Men's Hour

BBC - "If... women ruled the world" - Don't Blink You Might Miss The Men Talking

A part fiction, part documentary on the BBC opens with Prof. Steve Jones, author of Y: The Descent of Man. Hardly a good start to a debate about "If... women ruled the world" that has any pretensions to be fair. You can vote if a women's world would be a better place and join the phone-in....

UK Government has always been concerned about fathers. It just might not have looked that way. Especially when there are votes; Sorry, make that children; involved.

From The Daily Politics

Listen here Latest programme
Skip to 19:04 for first part and skip to 48:45 for second part.

Summary:
Part 1: 19:04-26:57
Today we'll be asking if fathers are getting a fair deal.

Fathers 4 Justice are angered at what they see as unfair rules. [what they see...]
40% of marriages end in divorce, of 50,000 divorces every year, 80% of the time they stay with their mother. The Government has been looking at this and a mediation scheme was announced 10 days ago.

Margaret Hodge (speech to parliament)
"I do believe that fathers are now much more engaged in their child's lives"

[Raymond: Not quite sure why fathers have to prove they are engaged with their child. Mother's don't]

Unnamed father:
Last saw my children Christmas Day 2003.
I'm going through a period of mourning
It is far too upsetting to go into my children's rooms.
13 court orders state that there should be contact.
Not worth the paper they're written on.
She's been allowed to manipulate the system.
They pay for her solicitous and barristers, whereas I have to represent myself.
If I decided to take the children for a weekend I would be facing prosecution.
They're missing out on a dad, granddad, dog, rabbit.
Missing out on, in effect, half of their life"

Gary Burke:
"100 children every day lose contact with a decent parent"

Narrator:
"Is the problem really that big? After all, in 2002 55,000 contacts orders are awarded every year and only about 500 fathers were denied contact"

Gary:
"How many orders were for meaningful contact. Enough time for a real loving relationship.
How much time for grandparents?
How many orders are enforced? About 1 in 2 orders are simply ignored. Courts do nothing"

Narrator:
"There was high profile stunts like Spiderman. You were Superman on a recent march.
In order to have a serious debate is that the right way to go about it"

Gary:
"Parent rights groups have been trying to have a debate for 30 years. Until the last couple of weeks the Government has not taken it seriously.
Prince Charles and the Chief Rabbi have now commented for fathers."

Narrator
There has been doors painted purple and, perhaps by other groups, hoax bombs. Isn't that rather threatening?

Gary:
"F4J had absolutely nothing to do with the hoax bombs.
What drives a father to go to top of a crane?"

[Raymond: I've said before that the hoax bombs will always get a mention]

Narrator:
What would you say to the government?

Gary:
We have a crisis in the family. A report from the department of pensions basically said that fathers are redundant.
To Margaret Hodge - why won't you reply to my letters, why can't we have proper debate.

Part 2: 48:45-54:00

Narrator:
Many fathers I been speaking do feel very strongly that the legal system is discriminating against them, but let's find out if that is really the case.
[Raymond: Can't take the fathers word for it, of course]

Introduces:
Colin Cheeseman, FNF
William Longwick ,SFLA
Carol Hart, Birmingham Women's Advice Centre
[Raymond: Notice how no member of F4J is in this segment]

Colin:
"Fathers are frustrated by having contact orders, but nothing is done"

William:
"Were people can reach agreement themselves, then the agreement works. We're looking at a system were people can reach agreement themselves"

Narrator:
"All too often that's not the case and father's say the courts are biased against them"

William:
"DCA has just published a paper saying there are going to be some pilot schemes (about mediation). Designed to move away from the courts, although we don't know the details yet."

Carol:
(About fathers denied access) "We cannot make the assumption that all those parents are good. We would like further legislation to make children safe. Supervised contact centres is the only option."
[Raymond: Apparently we make that assumption about mothers]

Narrator:
"After divorce more than 80% of children stay with their mother. Is that right?"

Carol: confused

Colin:
(About losing contact after divorce) "You must look at courts as part of the problem"

William
"We sympathise very much. There are more recent statistics that say a lot of fathers have contact as much as once a fortnight. The courts look at what's in the best interests of the children"

Narrator:
"Tomorrow we'll be looking at CAFCASS"

Fathers 4 Justice - 'Superdads' Go Global in day of Protest - 1st April - UK and Australia. US, Canada and Ireland to follow.

