Degree Absolute!

Could Gloria Hunniford do for kids what
Joanna Lumley did for the Gurkha's?

Well I could just have the solution to all this;

Justice! There are two ways to stop the current malaise in society that separates children from the stability of family life and turning many into feral youths. who do not care about tomorrow and as a result fuels the flames that causes a 'Broken Britain!'

Firstly; when a couple separates instead of making for the family lawyer, they should in fact sit in front of a mediator who will assess the situation and generally offer 'both' parties £500 legal aid and a single court appearance, putting the onus on a couple to find a resolution to their difficulty and to agree to a contact and financial contract which is binding in law until the youngest child leaves full time education. This should then make 'both' parents equally responsible for child welfare and maintenance! Should either parent wish to take the matter back to court beyond this, they have to fund this themselves and this should focus their minds on getting it right first time and stop 'fee earning' solicitors exacerbating matter so they can bankrupt Dad, whilst plundering the legal aid purse indefinitely for Mum!

Secondly; No intervention by CAFCASS or other social services at this stage and once a timetable (that may be allowed to vary as the child grows) and finances have been agreed with a judge (not a court reporter) if he still has a concern then the judge should be empowered to contact the family GP and schools for a report on the health and well being of a child who would have a better understanding then a 'snap shot' taken by a social worker. This will then release the social service from a duty they are ill informed to pursue and normally results in them generating future work for themselves, when they should be reformed and working harder to prevent cases such as Baby'P', Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq!
This should be regarded as law and the law is Parental Responsibility which should be enforceable with the prospect of a 6 month jail term minimal for 'either' parent if they break the terms of this contract for life! (Childhood is such a short span of time)
It would also be useful to inform a child at the age of 11 that both parents on the birth certificate are responsible for their children till the age of 18, it may then focus their mind as they entre the peer and social pressures of secondary education that under age sex could have a lasting effect on their lives, not only from a personal health stand point, but also the prospect of 16 to18 years of child care when they are at an age when they probably want to do something else.This should help them wait to become mature enough to take on such an undertaking. Also if a child was to commit a crime between the age of 10 and 16 with the current perceived immunity, their parents would face the court and be prosecuted for dereliction of duty under the care of their children with a fine or if serious enough prison.
The Tory party have also announced that they wish to make Grandparents and extended family the first port of call for child care rather then social services, who should be a last resort after the possibilities have been explored for a grandparents to take charge whilst a parent resolves their difficulties offering continuity and and stability at a fraught stage in a child's life something once again social services will never do so it is better they concentrate on more extreme cases as described recently by the director of Barnardos.
I really hope Gloria Hunniford, in her capacity as patron of the parents organisation, can encourage these bastions of commonsense and stability to consider the welfare of a grandchild , niece or nephew and in turn put right this God awful law that has blighted people for so long and in my view poses a greater risk to normal society then the threat of terrorism!

Saturday World (F4J) Review!

With the prospect of the forth coming protest at Canterbury Cathedral I have considered the role of Fathers 4 Justice and how effective their protests have been and what of the future?

I have made it clear that before I became embroiled in the family Law fiasco I thought the prospect of some guy dressed as a superhero firing fireworks off a crane near Tower Bridge gave off the wrong message and was this a responsible Dad to be demonstrating in such a way?
Sadly this is how the general public perceive such action as most have not endured the closed shop, secret and unaccountable family law court system where very often the father has little, if any, course of redress for major errors that take place every day. All eyes are on The New Supreme Court of appeal to see if they will offer justice where hitherto they have ignored an appeal by a father.
Better still there has to be a total reform of this destructive system which causes such heartache, has caused so many children to go into care and in addition to braking our societies could have such a bearing on cases such as Baby 'P', Khyra Ishaq and Victoria Climbe!

I offer a solution to all this in my Sunday blog see what you think!

In South Africa the government has called upon F4J to advise them on human rights issues I wonder what they have realized that it is sure to take the UK, US and Canadian Governments some years to understand! I am interested in the comment in 'your Canterbury' (left) by
Mark Henricks from Austin, Texas, USA "I am happy to see Fathers 4 Justice taking this direct protest action and wish them every success. United States fathers infrequently engage in public protests, preferring to work through other media, legal and legislative channels. However, the stakes are high enough that any means that helps propel positive change in this area is important and worth trying!". All the best from America, Mark Henricks

This is a stance that seems to be followed in Australia with Michael Knight and his crew at the forefront of many tricky court cases and standing up for rights many assume to be equal between men and women as it is in every other aspect of civilized society, well almost!
To see what the Canadian Contingent have to put up with click on title above and from what I can tell the law is at it's worse here, and the F4J protest is one of an impromptu flash demonstration. I believe a coordinated campaign where action is taken at the same time in London Washington Canberra Johannesburg and Ottawa along the same lines as the Movember campaign of a few weeks ago!


You Had Emily Pankhurst and her Suffragette movement at the turn of the last century, the hippies anti war and freedom movement in the sixties.........
......... could F4J be the social activists of modern times?
Count down to Sunday 29th November 2009,The Solution!

Judgement Day!

