"Should the Catholics gain power next time around will they listen to reason, or the Pope?"
That's already been made clear in the South and therte's no reason that the same one happen in the North, particularly as it was Sinn Fein who took the lead here.
May's Government has become inextricably involved an polls are suggesting that there is a sizeable number in support for change
The DUP is nor out of step as far as same-sex marriage is concerned, with the indication that up to 70% of the population are opposed to its stance
"Make up your mind" time for May
Jim Carroll

This morning's Times
WESTMINSTER REBELS TO FIGHT FOR CHANGES IN NORTH’S ABORTION LAWS
John Walsh Deputy Ireland Editor Sam Coates UK Deputy Political Editor
Theresa May is being warned that she does not have the parliamentary num¬bers to prevent a vote on liberalising abortion in Northern Ireland.
Two government sources said they expected that 10 to 20 Tory MPs would join opposition parties to liberalise abortion, a rebellion fuelled by Penny Mordaunt, the equalities minister.
The government is facing a crunch week on the issue after last week’s referendum in the Republic of Ireland to allow abortions from next year. On Monday, Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, or Ms Mordaunt will face an urgent question on the issue, while a debate called by Stella Creasy, a Labour MP who is pushing for change, could come as early as Tuesday.
On Thursday, the government will discover whether it has lost a Supreme Court challenge to abortion law in Northern Ireland on human rights grounds. Also on Thursday, Mrs Bradley will meet the parties in the province to sound them out on the issue.
Huge efforts are under way behind the scenes to try to revive power- sharing in Northern Ireland in an at¬tempt to allow the Stormont assembly to take the decision rather than have parliament impose its own solution.
Although key figures in London and Dublin are not optimistic about the resumption of the Stormont assembly, which has been suspended for more than a year, they are preparing a stop¬gap, The Times can disclose.
Britain and Ireland are now likely to agree to a convening of the British-Irish Intergovernmental        Conference (BIIGC) and give it a role in running Northern Ireland as a stepping stone to reviving Stormont.
The BIIGC was established as part of the Good Friday agreement in 1998. The remit of the 21-member secretariat, made up of senior British and Irish civil servants, is to oversee the manage-, ment of areas that have been devolved to Northern Ireland in the event that the Stormont assembly has been sus¬pended. It is opposed by the DUP, who dislike the involvement of the Irish government.
Although many ministers privately support liberalising the abortion rules, there are fears that an imposed change could jeopardise the fragile constitutional settlement. The Democratic Unionist Party oppose any change at all while Sinn Féin rejects a settlement that is determined in London.
The 1967 Abortion Act, which established legal abortion, has never applied in Northern Ireland. Abortion is possible but only in specific circumstances, such as a permanent or serious risk to a woman’s mental or physical health. Fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest are not circumstances in which abortions can be performed legally.
Senior government sources warn that it will be hard to stop a binding vote on the issue from coming back to the Commons in the next six months.
Last weekend, Ms Mordaunt wrote on Twitter in response to the Irish referendum: “Based on the exit poll, a historic & great day for Ireland, & a hope¬ful one for Northern Ireland. That hope must be met.
#HomeToVote stories are a powerful and moving testimony as to why this had to happen and that under¬standing & empathy exists between generations.”
She has so far been blocked by No 10 from talking further on the issue and the government line is that this is an issue for the Northern Ireland assembly.