Fathers 4 Justice (F4J) the campaign for equal rights for dads goes global this Thursday 1st April (April Fools Day) as a series of protests are held in different countries across the globe in response to the inaction of governments to tackle the problem of fatherlessness. It is believed that this is the first time a fathers rights group has co-ordinated an international protest. The protests come as the group launch their 'Blueprint in Family Law for the 21st Century' on Friday.

The group have announced that on April 1st:

1) Fathers 4 Justice launches its first international group in Australia with a series of 'decontamination' demo's at Family Courts in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. F4J Decontamination Squads feature protestors in white overalls and masks who often hold sit ins as part of the campaign to 'clean up' family law. The launch comes as the Federal Government there is expected to reject a legal presumption of 50/50 parenting time.

2) A series of protests are also expected in the US and Canada.

3) In the UK the group will be holding April Fool's Day 'Decontamination' protests at Cafcass (The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) offices across the UK. Cafcass have been given the task of setting up the discredited 'Family Resolutions' project by the government. CAFCASS was formed on April 1st 2001. After three years, following a highly critical House of Commons Select Committee inquiry and the recent sacking of the entire board, CAFCASS remains the weakest link in UK family law.

4) In London protests are expected at a hearing of four of it's activists at the City of London Magistrates Courts who are facing public nuisance charges after spending 3 days last Christmas in a protest on Tower Bridge.

4) A Blueprint for Family Law in the 21st Century is published on Friday outlining the groups vision for family law reform.

5) F4J launch in Northern Ireland on 20th April and plan to launch in Southern Ireland shortly afterwards.

6) D-Day - 'Day of the Dad' will be the focus of the groups Fathers Day Demo in London on Friday 18th June 2004 expected to be their largest yet followed by a benefit gig in the evening.

The demo's come less than a fortnight after the governments response to 'Making Contact Work' was condemned as a 'sham' by the group.

Said F4J Founder Matt O'Connor 'There is a sense developing that the problem of fatherlessness is a phenomena of the developed world rather than just English speaking countries. We have been careful to try and manage our growth and we have held back from launching in other countries until we were satisfied we could do so successfully and without distracting from our UK campaign.'

'We always said that we are the 'Greenpeace' for dads and the demand from fathers across the world for family law reforms appears to be gathering momentum.'

Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice Wales

That's So Gay - No, I Don't Mean Homosexual - Please could we have our language back?

Bernard Chapin has written a column for MensNewsDaily

In the seventies, before cultural Marxism ravaged and neutered our civilization, we could get away with being judgmental and, thus, be ourselves. Guys like Howard Cosell and Archie Bunker would never be broadcast anywhere today.

Those of us who smile when we recall campy videos by The Clash, The B52s, and The Police do not wish to negate the past. How bad can it be when you can wake up at 6 am and find chicks with feathered hair and purple leg warmers hopping around on your small screen? No, I’ll stand with my generation. I won’t sell them out for the kudos of a bunch of PC automatons.

Read the column at That's So Gay

Think that black guy gave you a nasty look? Can't be, must be you being racist

Bernard Chapin was an interesting column over at MensNewsDaily.

The other day I ran across a newspaper report of a most remarkable and bizarre study wherein the researchers decided to examine the responses of 24 white college students to determine the hidden racial beliefs of white Americans overall. The students were shown ambiguous facial expressions in pictures of both blacks and whites. As a result of their recorded reactions, the researchers (headed by a Professor Bodenhausen) found that the students were more likely to read hostility in the faces of black Americans than in those of their fellow whites. Another experiment of theirs reached a similar conclusion when the subjects, after being confronted with the faces of mixed race individuals, displayed a greater propensity to regard them as black if their appearances happened to be hostile.
On the basis of these experiments, the Chicago Sun-Times happily reported without qualification that,
“White Americans who believe that people shouldn't be judged by their skin color can still subconsciously exhibit racial bias, according to new research from a Northwestern University psychologist.”

Read the full article at Promoting Racial Hatred at Northwestern University

Female Charge Of The Light Brigade? Would That Be Charge or Credit Card?

