Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

and I can guarantee someone else will have got in first, but to his credit Blair was quite simply, the most gay-friendly Prime minister this country has ever had. He said that watching the first Civil Partnerships take place on television ‘made his heart skip with joy’. It was, he declared, a sign of a civilised society.In the fourteen years since New Labour came to power life for Gay people in Britain has changed beyond recognition. We have, seen a catalog of changes unprecedented in human rights history. You may not be able to legislate against prejudice but never let it be said that we can not achieve staggering societal change under the right leadership.
However while it may be easier than ever before to live happily as an out gay man (or woman) there remain relatively few high-profile gays in public life. Why? Stonewall asked at their packed fringe yesterday.
First to address this issue was recently elected leader of Newcastle city council, Nick Forbes, who faced down shameful personal attacks from both the BNP and the Liberal Democrats to achieve a stunning victory. Of course the Lib Dems have form when it comes to fighting dirty but even by their standards this was a low and shabby affair.
As a sixteen year old growing up in rural County Durham Nick was sustained by two ‘beacons of hope’; Stonewall and the Labour Party. Stonewall may have gone from strength to strength but we have fewer gay MPs in the commons today than we had in ’97. And just two openly gay women. One Labour and one Tory.
No one can wind me up like a Gay Tory can (remember Clause 28) and Ben Summerskill, Who was a Labour councillor before he he became the outstanding Chief Exec’ of Stonewall warned that we should not assume Gay marriage will automatically come to pass just because David Cameron has changed his mind and now considers it a good thing. There are many battles ahead, though with the help and commitment of shadow Home Secretary and Minister for Women, (and who knows… our next leader?) Yvette Cooper we can win them. Yvette took great delight in receiving an LGBT mug bearing the legend ‘Never kissed a Tory’. I should hope not. Maria from CWU, an openly lesbian trade unionist called for all trade unions to employ a pro-active approach to secure more high profile involvement from the LGBT community, identifying a direct correlation between visibility and mainstreaming. As a gay journalist, albeit one who has never felt the need to come out, (I was never in) I hope to continue to play my own small part in making this happen. Echoing Blair, and others before him, the platform concurred that Gay rights and society’s rights are one and the same thing.

On a note of cautious celebration we ‘decamped’ to the Maritime Museum for the RSPCA’s quiz night. A long time ago the RSPCA realised that if you offer starving delegates hot food on a plate they will come, no matter what. Last night was no exception. Sadly our team, ‘Kill ‘Em and Grill ‘Em’ failed to win a prize in the quiz but the kitten curry was delicious.
A pal of mine used to work in the cafe next door to the Beatles museum on the Albert Dock. For 12 hours a day he was subjected to a loop that began with Love Me Do and ended somewhere around the White Album. I don’t know what he was complaining about. I saw the Bootleg Beatles last night and they were terrific! Of course I could write an entire blog on the subject of Delegates Dancing. But first I’d need to upload the photos. Be grateful I don’t have the time for that.

Whether it’s the stifling debate from the Conference hall, the fact that opposition requires a new radicalism or simply the price of sandwiches in the main hall, the conference fringe is certainly the best place from where to guage what’s really going on.
First stop, our colleagues at ASLEF, who chose to tag their debate on the recent McNulty report into the future of Rail; Right Diagnosis, Wrong Prescription. Standing room only to hear Maria Eagle regret Labour’s lack of action while in charge of a creaking and full-to-capacity rail network. Of course what delagates really hoped to hear was a committment to renationalise the railways. We didn’t get it. For a Labour leaderhsip desperately casting about for a populist policy that would make a real difference this seems a no-brainer. Instead we are committed to subsidising a the network at sixteen times the annual cost of the former British Rail. Still the Hot Pot went down well though I’d like to know what’s wrong with a hearty helping of Scouse instead?
Despite frequest visits to this wonderful host city I still found myself unable to locate the Metro and gratefully accepted a lift from a fellow visit to the the quite marvellous and not-for-profit Contemporary Urban Centre. Only as we accelerated away from the curb did my good Samaritan introduce himself as a Pastor from the Happy-Clappy Church of God, which had been holding a service in the same venue. When I explained I was a visiting journalist and member of the Labour party I was immediately offered ‘double prayers’. Certainly the leadership could do with some divine intervention if conference is not to be blown off course by a right-wing media and unhappy talk regarding the party links with the Trade Unions, which must be retained. Then of course there is the shadow of the ‘other brother’. Ed himself made a fleeting appearanc at Usdaw’s reception yesterday, where he was welcomed as only disgruntled Labour party members can welcome a leader. No sooner had he left the building than Big Brother David turned up whereupon he was greeted like a film-star. Of course if USDAW wanted David in the first place they should have done a better job at mobilising their members during the leadership election. A paltry few bothered to vote at all. No good complaining now.
The Arab Spring has made us believe anything is possible. Imagine how much more exciting the possiblities must seem if you have been excluded at best, deliberately disenfranchised at worst. If in short you are an Arab woman.

Ensuring that women are able to play their full part in emerging Arab democracies was the subject of Amnesty International’s fringe this lunchtime.

After Kate Allen stressed the need for ‘good governance’ that will allow women to ‘participate without fear of repression or retaliation’ it was fascinating to hear from an Arab woman herself. Amal Abdelhadi Abouhalika El Derwee is a political activist from the New Women Foundation, Egypt, and took part in the occupation of Tahrir Square. Women’s rights are under threat in Egypt (and elsewhere0 she warned, partly as a result of a backlash against any cause supported by the corrupt wife of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Hard won freedoms for women are under attack as never before she warned, and stressed the need for the UK government to align itself with women’s groups in countries which have recently undergone massive upheavals. Rushanara Ali, shadow minister for International Develeopment added the support of herself and the Labour party, which must she said, ‘remain a progressive International Party’. She recalled the ‘women in Sari’s with guns’ who played their part in her homeland Bangladesh’s successful fight for independence 40 years ago. A remarkable story, and definitely one to watch.