The Judge.
Once again a subject you would think would command in depth analysis, but no, it can be summed up very briefly as was the case with our Justice Minister!
What is the point of court orders that are not enforcable?
In fact I will start with Jack Straw's so called 'open court policy'which fell as a damp squib on impact because the judges claimed they would not have the time for the additional administration and claimed it would compromise the security of children involved in these sensitive cases!(Unlike criminal courts they seemed unable to say Child A Child B Family XYZ or put a reference number on a court order for press use!)
Nonsense! "In the child's best interest!" (click title for more)
Unlike criminal court, family courts operate in a shroud of secrecy so do not come under press or public scrutiny as their criminal colleagues,the idea for this was the protection of the child, but in reality it hides a far more sinister reason!
The phrase "In the child's best interest!" is banded about but as with all things Family Law it is 'smoke and mirrors' to protect the judge and the incompetence of the system they operate which results in erroneous judgements based on flawed testimony by CAFCASS (who along with the CSA should be disbanded) or court reporters from social services which are more often then not 'against the best interest of the child!' and often irreversible,(See Jenny's story in side bar) this leaves you wondering why there is a judge involved at all?
As a result these unaccountable judges guided by equally unaccountable court reporters are making failed judgments day in day out in the UK and around the world.It was never my intention to become a campaigner even though I was at the wrong end of such a judgment (or lack of judgement in enforcing it on an self interested mother, see failing judges in side bar left)
So I for one will not rest till this injustice is rectified and don't forget fathers
like me are the ones who stayed to do their best for their kids, did all the judge
asked to the point of ruin, and what was believed to be in the true best interest
of the children when the only ones to benefit are the so call 'fee earners'the
legal professionals whilst the judge and social workers who's incompetence are at the heart of our broken societies!

Count down to Sunday 29th November 2009,The Solution!

Fathers4Christmas to 'visit' Canterbury Cathedral !

A Father is for life not just Christmas,
birthdays+holidays+ treats+ Disneyland+pocket-money+ X-BOX +mobile phones+loss of dignity+ bankruptcy+ irregular access+ worthlessness+ desperation+ defined contact+ ill health+ loss+ alienation+ false promises+ hopelessness+fear+sleepless nights+ anticipated regret+ulcers+breakdown+suicide and generally having the piss taken out of us by this heartless and erroneous
Family Law Court System!

"A Father has a lifetime of worry and heartache for his children, but his love is so easily discarded like last years fashion. There is nothing in this for Dad except to see his child put a mortar board on their head, in the hope that child will do better in life then he!" Davey

A Fathers for Justice group will be demonstrating at Canterbury Cathedral as part of their campaign to change family law.

New Fathers for Justice are urging all dads who will not be able
to see their children this Christmas to join them at 10am on
Saturday, December 12th 2009 to support their campaign.
The group will be dressed in Santa costumes to put pressure on
the church to help them “put the father back into Christmas”.

A spokesman for the group said: “New Fathers for Justice will
yet again attempt to get our message across to the church which, like this arrogant Labour government, had ignored the plight of fathers since they have been in office.

“We are urging the church to support us in our fight to change family law and plug dads back into families in time for Christmas.
(See my 'Lost Faith blog in archive.)

“We see this as a great necessity as we are now potentially only six months away from the general election. We hope that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will help us with the plight of dads in Britain this Christmas.”

The group has urged dads to come along with banners and wearing Father Christmas outfits.

Campaigners from father’s rights groups have made a name for themselves using direct action campaigning methods to fight for better rights for fathers who want to see their children. (As ever click on title for more on this)
If their message had been listened to in
the past 5 or 10 years maybe
BABY PETER
Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq
would still be alive today,Davey

Let's put Father back into Christmas!

Focus on Canada!

