So the issue ended up with such prominence not because there was overwhelming demand for it, but because it became the centre of a custody battle between the two Coalition partners. The stakes are, as I say, laughably low. Other than introduce the M-word, the proposals would merely allow adultery to be cited as a factor in gay divorce, and confer a courtesy title on the spouse of those elevated to the House of Lords. The effects are so paltry as to be almost comical: they could and should have been passed in a tiny amendment to existing legislation without fuss. Only in Westminster could such irrelevant tweaks be compared to the American civil rights movement, as some MPs have been doing.