Fundamentalist outburst...

You'd have thought that after being formally censured by the NI Policing Board for homophobic comments in 2005, Ian Paisley Junior would think twice about homophobic comments.

However as a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster and having a father who organised the 'Save Ulster from Sodomy' campaign, I suppose these comments just come too naturally.

The latest reactionary outburst in an interview for Hotpress included the statement 'I am pretty repulsed by gay and lesbianism. I think it is wrong. I think that those people harm themselves and - without caring about it - harm society.'

Both Sinn Fein and the SDLP have hit back immediately. representatives accused him of dangerous homophobia and demanded a complete withdrawal of the remarks.

Sinn Fein spokesperson for Equality and Human Rights Martina Anderson said, 'Whatever about his personal beliefs, the fact is that he now has ministerial responsibility for this issue. The fact is that comments such as this cause great harm and distress. They feed into the attitudes that fester and lead to homophobic violence.' Sinn Fein is now examining whether Mr Paisley has breached his ministerial pledge of office. SDLP spokesperson on Equality Issues, Dolores Kelly, has called on the Assembly to censure Mr Paisley, noting he has responsibility for equality related areas.

Let's hope they do. I can't imagine any politician in Britain getting away with that in public now. But if he is deemed to have breached his pledge of office there could be greater consequences.