My Guest contributor from Canada is my associate Outdoors who has kept me informed of any progress in our cause from the country I have identified as having the hardest time with injustice and prejudice in Family Law and Child Welfare! To illustrate the point the first item here he ponders;
"The CBC spins the news story to make it appear as if this is discrimination based on gender, but it's actually a case where the women of the ski jumping team don't meet the minimum requirements."
Read the whole story by clicking on the title above and you decide! The next item poses a more serious quetion;
A new website hopes to help children prepare to testify in court.(click on this picture on the side bar left)
A new website funded by the Alberta government aims to help abused children prepare for the ordeal of testifying in court.
The Child Witness Court Preparation site, at www.childcourtprep.com, can be accessed by children from all over the world and takes them through what they can expect with the help of interactive games, audio recordings and a video tour of a courtroom.
Lynn Barry, a former social worker and the founder of the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse, said her group received so many requests to work with children scheduled for court that it was impossible to meet the demand.
"Then an epiphany happened," Barry said from Calgary. "We realized through an interactive website we could make our services available to children at no cost. Kids these days are text-based and internet savvy."
'The last thing we want to do is re-traumatize, so if they know what to expect they'll be fine and ready.'
— Lynn Barry, Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child AbuseChildren and teens can be terrified at having to see the accused abuser in court, Barry said.
"The last thing we want to do is re-traumatize, so if they know what to expect they'll be fine and ready. If their story can get out then justice is served."
The website, which will be officially launched in Calgary on Thursday, gives tips to help kids stay calm, such as deep breathing or focusing on a point on a courtroom wall.
Participants never talk specifically about what happened to them, but they can join one-hour sessions with Barry and other kids so they know they're not alone, she said.
The website is funded by the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security Ministry, victims programs, the Bank of Montreal Employees Charitable Foundation, the Calgary Foundation and the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.
I am grateful to Amfortas for drawing my attention to Jeremy Swanson's comments in Canada: "Oh yeah? They are telling us this now? As if no-one knows? Have we not known this all along in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, South Africa, Europe and the rest of the "west" ? We have known this for years ! And did we not try to tell the media and the politicians how much damage was being done? And now here they are announcing what we all know in a new "study" and a "poll". Good heavens we provided them with concrete evidence. Real life case histories. For Years ! Was no-one listening? Are they still not listening to us? How many of the Fathers on these lists could provide personal witness, evidence and testimony to any "study" wherever it is in the world? And its the *British Media which reveals this to us in North America? Where is OUR own media? Where are OUR politicians? Where are OUR studies? Well we have those alright (ask Dr Ed Kruk for a start) but no-one pays any attention when they come out."JS
Davey says; The *British media least of all the BBC have nothing to crow about, none of them take this issue as seriously as they should!!
Iain Duncan Smith
He said the family court system was 'a mess' with fathers too often shut out!"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/relationships/divorce/6575997/Third-of-family-break-up-children-lose-contact-with-fathers-in-failing-court-system-poll.html
This article refers to the same thing as The Sun Reported in their editorial I highlighted to your left in sidebar "We don't ever see Daddy anymore." Davey say's amen!

A Man of Straw? My shortest Blog!

The Rt. Hon Jack Straw MP and Lord Chancellor, took over from Lord Falconer as Justice Minister.
He is noted for doing just one thing towards the reform of the Family Law Court system as notified to me by Camilla Cavendish of The Times back in April 09 following her conference at the Houses of Parliament with John Hemming MP. and several other noted journalists! This is one more thing then his predecessor ever did and that was to 'Open Family Court' for press and public scrutiny but this fell like a damp squib and to illustrate this click on the word Straw on the heading to hear theToday Programme speak to the Minister for just 2 minuets on this and 4 on prisons in a 6 minuet interview!
(John Hemming M.P and Camilla Cavendish, do they know the answer?)

When will the State and it's propaganda machine ever take this matter seriously?
Countdown to the 'Solution' see blog on 29/11/09

Ed Balls: is he Minister enough?

Click title above.














