I AM not surprised that the Scottish Executive is reported to be relieved that the Electoral Reform Society has declined to carry out a £1million referendum on behalf of bus company tycoon Brian Souter of all 3.9 million voters north of the border on whether, like it and Tony Blair, they want the repeal of the Section 28 law banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools.

They obviously do not want the embarrassment of being so publicly told just how much and how undemocratically they are flying in the face of ordinary people's opinion on this issue.

But, whether or not the determined Mr Souter presses on with delivering the views of Scottish voters by another means, is not the most insulting aspect of this issue the fact that the government and its devolved counterpart in Scotland are already quite well aware of public opinion on this issue but remain hell-bent on disregarding it for the sake of the supposed rights of a minority to advertise their abnormal sexual behaviour contrary to the wishes of the rest of us?

The latest ploy of our petulant, politically-correct Prime Minister is to brand opponents of the abolition of Section 28 as anti-gay bigots.

From this we are to take it that the leaders of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Church of England faiths and of the Roman Catholics in Scotland, who have all expressed their opposition, are guilty of blind prejudice. At the same time another opinion poll shows that, in the case of 19 out of 20 voters, there is ample tolerance for gays, but a firm belief that gay rights have gone far enough and that promoting them in schools would be going too far.

That's all that ordinary people are saying.

I hope that Mr Souter is yet allowed to amplify the message in a private Scottish referendum.

For the more the arrogant government snubs it, the more it asks for punishment from the voters.

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