Equal Marriage becomes law in England and Wales

Hello everyone,

Today, the final formality in the process of making the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill law happened.
The final stage, known as Royal Assent, was announced by the Speaker in the House of Commons this afternoon.

The new law is quite complicated, and there are lots of amendments and clauses that went into it, before it was finally passed.
Later this week I hope to pick it apart more thoroughly and make a post on here about what it covers, and what it doesn't.

There is one point I want to make clear. The Queen is for the most part a figurehead, and plays no part in politics and the government's policies. The Queen nearly always keeps her opinions to herself, and would never compromise herself or her government by making any potential controversial statements (she leaves that to her husband... *wink wink* for any Brits reading this!).
My point is that she did not give her "approval" or have any part in the debate, despite what the US mass media are claiming. They are simply sensationalist headlines.
If she refused to sign anything into law (and I'm not even sure that technically she even does that these days) I am almost certain that the Conservatives would waste no time in holding a referendum and getting rid of the monarchy altogether!

A move in the right direction for sure, but remember, even though this was debated in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, this bill only covers England and Wales. Scotland are likely to pass their own law, and Northern Ireland, well, who knows...

Dan.