Let me also refer you to my Education Education Education in blog archive.Davey
The Department for Children Schools and Families is a colossal one and would be a handful for any minister if Children, Schools or Families were 3 separate departments and not only is Mr Balls over all in charge of what happens in schools he is also responsible for social services with OFSTED somewhere in between!
For the benefit of this blog I will divide this department into 2 halves;
Schools:
I have to admit that I find myself in agreement with some of what Ed Balls is saying to Jon Snow in the video (click above), children should be assessed at the age of 11 or year 7 so they are not just thrown to the wolves in secondary education.
I speak from experience as when I attended a school reunion 10 years ago, I asked a former classmate why was it whenever we were out of line we were threatened with expulsion (rather then an alternative)? His answer was telling, as he said as we were in the bottom class there was nowhere else to go! So whatever you arrive with when you get to the summer holiday before moving up to secondary school, maps your life there after, as you stand little or no chance of substantial advancement unless you are a gifted child, which poor results shown previously prove you are not !
Many children end up on the scrap heap before they start and along with the school not able to offer discipline any longer allows some children in the grey area of law from 11 to 16 to just about do as they please, and end up feral teenagers on the streets (a subject that will be extensively covered in forthcoming blogs)
I would also ask what of OFSTED? Are they offering correct and substantial reports that are beneficial to parents seeking placements for their children? Are some erroneous headteachers pulling the wool over many inspectors eyes so they keep their, not always deserved, high accreditation and resulting funding in place? Parents are then fighting for places, often finding themselves braking the law to get their child in a school as they are lead to believe it is better then the next one 3 miles down the road. With the additional bearing of house prices close to a 'better' school!
Is it not incumbent on the education authority that a minimum standard is achieved at ALL schools so this disparity is reduced and rather then credit schools that excel beyond the reach of many children offer similar chances to other nearby schools and even share resources!
Who actually oversees the activities at OFSTED?
Social Services:
Keeping with OFSTED on this one too, did you know that this self regulating body gave Haringay Council a clean bill of health the week Baby 'P' (Peter) was killed then had to scurry back some weeks later to produce a damming report on the same council. How was this possible what did OFSTED see some weeks earlier which could change so very quickly or moreover what did they not see? I believe there should be a whistle blowers amnesty (see my blog of a few days ago titled Grandparents4Justice4Baby'P' on this)
This problem is not confined to Haringay and as my blog in the Birmingham Sunday Mercury reveals there are problems in the Midlands and the question posed was, is Birmingham Council the worse in the country? Then up came Darlington then Cornwall..etc so no it is not confined to a single council it is endemic throughout the land and a tragedy as happened in these councils could happen elsewhere at anytime, and what of Ed Balls reform in the wake of Baby'P', Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq he promised?
Well this has consisted of throwing millions (£830,000 in the case of my local council) of pounds at the problem and all he has asked in return is for them to recruit more social workers! More into an already failing system? Why not fewer and better ones into a reformed Social Services and also why not pull ill equipped court reporters out of the family law court system where all they achieve is to generate future business for themselves from the families they break up! They could concentrate their efforts in preventing more Baby 'P' tragedies even if it means going against the 'book' on occasion or having the courage to speak out when they clearly see there is something wrong, and managers should be able to respond to this with robust support rather then threats of dismissal if they go against council guidelines. Do you not dive in to save a drowning child's life or sit on the sidelines because it tells you to in you handbook? I wish there were more Nevres Kemals and they should be revered not made to flee for their own safety!
I would also ask why does a child such as 'Jenny' end up in irreversible care just because a neighbour complains that a dog is barking in her families kennels suggesting cruelty, even though the case was not up held ( Jenny's story can be seen in the side bar to your left) This industry is in need of root and branch reform, but is Ed Balls Minister enough to do it?
The opposition. Rt Hon Micheal Gove MP.
At a time of the worst Government in living memory we also have the weakest opposition in the form of the Conservative Party who rather then offer some substantive policy or guidance on how schools should be run, such as less bureaucracy more identification of stragglers so they can be brought up to speed (Both poor teachers and pupils),regular in class reviews,and what I have described as a preparation year at age 11, for pupils to be given socially accepted communication skills, sex, drugs, and rock and Roll education and awareness of peer and media pressure in readiness of what is to come!
Instead we see Gove and Balls squabbling like kids in a playground over peripheral issues rather then the crux of the matter.The wife.
The appointment of Yvette Cooper to the Department for Work and Pensions to succeed James Purnell means an uber-Blairite is replaced with an arch-Brownite.
I would imagine the breakfast time conversation in their household would go something like " I wonder how many people's lives (esp children) we can screw up today!" The CSA that falls under Mrs. Balls DWP remit should, along with CAFCASS, Blairs 10 years old failed brain-child, should simply be disbanded as both departments serve the vengeful mothers and feckless Dads whilst penalising the good parents both Mums and Dads!! Davey
Yvette Cooper and her ridiculously named husband Ed Balls must be jumping for joy this evening, for MPs have voted to keep their current expenses system in place. Why don’t we let criminals vote on whether or not burglary should have a prison sentence next time?MPs have voted against thorough audits of their expenses, voted against banning claims for improvements to their furnishing and against not having to show receipts for expenses under £25.This is the system that has allowed CooBalls to state their Yorkshire residence as their main home, while they school their children in London, in order to have parliament pay off their Westminster residence’s mortgage – AND furnish the pad to boot.Furthermore, a reliable Labour Party source informs me that one MP is employing his mother on a salary of £25,000 for basic tea making duties in his office. But not to worry, because this sort of practice is common place and as of this evening democratically voted back in.
A spell based in Arkansas helping out on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 saw her launched on a political career and she joined first Harriet Harman and then Mr Brown as an adviser.
The alternative?
This is the guy I believe is best placed to reform the Department currently the responsibility of Ed Balls (Just wish it was under a Farage leadership, Davey view) he has a raft of experience on this subject so would bring a wider range of pragmatic experience to what I believe is the most crucial of all the domestic Government departments (I would not object to Camilla Cavendish being an advisor)

Parental Alienation. comment.

The emotive subject of Parental Alienation will be raised here frequently, as I too suffer this heartbreak as we approach the 3rd Christmas I will not see my children, through no fault of theirs (save standing up to their mother, but it is hard for them as they live with her everyday) and no fault of mine as I fought long and hard to get and achieve a joint residency order and ample regular contact each week to have the whole process unravelled by the very same system that pretends to have "the children's best interest at heart!" (You have to have a heart in the first place, Judge!) It is like a slow torture as you know you want to be with your child at this crucial time in their lives ( Childhood is relatively short anyway) and what you could prevent now if they wee to get into trouble or the like you may find you are called upon to deal with later in life I call it anticipated regret!
I was also called upon to approve another you tube on this subject which I did before viewing it as I am convinced you would not go the trouble unless you had lived this nightmare and it can now be permanently viewed under my PAS section to your left see Fighter Mommy!
(Play enclosure link below next to comments)

Saturday World Review!

I am delighted to introduce AMFORTAS as feature contributor this week. I am grateful to him for words of encouragement,support and philosaphy that has put me in good stead when compiling information on this theme and producing it for others to follow I am also proud to say I have now joined Amfortas on the board at Dadsonair in Oz so we can chat their too, great stuff from the wise man of family law, I look forward to his future contributions!
The most draconian anti-male legislation in Oz is the 'Safe at Home Act' in Tasmania

(States make many of their own Laws)

It includes aspects that sometimes appear on AM from other places, like mandatory arrest - of men;
no bail;
holding 'accused' until they sign an undertaking not to be violent again, before they are allowed to go before a magistrate - therefore admiting guilt. They are not to be taken before a magistrate until they sign ! This means they can be in jail for months without a trial and can only plead guilty;
arrest on the say so of a Policeman without a complaint being made by a spouse;
inclusion of non-spouses, such as flatmates or lodgers. Men - landlords - have been taken from their homes and the home left with a non-paying tenant!

