[Nedusa]

Originally Posted by Livia

This issue has caused more members to leave the Conservative Party than any other single issue in years. If David Cameron made this into an issue to make himself more popular with the electorate, he's done it at the expense of a lot of his core voters. Gay marriage wasn't in the manifesto... it wasn't in any party's manifesto, and personally I think it was a smoke-screen to deflect attention from the other countless issues that are going against the Tories at the moment. I'm not saying I'm against gay marriage or that it's a bad thing, only that this is going to cost the Conservatives dear at the next election and probably the party who will benefit will be UKIP.

Yes I agree he has suffered slightly more than he would have expected, he probably thought he would have more Tory MP's voting for the Bill than was the case. However I still maintain he will weather the storm within his own party and as they say time is a great healer. The vast majority of people in this country will applaud David Cameron for the personal risk he took to his political career and reputation in order to push through such a much needed and much overdue change to our laws. This is what voters will remember in two years time and although I do think UKIP will take an increased share of the vote I think the main battle will be between Miliband and Cameron and I think Cameron will have the edge entirely because of bills like this one and the offer of a referendum on Europe. People see him as a politician with a conscience and not just a figurehead at the top of the Tory machine.