How does the defector Porter feel now?

Tory peers on Tuesday managed to drive a knife into the back of Cameron's claims to be a tolerant party when 41 of the old dears voted for discrimination against same sex couples in the provision of commercial goods and services. The figure included 10 front benchers as well, a figure that matched the total number of Tory peers who voted for the rules that prevent companies in Northern Ireland from refusing to trade with people on the basis of their sexuality.

So it leaves me wondering what Richard Porter is feeling about his new colleagues. I was disappointed when Porter defected to the Tories in December. I had some dealings with him before the general election when he offered advise on the lesbian and gay manifesto I wrote when I was working in the Policy Unit (the BBC were wrong however to claim he wrote it himself.) He seemed competent and sensible. But he now seems to have been taken in by a fraudelent Tory party masquerading as moderate. Whilst Cameron realises the impossibility of being elected on all the right wing rubbish he and his party espoused before his election as leader, a large party of his party clearly are not converts to the Cameron attempts to liberalise the Tories.

So Richard, are you really comfortable jumping into bed with these people?