It was introduced into Parliament here by a feminazi Attorney General, drunkard, who had a grudge against her ex-husband.
Amfortas.
Whilst I agree you have to keep these little Islanders in check, this reminded me of my CAFCASS reporter who's ex-husband was part of the Families need Fathers campaign so some hope of impartiality (See my forst blog the late Ian Mackay was spokesman for FNF and my Mckenzie friend and alerted me to who my reporter was!) Davey
Also in Australia a news item found by Davey;
There is a man in the County Court of Victoria Australia facing rape and abuse charges by two vengeful, scorned and power and money hungry sisters.
It\'s the ultimate revenge after decades of false allegations and being shown up in the Family Court of Australia to be liars.
Civil rights activists have fought and demonstrated for 20+ years against injustice, Family Court, Police, legal system and it\'s abusers.
HE HAS NOW BEEN TARGETED BY THE SYSTEM.
The lack of due process and fairness he has received thus far by the legal system can only be interpreted as PAYBACK!!!!
This man is being prevented from putting evidence to the court by the judge, in addition to repetitive breaches of his civil and constitutional rights.
It\'s a serious WARNING and lesson for all us men that there is little justice, if any, in these courts.
GOD BLESS HIS SOUL and PRAY the real truth is revealed and he does not lose his FREEDOM and LIFE!!
He currently has a loving, gorgeous and caring partner and daughter.
We also pray this mess is over soon and they can be reunited as a proper family, and allowed some peace as God intended.
Please post your comments of support for this man and his family -
We will keep you posted...
My thanks go to frostyboy for this item from Canada Davey
Concordia professor tells men to 'man up'

Concordia University professor Anthony Synnott is concerned
about a human rights issue that’s often scrutinized, but not
often discussed: what about men’s rights?
Synnott spoke at the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton
campus on October 8 to discuss his new book, “Re-Thinking
Men: Heroes, Villains and Victims.” He sat in the hot seat as he
discussed his theories on masculinity and equality for men. He
believes that in the quest for women’s rights, men’s rights have
been either forgotten or ignored.
He claimed that during and since the feminist movement, society has portrayed men as inferior and a social problem.
“Prejudice against ethnic groups is called ‘racism;’ prejudice against women, ‘sexism;’ and prejudice against men is considered really, really funny,” he said.
Continuing to draw attention to society’s apparent prejudice against men, Synnott admitted that men do commit more homicides and crime than women, but men are also killed more than women in homicides.
Why are men killing men, then, and why aren’t we doing something to stop it? Because men are seen as naturally more aggressive and dangerous, he suggested.
Hate literature discusses how men are ‘in fact’ the inferior and more violent sex, proving their point by using the examples of male villains throughout history such as Hitler, Stalin and Hussein. Synnott reminded the audience of some of history’s male heroes, including Gandhi, Churchill, and Mandela – and also touted the reality that the majority of men are not killers and rapists.
Synnott is not only concerned with the negative portrayal of men in society but also the lack of support men receive. He said that while it is true that male-dominated jobs have higher wages and are unionized more than female-dominated jobs, jobs that men are more likely to have have recently suffered more cuts.
He said that there is not nearly the same amount of organizations or support groups out there for men as there are for women, which has led to men making up the majority of the homeless population.
And there are other statistics we are choosing to ignore, he said. There are more females enrolled in post-secondary education than males. He said men usually work in more high risk environments and are more prone to health issues, yet there is a higher percentage of men who do not have healthcare.
Less money, Synnott said, is put into the research of male-specific diseases and there are fewer academic studies done about male problem areas.
Although he talked about heavy subject matter in a roomful of people ready to jump down his throat, Synnott cracked jokes and kept much of his audience smiling. After being interrupted a few times by inquiries about his sources, followed by some debates, questions were taken, putting Synnott’s viewpoint under the microscope.

He said that he often faces hostile and defensive audiences, and that it surprises him how closed-minded people can be toward his unique perspective.
Synnott asked men to “man up,” a term he learned from a female student – though he did not share her definition, which requested that men “Get beer, not white wine. Don’t get the baguette, get the steak. Stop whining, and just do it . . . oh, and hit on us more.”
Instead, he requested that men start organizing and fighting for their rights as women have done – because as everyone learns at some point or other, ignoring problems does not make them go away, and they only come back later to bite you even harder.
“So gentlemen, man up. There are things to do here.”

As I did a mid week special on the US I have just a couple of points to make here. I have offered a supplimentry US item in my International section for an on going case(s) of injustice and I have put a useful New York times item above if you click on the word Saturday! More from the US next Time, Davey.


