commonwealth

I voted NO. I wanted all forms of marriage banned.

scrubbedexpat098

You voted against someone else's right to personal choice? Bit small minded of you

spouse of scouse

We have to be kind to Commonwealth. S/he is trying to sell a kidney.

ozzieeagle

Yeah "you bastard" Steve

scrubbedexpat098

commonwealth

I wish they can also legalise multiple partners. Like in the Muslim world where men can have many wives, but here with no gender distinction.

Imagine a foursome marriage, 2 men 2 women committed to live in multi-mutual love for the rest of their lives, with the ability to add members to their union on a consensus basis.

ozzieeagle

If it were a true commitment it would probably be a better thing for society as a whole IMO. Especially the disastrous fall out from family breakups etc.

Much much better than the current state of serial monogamy that ignores humans natural instinct.

The first stipulation I'd make is I would make it very very difficult to get married in the first place and give huge tax concessions to those that make it through certain timescales..... Which has to be good for society and probably a cost-saving measure for governments inasmuch as less social services would be needed to catch the disaster of the quick turn over marriage brigade.


Overall I think marriage should be something that is a privilege to be earned valued and revered. It needs to be put back on a pedestal for the good of everyone.


I for one certainly wouldn't be against your suggestion though Commonwealth.

GarryP

I'd have the lawyers at the beginning, and the party at the end. Terms you agreed with the lawyers at the beginning are the only terms that exist, and that includes everything for ending it.

You have to live together for 1 year first.

You can get married a maximum of 2 times (eg to two different people). After that you are banned, marriage is obviously not for you.

And 10 years maximum duration, after which you can get a lease renewal, or just walk away free and clear.

carcajou

Chalk and cheese.

In the Arab World, marriage is also heavily governed by legal codes.

Men are allowed to have four wives, but they all are required to be treated (financially) equally. If the husband gives a car to one wife, he has to give a car to all four wives; and if he gives a Porsche to one, he has to give a Porsche to all four. He can't give a Porsche to one and a Toyota to another (and, yes, perfectly acceptable and expected for women to drive across the Middle East - it's only a problem in Saudi Arabia). Can't also have one sleeping in a nice bedroom while the other sleeps in a shed. So polygamy also requires a big house. Etc etc etc.

That's why, though it's come to represent a stereotype of the Arab World, very, very few Arabs actually have multiple wives - it's expensive to do so. Your average middle class government servant in Cairo can't afford to have more than one wife.

Arab weddings are almost always arranged, and to cousins - they don't marry for love. Though in some parts of the Gulf like the UAE it's becoming more common for a bride and groom to have a "coffee date" before the wedding day where they can at least meet and see each other first and increasingly a bride can veto a wedding to a man they can't stomach. But Western-style dating and love marriages are completely out of the question.

So, Arab women also view it differently - some don't mind it because, as they didn't marry for love, they don't mind if there is an extra distraction around for the man so they can spend less time with him and don't have to have "relations" with him as often. Or, at least has been explained to me by countless Arab women during my years in the Middle East.

Beoz

Agree. It is unfair to allow some types of marriage and not others.

moneypenny20

Sadly I don't think it will ever happen. Too many people consider multiple partners to be depraved for some unknown reason and as with the Marriage Equality fiasco believe they have a right to tell others how they can and cannot live.

scrubbedexpat098

Honestly, what bloke in his right mind would want 2 wives??? Great on a saturday night and birthdays but that's about it.

commonwealth

How about a husband and a wife? You’ll fight with the other guy to be in the “middle position”

moneypenny20

It's always the man with x number of wives used as an example. Does that mean women have more sense?

commonwealth

That doesn’t make sense.