A series of polls, first in Scotland where controversy initially arose, and subsequently across the whole of Great Britain, have made it clear that public opinion on Section 28 of the Local Government Act, on the age of consent for homosexual sex, and more generally on attitudes to homosexuality, are by no means as simple or as clear cut as some of those on either side of the argument would like to believe. On the one hand, there is a clear majority of the public opposed both to repealing Section 28 and to lowering the age of consent to 16; but, on the other hand, many of these opponents are happy to admit the legitimacy of homosexual relationships between adults.
My day job is the study of the British, the public generally, the electorate, in political terms (although opinion polls that you see in the newspapers and on television is but 1% of our turnover - that's right, 1%, of MORI's turnover - but 99% of the publicity).
Two years have now passed since William Hague was elected leader of the Conservative Party, in the immediate aftermath of the 1997 election defeat. It has certainly been a period of considerable change for the Tories, with the organisation having to grapple with the unfamiliar day-to-day role of being a party of opposition rather than of government. At the same time, there has been the urgent need to take stock and consider the implications of Tony Blair's victory, as well as to look at the party's structure and finances.
The British public wants maintenance free cars, self cleaning kitchens, calorie free food and electronic access to community information, according to the 1999 Motorola report on the British and Technology, published today, 20 July.
