Telegraph View: Against Modernity

But modernisers have two great faults. The first is to assume that what is modern is inevitable. Soviet Communism was modern once, and part of its power lay in its claim that it was inevitable. It wasn’t, and now it is dead.

The second is to equate modernity with virtue and so to treat its critics as moral inferiors. In Britain, the saga of same-sex marriage is a classic case. Parts of the Western world are heading in that direction: “therefore” it must be welcomed: “therefore” its opponents are bigots: “therefore” they should be virtually disqualified from public office.

All those “therefores” are wrong. A moderate conservative approach would try to balance the age-old, universal view that marriage is between a man and a woman with tolerance of homosexual relationships. This balance was achieved by civil partnerships, but violated by the way that Mr Cameron casually imposed gay marriage. His approach insulted settled beliefs, and therefore wounded him politically more than people like to state directly. In times of wrenching economic change, social conservatism (not to be confused with social authoritarianism) helps reassure people. Instead, we have had doctrinaire, finger-wagging modernism from a party that calls itself Conservative. And, broadly speaking, the better off and better educated have been lecturing the less fortunate. Again, a reason to edge towards Ukip...

Charles Moore explains the rise of Ukip and where David cameron went wrong in his Daily Telegraph column.

It's been quite some time since Mr Moore has regurgitated his nutso theory that Cameron's support for same-sex marriage has led directly to Ukip's rise, good to see it's lost none of its top comedy value.

PS Guy Black, Executive Director at the Telegraph  Group, entered a civil partnership with Mark Bolland in 2006. If they upgrade to a marriage, one wonders how or if the Telegraph will report it.