The civil union bill is dead in the water, according to United Future, and leader Peter Dunne is clapping his hands in glee. News that the introduction of the bill has been delayed yet again to next month, has Dunne saying that the government is trying to slip the bill out of sight. “Increasingly, this Bill to legalise gay marriage is proving to be electoral poison for the Labour Party and it is becoming an embarrassment,” he says, describing it as “misconceived piece of silliness” that he would be happy to wave goodbye to forever. The Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, a right-wing Christian lobby group and Dunne supporter, are also breaking out the champagne. “Advances in scientific knowledge, particularly rapid advances in fields like biochemistry and DNA research,” says vice-president Graham Fox, “have overwhelmingly shown that life was designed and could never have evolved. Consequently the Neo-Darwinist evolution theory on which secular humanists' devaluation of marriage is based, should be rejected.” Political scientist Jon Johannson also believes the government may sacrifice gay rights in order to claw back support from middle New Zealand, according to a report in today's National Business Review. Columnist Nick Smith says that it is expected government whips may even be involved in mustering numbers to derail the legislation.