It's really corny to say, but if you are happily married and have good kids, that is about 98 per cent of what you should be seeking to achieve.

When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.

There is a tendency to try to dumb everything down and turn everything into a one-paragraph press release or even less, just a slogan.

Are not the gays who seek the right to marry, to formalise their commitment to each other, holding up a mirror to heterosexuals who are marrying less frequently and divorcing more often?

Do the bishops seriously imagine that legalising gay marriage will result in thousands of parties to heterosexual marriages suddenly deciding to get divorced so they can marry a person of the same sex?

Climate change is a global problem. The planet is warming because of the growing level of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. If this trend continues, truly catastrophic consequences are likely to ensue from rising sea levels, to reduced water availability, to more heat waves and fires.

You cannot keep on saying oh, you know, talking about disrespecting women as just being politically correct or it's not a big deal or brushing things off. You've got to be aware of it.