Former Labor leader Mark Latham has likened gay marriage to mind control as ‘No’ campaigners are barred from speaking at venues they had paid for.
The media commentator and author said the ‘Yes’ campaign’s tactics were a threat to democracy itself after same-sex marriage opponents were shut out of two venues in Hobart.
‘It’s about control of what people can say, what people can think, what people can believe in and even where people can speak,’ he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday ahead of the Sydney launch for his new book ‘Outsiders’.
Former Labor leader Mark Latham has launched his new book ‘Outsiders’ in Sydney
‘In a democracy, this is just horrific news.’
His concern comes after the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart last week prevented the Coalition for Marriage from hosting a 600-seat ‘No’ case rally even though they had booked the Plenary Hall, the ABC reported.
The University of Tasmania then refused to take them.
While opinion polls show strong support for redefining the Marriage Act, Mr Latham predicts support for the ‘Yes’ case would narrow against the ‘No’ side in the $122 million postal vote survey on the issue.
Mark Latham predicts support for the ‘Yes’ case will narrow in the gay marriage postal survey
‘It’s not going to be a landslide. People day-by-day are working out that the ‘Yes’ campaign is not about love, it’s about control,’ he said.
His new libertarian political party, the Liberal Democrats, supports gay marriage with senator David Leyonhjelm an outspoken supporter of change.
However Mr Latham, 56, has concerns about what it will mean for religious freedom and free speech if Australian copies other major English-speaking democracies, such as the U.S., Canada and the UK.
‘If we think it’s bad now, then the overseas experience tells us that emboldened by a ‘Yes’ vote, the gay, left militant movement would become even more militant and insist on even more control over what people believe,’ he said.
Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones (right) was on hand to launch Mark Latham’s new book
‘Same-sex marriage is like a religion: unless you believe it in, you’re crucified.’
Mr Latham supports same-sex unions but is concerned about the unforeseen consequences of changing the Marriage Act.
Mr Latham’s new book describes ‘outsiders’ as people who hate political correctness and the idea that people define themselves by their minority status, known as identity politics.
At his launch, attended by Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones and Senator Leyonhjelm, the author said white men were being discriminated against through misguided affirmative action employment policies.
Mark Latham is concerned the legislation of gay marriage will embolden ‘gay left militants’
The former Labor leader is worried about what gay marriage will mean for freedom of speech
‘Today the left are replicating medieval superstitions like unconscious bias,’ he said.
‘Where did that c**p come from? Seriously?
‘Who thinks for a moment people have voices in their head saying, “I can’t employ that woman, I can’t employ that indigenous person, I can’t employ that person from Asia because I’m a white male?”.’
He described ‘insiders’ as ‘cultural dietitian’s wanting everyone to talk like them, look like them, share their values, share their beliefs’.
‘They talk about diversity but they’re after a homogeneous society where everyone is identical,’ he told Daily Mail Australia, claiming these insiders are rife in the public service, the ABC and the political class.
‘Outsiders’ (Wilkson Publishing) is available now