Fathers-4-Justice nominated for
South African Human Rights Council Award
Dear Sir/ Madam
The South African Human Rights Commission notes that you have been nominated for promoting transparency and the Right to Know. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts in promoting a culture of information sharing and protecting the fundamental right to know and other human rights.
The Commission works with the Right to Access Information and will be very keen to work with and provide support to your organization. We provide training on the Promotion of Access to Information Act free of charge. We also provide any other assistance that may be required in the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.
We look forward to establishing a fruitful working relationship and advancing a culture of human rights.
For any assistance please do not hesitate to contact our offices.
Warm regards
Nokwanda Molefe
Promotion of Access to Information Unit Can you imagine this in the UK?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good morning

From the nomination form for the GK Awards ,the SAHRC has taken note of the type of work you do and is keen to explore what kind of support interventions we can provide to the organization (training assisting with protocols development etc ).
Please find attached herein an invitation to attend the IO Forum and GKA Ceremony.

Regards
Lwazi Mtshiyo



I am delighted to report my blog and other comments I have appeared on, have arrived at Google under Grandparents4justice and will keep you informed of the progress with this campaign everytime you see the picture of Gloria Hunniford here.I was also pleased to be asked to approve a You Tube on Parental Alienation and this appears here under fighter mommy!I have also just been asked to contribute to another John Hemming MP blog, so hi ho hi ho it's off to blog I go!! Davey.

GRANDPARENTS4JUSTICE4Baby 'P'?

GRANDPARENTS4JUSTICE SPEAK!
Yes they do exist and Sir Bob Geldof is patron, more to the point have many of you considered when a couple separate, it is not only the father that a child may be deprived of but extended family too, is this fair to that child?: Could the fabulous Gloria Hunniford hold the key to all this?
The Hypocrisy of the UK Government.

The Prime Minister is to apologise for forced deporting of children from 1930 to 1970.
They are still at it. Social services are still snatching children and telling them falsely that their families do not want them and also telling grandparents and extended family that the children do not want to see them either. (Parental Alienation) This confuses and demoralises children into accepting forced adoption to complete strangers. An excellent cost cutting business plan! But children are not commodities.
Extract from the ‘Social Work Action Magazine’ Social work conference.
Quote “Social workers said they did not become SW so that they could be ‘case managers or have to make decisions based on money rather on what was needed” End Quote.
He will combine it with an apology to the 7,000 child migrants from Britain who still lives in Australia.
As they were compulsorily shipped out of Britain, many of the children were told - wrongly - their parents were dead, and that a more abundant life awaited them.
Many parents did not know their children, aged as young as three had been sent to Australia. Child care agencies (guess who they are) worked with the government to send disadvantaged children to a rosy future and supply what was deemed "good white stock" to a former colony.
Full story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/uk/8361025.stm
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk
"Seems to me like the Grandparents,the bastions of commonsense and stability, could be the route of sorting this appalling law!" Comment by Davey


Could Baby P and others have justice at last?
I received an E-mail from Lynne Featherstone LIB-DEM MP for the constituancy that includes Haringay Council;
Here's my latest column - it's about the lessons to learn from the death of Baby Peter. You can comment about it online at http://bit.ly/2jU78L
Best wishes,
Lynne
Member of Parliament for Hornsey & Wood Green (Lib Dem)
www.lynnefeatherstone.org
Serious Case Reviews - Baby Peter and beyond

I have reached the next stage in my quest to get the Serious Case Review into Baby Peter's death published - and beyond Peter - the publication of all Serious Case Reviews. A Serious Case Review (SCR) is produced immediately after any such case by the agencies involved in that child's care. It tells the chronological story of who did what and when. It is an invaluable document - but it is kept secret.
I have been battling to change this. I have asked the Information Commissioner to find in favour of publication in the public interest. I don't believe that the ambition of that over-used phrase 'lessons must be learned' can ever be fully realised if the causes and actions are hidden as they currently are.
The Information Commissioner recently came back to me to ask for more information as to why I thought it would be in the public interest for the SCR to be published. I sent him my reasons (below) and now the Information Commissioner is going back to Haringey Council for further information.
As I await the decision - although I have previously blogged about this - I regard continued public scrutiny as so important that am putting all of this in the public domain again.
This was my email in response to the Information Commissioner's request:
Having been Leader of the Opposition on Haringey Council when Victoria Climbie died and now MP in half of Haringey during the Baby P tragedy - I have come to the conclusion that a contributing factor to cases like these (and others) is the secrecy, the closing ranks culture and the lack of transparency.
The Serious Case Review (version 1) which I was allowed to read virtually under lock and key in the Department of Education (where I could not make notes or record any part of the document) was an eye opener to me. The executive summary of the same document which is published did not reflect the key problems, in my view, that were at least part-causal in the eventual tragedy.
The thing that struck me most was the litany of casualness with which people did their jobs (appointments missed, not followed up; files lost, handovers not done, meetings not attended). There was a litany of failures like these at every level, virtually by every person and every agency. I think that most people would expect that once a child is on the protection register and their case being brought to the Safeguarding Board - that there would be a rigour about all aspects connected with them.
This casualness and lack of care is only really demonstrated if you get to read the whole document. It does not come through in the summary and itself is cumulatively causal in my view.
Literally hundreds of professionals across the country emailed me about their knowledge and experience - as did the general public. I believe that the phrase which is dragged out 'lessons will be learned' won't be fully possible if the facts of the case and the failures in the case are kept hidden. As I say, the Executive Summary does not reveal the extent of the small, but cumulative failures - which I believe many professionals would recognize in their own fields and therefore be able to do something about. Therefore it must be in the public interest to be able to see the whole document.
Simply issuing another 150 Laming-like recommendations every time a tragedy happens simply adds procedures that take professionals away from their work without ever being able to see the why and wherefore of such recommendations - nor to judge or be able to critique the new ways from an informed position. The issues are kept between local authority, the other agencies and the Government - so keeping out those who would, could and should benefit from reading the whole story.
I am not an expert nor a professional - but unless and until we really open out all the issues around cases such as these - there will continue to be an air of defensiveness and self-protection which work against the safety and well-being of children at risk.
Social workers need to work in an atmosphere of support and good management - which can only come from opening up the real events, letting them stand there for all to see - and those in the professions taking those lessons away.
(Click title heading for Nervres Kemel's story!)
Lawyers for Nevres Kemal, a former social worker in Haringey, north London, wrote to the then Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt and three other ministers last year calling for a public inquiry into social services in the borough which she said were "out of control".Davey has long held the view that there should be a Whistleblowers amnesty so those who come forward can sppek in confidence when things go wrong, I would just ask Ed Balls when he is going to get round to the root and branch reform this Deptartment needs NATIONALLY and as he promised in the wake of these horrowing accounts? (Ed Balls will be the subject of my blog this coming Sunday)