The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Tennyson is a poem about a charge of a British light cavalry unit in the Battle of Balaclava around 1855. The charge was brave but virtually suicidal. I present an alternative if the light brigade was composed of women.

Charge Of The Female Light Brigade

Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred
When one at the back said
"Hey, will this be bad for my nails?"
Out of the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred

I write this partly because of this -

A warrant officer has lost her claim for sexual discrimination against the Ministry of Defence. Angela McConnell had claimed the army discriminated against her by treating her more harshly than a major she had an affair with.

Mrs McConnell said she was recommended for demotion or dismissal while the major was allowed to retire.

But on Wednesday an employment tribunal panel in Southampton ruled against her claim.

Mrs McConnell, 41, of Main Road, West Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, was also unsuccessful in her claim that she had been harassed into having an affair with Major Alastair Ross.

A further claim that she had been threatened in a letter by the major was unsuccessful.

Full story at Warrant officer loses sex case

Sex case officer admits affairs

A woman who is accusing the Army of sex discrimination after she had an affair with a major has admitted affairs with three other officers.

It seems that in spite of strict rules about affairs in the unit, this Angela McConnell was happy to have affairs and not be too discreet about them, but when confronted about it resorts to claims of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. There are at least 18 other cases coming through. Of course, some may be genuine but none of these cases are about not being in the front line, something women are still protected from. Some women are now officers who can order the front lines around, but not actually go there. If women are going to come into the armed forces and act as if the rules don't apply except when it suits them and be disruptive and demanding then maybe we should have segregation. Have a women only unit. When there is at least the possibility of a charge of a female light brigade, call us back, then we'll know women are useful in the armed forces.

Al-Qaeda - Britain next? They're certainly going to try

Osama bin Laden and Abu Qatada (British Muslim cleric who preaches jihad)

In the BBC's Panorama programme Terror - Are We Next?. Although called sensationalist by some, it is clear there is something to worry about. There's a video here - however it is missing the last minute or so of the programme (naughty BBC!).

or A better link to the video

The video will be replaced by the next programme on 28th March. There are 2 news pages and a discussion page...

Shoplifting for justice? A father says you arrest me for taking a bottle of vodka but arrest no-one for taking my children.

A father, not in Fathers 4 Justice, has taken things a step further than F4J into illegality. From Supermarket 'stunt' dad faces theft charge

An Abbots Langley father said he took goods from a Watford supermarket and deliberately got arrested to raise awareness of fathers' rights.

Mark Rudd, 42, of Tibbs Hill, was charged with shoplifting after walking out of Asda in Watford with a loaded trolley.

He appeared at Watford Magistrates' Court last week and pleaded not guilty to stealing bottles of vodka, a plastic box and a pillow.

Mr Rudd, who has been prevented from seeing two of his children for four years, said he took the items to highlight the plight of fathers fighting for access to their children.

He has two daughters from a previous relationship and has made nearly 50 court appearances in a legal battle to see them.

He said the stunt was inspired by the Fathers 4 Justice pressure group, which brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill on Monday with protests across the country.

He said: "It didn't really matter what I picked up.

"The statement I am making is that if I take goods from a store I will be arrested and taken through the courts but they can take my children away from me and there is nothing I can do."

His case is set to be tried at Watford Magistrates Court in May.

Labour working hard for Britain (except for Britain's fathers)

Here's some video from last Friday's Manchester protest at the Labour Party Conference. The protest is here Father's crane protest ends and also on MensNewsDaily Britain's Father's Rights Activists Rock Family Law Establishment by Dave Ellison with a link to his photos.

The Men's Hour video and photos are here.

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Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice Wales

Fathers 4 Justice Superheroes vs. Villains demo spreads meesage and keeps up pressure.

The Manchester Fathers 4 Justice demo has ended. A column of protesters including men, women and children went to protest at the Labour Party conference (Tony Blair's party). Mike Wiffin went up a crane dressed as Spiderman and Elaine Risk and Keith Redhead went up road gantries. All 3 were arrested but later released with possible charges later on. There are pictures and video at geewcee.com Demos Page. I hope to have my video here soon. From the public reactions to the demo it's clear there is a lot of interest and support. Here's some news reports...