A week earlier: a 'debate' with a European Member of Parliament

Last week, and it allready feels like ages in the past again... I had a debate, if one could call it that, with European member of Parliament Sophie in 't Veld from Democrats '66, a dutch party member of the European Liberal Group in the European Parliament.
Originally I was expected to have this debate with Boris van der Ham, the National MP for D'66, but due to family situation he was not able to come to Delft and instead Sophie was willing to come to Delft all the way from Brussels. The debate tok place during the political cafe of the delft branch of D'66. For me, as a liberal from the dutch VVD, it was a change of scenery to attend a meeting of D'66.
But debating about gay rights with a European member of Parliament is somewhat harder for me then a national MP, because on the european level its so hard to disagree with eachother and our problems look so petty compared with elsewhere in the European Union. Nonetheless I was able to make my local/regional points though knowing that Sophie could not be of any help with getting these problems in more positive waters. I realise and realised that she has tougher nuts to crack, and ofocurse wish her lots of good luck with doing so!

Sadly we only had roughly 20-30 minutes, the Democrats also wanted to discuss freedom of speech, as a consequence of the Wilders-movie Fitna. I disliked that because we give this guy way to much credit and attention and specially if one has not even seen the much bespoken movie yet. All of us and the world is still waiting for the release of the movie and some think it will turn out to be a hoax. I think the movie will come tohugh because he will be the laughingstock of the whole world if he doesn't go ahead with it now after all that has happened just as a consequence of him announcing the making and arrrival of the movie.
I hold and stil have the opinion that as long as there's no movie there's not much to discusss about and we should instead discusss those things which we can judge, like how gay rights are developing at present, the attitudes of the general public to gays, etc. And how the futur of our gays looks like....... but well, we were just guests at this political cafe so what can one do.....
BUT all in all it was still very pleasant and nice to be able to at least to have this little 'debate' ;-)