The argument Ed Balls makes to me against publishing the Serious Case Review is that staff would not speak freely if they knew that what they said might be published. My view is that anyone working in any field where there is such an event has a duty to speak and say what happened. They would have to if the case goes to public inquiry or hearing. Names and personal information should be anonymized. It was anyway in the SCR I read and social workers were referred to as social worker 1 or social worker 2. It is also the case that quite a lot of time elapses between the event and the publication as the SCR is written immediately (usually) and the case and the trial and exposure comes much later.
OFSTED did an audit of Serious Case Reviews and found that nearly two thirds, I believe, were inadequate. So - additionally - this would not have come to light without OFSTED's exposure. If they were published - these inadequate SCRs would have been exposed much earlier. So - whilst the Serious Case Review I am most concerned about is obviously the Haringey one - it is clear there is a wider issue too.
So - I believe it is totally in the public interest for the Serious Case Review to be published. Secrecy, lack of transparency and openness and closing ranks are at the heart of the problem in Haringey.
I hope you find in favour of publication.
Kind regards
Lynne Featherstone
My thanks go to Lynne Featherstone M.P. and Jimmy Deuchars, Grandparents Campaigner, for bringing these two crucial stories to Davey's newsdesk this week!

International Men's Health Day 19th Movember 2009!

I thought I would offer a different take on this special day,International Mens 's Health Day and celebrating the monthof Movember by talking about communication!


This issue has most societies divided between those who have
experience the nightmare of Family Court and Social Services
and those who have not, so do not believe or understand the
fact that the open criminal court is a very different animal to
the hidden proceedings of Family or civil court and the imposition
of incompetent court reporters who in my opinion are the root
cause of mis-judgements leading to our broken societies fuelled by
disfunctional families and feral youth!
It is crucial to get this message across to the mass audience if there
is any chance of change and an insistence on our failing law makers
to get it right as we no longer accept their disproportionate sentencing
where murderers of a 17 month old toddler get a 6 year sentence whilst
train robbers get (or used to) get 30 years and kids are ending up in
irreversible care as a result of a neighbour complaining because of
a dog barking, as in the case of 'Jenny' on the south coast!
In the UK the Grandparents have the key to all this and presenter
Gloria Hunniford is raising the profile of this who, as with James Whale
who remarked in his book, has had first hand experience of when this
all goes wrong!
<<
I suggest a committee of renowned spokes people on this, coming together to lobby for more relevant laws;
John Hemming MP for Yardley, Birmingham and who's Fassit website I also
contribute to, seems to be the only person in the commons that has a grasp
of this although he has assured me there are others!
Camilla Cavendish who is the Paul Foot award wining Journalist who has
covered this in a robust manner in the Times inn recent years!
Shaun Bailey prospective parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith who's
quiet words reveals a wisdom beyond his years on aspects of the young today!
Erin Prizzey the pragmatic founder of the woman's refuge and as a surprise allie to our cause to say of Harriet Harman on the Today programme in the summer of 2008 when the Minister suggested that woman who murder as a result of abuse by a partner should be given a more lenient sentence "Murder is murder!" I observed that she was not interested if this was reversed so much from our equality minister!
Together with Gloria Hunniford, James Whale and even we can only hope Joanna Lumley could help to get our concerns further up the political agenda which I would hope would have a knock on effect around the world!
B R O A D C A S T 50 New ! Second Class Citizen.org
Newest and most innovative web-radio station
National and international news from traditional and alternative sources, Special Programs/Guests presenting a variety of issues and topics Music: Old/New Classic Radio Programs (Historic, Comedies, Suspense)

I have often contributed to the excellent Jon Gaunt show on The Sun newspaper's Sun-Talk Internet based radio programme and have been given the opportunity to get this point across on the show as well as a major influence on the Sun-Talk forum. I for one would like to see a show here, even if it was from 22:00 to 2:00am,that really hammers this message across!
http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=2027
Click on heading for more on this

US Overload! (click here for more)

The president has made an unprecedented decision to move the trial of the FT. Hood shooter to New York.This currently has our House/Senate in an uproar, for various reasons, such as the moving of a "war criminal" and "terrorist" from Guantanamo bay, and moving him into a "civilian" court system, which would undoubtedly be a security risk.


