NEWS FLASH

David Cameron: ‘I Support Gay Marriage Because I Am A Conservative’ | Conservatives in Britain are expanding the definition of conservatism to include equality for gays and lesbians, the Washington Post reports, as Prime Minister David Cameron pushes through a same-sex marriage law. “I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative,’’ Cameron said in a recent landmark speech on the issue. “I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.’’ Mindful of the growing social acceptance for gay people, Cameron has gradually evolved towards defining gay rights as human rights and has hosted a summit on homophobia in professional soccer “and officially apologized for Thatcher-era antigay policies, calling the party’s previous stance ‘a mistake.’” One political operative explained the shift this way: “The electorate was not seeing us as a viable alternative in a modern world. But David Cameron came along and changed all that. This is a different Conservative Party now, one that is fully in favor of equal rights. I think the Republicans could learn a lot from us in how to appeal to the center, without whose votes a party cannot hope to win.’’