"Right now, it's a UK issue"

Actually it's drifted off the radar already, and I doubt if it will reappear. The current issue is future Labour Party leadership when Blair quits.

I honestly don't think prudes v. permissives is a left/right thing, in fact I'm not sure how valid those labels are any more. The so-called neocons are quite different from traditional conservatives, in fact the difference was there in 19th century Britain, with Whigs (Liberals, in the original sense) and Tories representing mercantile and landed interests respectively. Neocons are basically steroidal uberWhigs ;)