It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain.
From Francis Maude
I feel fantastically excited that we have a leader who fought for the leadership without compromising his quite challenging view that the party has to change.
Our members are very much maligned. Obviously the average age is 60 something, but they all have children and grandchildren, they understand what we need to do, they want to win.
If we do what we think is right, not try to point-score, people will begin to trust us.
But if we can work with people in other parties to get the right answer for the country we'll do that.
They don't think we're in touch with modern Britain, or understand modern Britain or like modern Britain.
The party at its best has always been a modern party.
We said in our 21st Century Party paper there are 61 mosaic groups, which the market research people use as different socio-economic categories and half of our members come from just five of those groups and that is very narrow - too narrow.
For the most part our grassroots members are serious, nice, tolerant people.
It is simply the view, and a view I think shared by most members of the party, that it is very difficult to have a leader that does not command the support of the parliamentary party.
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