One of Charles Moore's best columns is more relevant than ever in the wake of Ireland legalising gay marriage by popular vote

Some lines from Charles Moore's column of March 21st were re-playing over and over on the monitor of my mind during the past week when the polls were proven right and Ireland passed same sex marriage into legislation by a two to one majority. 

Regarding the freedom to articulate the age-old view that children do better with a mother and a father (as the fashion designer Dolce did - and was swiftly castigated) Moore wrote that:

"Yet now you can barely say this. I am sure I would be barred from working in the public services if I said it at a job interview. I could not become a Labour parliamentary candidate, and probably not even a Conservative one. If I were 28 rather than 58, I doubt if I would dare say it in print if I wanted a successful career in media. Socially conservative moral views are now teetering on the edge of criminality, and are over the edge of disapproval by those who run modern Britain."

The reason that it was on my mind was that I know a number of people who decided to stay quiet, glue their lips together and not encourage others to vote No in the Irish gay marriage referendum - for precisely the reasons that Moore depicts - that speaking out would be its own punishment and carry implications for one's career and reputation.  A lot of young, sincere voices, even some who are London based were missing from the No campaign because the young people just-starting-out felt they had too much to lose. 

My friend, Joe Shaw also took up Charles Moore's point in a post. Joe goes one step further by suggesting that people who embrace certain views (such as arguing that a child does just as well being brought up by two dads, as opposed to a mum and dad) may do so, just to get ahead.  I asked Joe what he meant by the title of his piece, The Chicken Run, and he said chickens run when they are scared...