ABSTRACT
Should capital punishment be restored? Should gay men be allowed to have sex at the age of 16? Should fox-hunting be banned? Should the state allow scientists to 'clone' from embryos? These questions, all of which were debated during the 1997 Parliament, may not be part of mainstream party political debate in Britain, but they are far from unimportant. They matter greatly to many people, including those not directly affected by them. When discussed, they tend to generate heated argument in a way that does not apply to many, or even most, other political issues.
