianity at a later point). It is not something which is extended to gay people, because the Church still think they have dibs on marriage and who gets to do it and pull the strings when it comes to equal legislation. And many of the traditions associated with it (being “given away”, wives changing names, no women speaking at receptions) give me the feminist shudders, although I recognise these are optional and many people do none of them. And all the stupid etiquette irritates me too, like the father of the bride having to pay for the best man’s hat or whatever.
And the most pressing reason I won’t get married, of course: it really annoys the Express.
I would be glad to have a commitment ceremony with my partner and our friends and family in attendance if it were distinct from marriage and entirely secular (as in not recognised by the Church), for example if civil partnerships were extended to heterosexual couples. But even then, it’s only something I would like to do because I think it would be rather nice, not because of a pressing need or moral duty. The commitment itself still stands, no ceremony makes that any more real.
Not a great idea to have the words “WAY OUT” right above a picture commemerating the lives of 96 people who died because they couldn’t find one.
On Hillsborough most of the papers have gone with it, including the Sun: The sheer hypocrisy of it all.
A sneering apolgy that basically said “well look sorry but you did cause some of it”, 15 years after it happened doesn’t really work.
that’s an interesting point about the divorce rate falling, it could mean the marriage rate has fallen because there are fewer 2nd/3rd/etc marriages, although we can’t know for sure without an analysis of the statistics. the problem with this headline is that it makes it sound like people aren’t getting married in the 1st place, and i’m sure they chose to phrase it that way on purpose – bad news always sells better than good news.
In other news – water is wet.
Actually, some sociologists suggest that divorce rates are up because people have MORE value in marriage, i.e will divorce if they discover that they are not suited to their spouse and look to re-marry, rather than getting married at 20 and putting up with it for 60 years.
What are the bets that a review of the marital status & history of the DE (and DM for that matter) staff show them to be a bunch of hypocrites doing their usual lecturing at ‘the herd’?