How Rainbow are the Tories?

Answer not much. In the Guardian today Chris Huhne Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman reveals how he fears gay rights would "grind to a halt" under a Conservative government. This is based on evidence of their voting records in Westminster.

• Ten out of 32 members of the shadow cabinet voted against at least one piece of gay rights legislation. The shadow Europe minister, Mark Francois, voted against all four.

• David Cameron, Kenneth Clarke, Mark Francois, Chris Grayling, William Hague, Francis Maude, Patrick McLoughlin, Andrew Mitchell, George Osborne and Sir George Young voted against legislation to repeal section 28, which had banned local authorities and schools from "promoting" homosexuality, in 2003.

• Nineteen members of the shadow cabinet joined the attempt to block the equality bill, which included a requirement for all publicly funded bodies to promote equality.

• Seven members of the shadow cabinet voted to allow only heterosexual married couples to adopt in 2002.

• Four of the shadow cabinet voted against powers which passed through the house in March 2007 giving the secretary of state the ability to bring in regulations with a new definition of discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation.

• Thirty-five Tory MPs voted to allow only heterosexual married couples to adopt in 2002 and a third also voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in March 2007, allowing the government to make regulations defining discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation.

Add to this their partners in Europe and you have to ask yourself where under the rainbow does the Conservative Party really position themselves. When David Cameron said in his New Year message:

"between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats there is a lot less disagreement than there used to be."

He ignored just where those differences actually come. As Nick Clegg said of Cameron in his interview with Attitude he is a confection. Indeed he seems to be just the soft centres the easy sweets to digest. He and his party haven't taken on the hard centres well. Indeed some of his party leave them to the side. Even key ministers have shown that they aren't on the same yellow brick road with Dorothy.

Even Dave, as I've said before, took a whole week to realise he hadn't included civil partnerships in his marriage person allowance. Not sure whether the Conservatives need to meet the wizard for a heart, a brain or the courage over gay issues, but certainly are a long way from home when they do seem to want to talk about them.