Marriage: Of Convenience

One of the oddest sideshows to the gay marriage debate has been the battle for political ownership of the policy.
This first went public during conference season last year.
The Lib Dems' Lynne Featherstone made ever such a big hurrah about it - as if its possible/promised introduction was a key sign of how they were wrestling Lib Dem policies out of their Conservative coalition partners (Though it was not a Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge, either).
Two weeks later David Cameron turned marriage equality into a keynote of his keynote speech.
Thunder duly stolen.
Today both parties have pushed their big pro-gay guns into the press to announce the launch of the same-sex marriage consultation process.
Lynne Featherstone, the Equalities Minister, is interviewed by The Independent where the journalist concentrates on the bunfight with the Christian lobby that the press have obsessed over of late; "the Liberal Democrat minister appealed for a "calm and reasoned debate" and for her critics to stop using "inflammatory" language after she formally launches the Government's consultation exercise today."
Here's the key quote from Featherstone;
"Ms Featherstone made clear that her mind is already made up, giving a "cast-iron guarantee" that civil gay marriage would become law by the next general election in 2015.
"There is no rolling back whatsoever," she said. "The essential question is not whether we are going to introduce same-sex civil marriage but how."
Yes, exactly - how? 
An enabling law?
By magic?
Who can say?
Over in The Times, Theresa May - self-styled "Conservative Home Secretary and Minister for Equalities" note - writes; 'If Marriage Is Good It Should Be For Everyone'.  
(It's behind the Murdoch paywall, but here's a scan).
Just like The Times and David Cameron, May may be a recent convert to the marriage equality cause, but is now bending over forward to show she's a passionate advocate.
May puts a calming, ever so reasonable and very conservative case, summarised as; "Plans to allow gays to wed will strengthen society and pose no threat at all to the Church."
The Independent article directly mentions the battle for ownership of what's become a flagship policy between the two coalition parties;
"Ms Featherstone is more polite about her Tory critics – even though 50 backbenchers may vote against the plans and another 50 could abstain. "I think the Conservative Party has moved on from where it was," she said. "As Liberal Democrats, we like to enlighten people."
"There was a minor skirmish between the two Coalition parties last autumn over whether Mr Cameron or Ms Featherstone was the driving force behind legalising gay marriage. "I am very grateful to David Cameron for his absolute commitment to this proposal," Ms Featherstone said. "It is a liberal idea, as you would expect from a liberal Equalities minister."
Get 'er! etc etc.
How amusing that the gay marriage debate shows how there are so many hidden seething tensions between these superficially civil coalition partners. 
And what a difficult marriage it is.