Scotland v England
The nation may be united behind
Great Britain as the greatest show on earth gets underway, but within our
borders a gap has opened up in the family law arena with Scotland leaping ahead
of rivals England (and Wales).
Round
One: Cohabitation
The recent case of Gow v Grant
which saw the Supreme Court consider the property rights of cohabitants in Scotland,
has highlighted the protective laws that cohabitants in Scotland enjoy (and
emphasized the mire of uncertainty south of the border). Yes, there is talk of reform, but that is no
match for Scotland’s Family Law
(Scotland) Act 2006 with section 28’s game winning performance. Baroness Hale seems to have
taken up the mantle of team coach for England telling players that “lessons can be learned” from the opponents tactics.
For the moment though, the advantage most definitely lies to the north. It’s Scotland 1 England 0.
Round
Two: Gay marriage
The announcement this week
that Scotland plans to legalise gay marriage puts the Scots even further ahead
in these Family Law Games! England’s
hopes of legalising gay marriage rest with the athletic abilities of Mr Cameron. In a recent statement no one could deny that the
PM showed that he has the determination and the passion to go all the way. But he will need more than courage of
conviction to overcome the significant hurdles ahead which include a challenging
head-to-head bout with the Church of England and the constant distraction of a
shaky coalition. Perhaps he is looking
to play the long game, and regain some points for elegance of execution? After all, England will have the benefit of
watching Scotland go first through the process? If they slip up, England could
capitalise on that and learn from their errors. For the time being though, it is Scotland 2
England 0 after round two.
European
Qualification
Should Scotland succeed in
being crowned the UK Family Law Champions (I’m still working out the details),
how might they fair on a European stage?
The current leaders appear to
be The Netherlands, who trail-blazed the legalisation of same sex marriage back
in 2001. Other nations including Norway,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Belgium and Denmark have followed since
then. With its recent announcement
Scotland might be trailing a little but its cohabitation laws, which have been
in place since 2006, might help to boost their rankings.
In the mean time, I suggest
we sit back and watch the real action unfold in this great city. Come
on team GB!
On your marks, get set…vote!
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