Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has warned in an address to the Labour Party conference at the weekend that the party has to beware of pushing boundaries that the public is not ready for. "We cannot afford to outpace the tolerance of the broad mass of the people for change," said Dr Cullen. "Their values need to be treated with respect, too. If we don't quit them, they won't quit us." Dr Cullen's warning comes as definitive same-sex relationship legislation in the form of civil unions is about to be introduced for debate into Parliament. Dr Cullen described the Labour Party as a broad church with many congregations. This includes Rainbow Labour, a section of the party devoted to LGBT issues, at whose breakfast weekend meeting Dr Cullen was in attendance.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 11th November 2003 - 12:00pm