Obviously the famous actress vs. porn star battle is unusual. Yet there are many stepmothers and second wives who step in and parent their husbands' kids because their mom can't or won't do it. These women are often caught in the middle of nasty custody battles, are maligned as interlopers for loving their stepchildren, and have little legal standing.

Rarely when fathers seek full custody of a child are the facts so stacked against the mother as in the case between "Monster Garage" star Jesse James and his ex-wife, porn star Janine Lindemulder. The couple are battling in court for custody of 5-year-old daughter Sunny.

Not only is Lindemulder a porn star, which is a career that one can argue has negative moral and lifestyle implications on a child's upbringing, but she is married to a felon and has an alleged drug problem. James on the other hand is married to Sandra Bullock, who has been called "America's sweetheart"...

Bullock and James have had sole custody of 5-year-old Sunny for the past six months since Lindemulder was in jail -- yes, jail -- for tax evasion.

Now Lindemulder has gone from the courts to the court of public opinion by appearing on ABC's Good Morning America and throwing what I'm calling the divorce equivalent of the "shot heard around the world" in accusing Sandra Bullock of being an interloping stepmother who is trying to "take away my daughter." "We see this all the time where the ex-wife lives with a crazy, harmful boyfriend who can't see his own kids because the court has prohibited him because he may have been convicted of drugs or abuse. Yet he can live with another father's kid," says Glenn Sacks, the executive director of Fathers & Families.


"I've seen many fathers try to bring this to the courts' attention and the courts don't want to hear it."
Next item of interest was about our national financial situation.The basic report on that shows while there has indeed been some rise in GDP..etc, there has been NO sizable increase in jobs, or a decrease in unemployment for that matter. They even did make note of the fact that MEN ages 25-45 are STILL in the 10% unemployment, while women are at a considerably less percentage (don't recall exactly but I think it was around 5%)...

Exonerated man seeks cash for 27-year sentence: SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – No bars or razor wire hold former Florida inmate No. 082629. Instead, William Dillon sits on furniture the color of ripe lemons, surrounded by cheerful animal statues and blooming plants, a prisoner no longer after 27 years.

He could get more than a million dollars in state compensation for his wrongful imprisonment, though how much he'll get — if anything — is up to lawmakers because he has a prior conviction for felony drug possession. A hearing on the matter took place this week in Tallahassee, though Dillon says it's impossible to put a dollar amount on his freedom.

"When I actually did walk down those steps, I was so lightheaded, felt like I was being lifted down those steps, I really did," Dillon recently told The Associated Press. "It was so awesome. I don't think I can ever replace that feeling, coming out of there after so many years of feeling I never, ever would."

Dillon, 50, walked out of the Brevard County jail last November after tests showed that DNA found on the killer's shirt — which investigators recovered, splattered with the victim's blood — wasn't his. A month later, prosecutors announced they wouldn't retry him for the 1981 bludgeoning death of James Dvorak, and his conviction was erased.

Dillon, one of more than 200 inmates exonerated by DNA nationwide, plans to move to Tallahassee soon so he can be available during those hearings. Under the state's automatic formula, Dillon would receive $1.35 million — $50,000 for every year in prison.

Eric Ferrero, a spokesman in the Innocence Project's national office, said 27 states currently have compensation laws on the books. Of those states, Florida is the only one where a roadblock occurs if the former inmate already had a felony conviction on his record.

Norman Wolfinger, the state attorney in Brevard County, said in a letter to the Legislature that while there isn't enough evidence to convict Dillon again, lawmakers should consider that his innocence isn't proven, either.

Dillon cried while testifying Monday at his first compensation hearing. Afterward, he said he forgave the jailhouse snitch who recanted his 1981 trial testimony that Dillon had confessed to the murder. Roger Dale Chapman testified Monday that detectives told him they'd send him to prison on a fabricated rape charge if he didn't lie.

Although it isn't feasible, Dillon said he would prefer that his compensation be paid by the prosecutors and law enforcement agents he believes railroaded him — not taxpayers.

"I think the people that did it to me — knowingly did it to me — should have to pay for it," he said.

Admittedly cocky during the 1981 investigation, Dillon was angry when he went to prison. He said he grew suicidal after a parole hearing a few years ago, when he was given a possible release date of 2043. He mourned the loss of children he would never have, a youth that was stolen and the holidays he would miss. But he "settled it" for himself when he realized rage would do no good.

Dillon walked out of jail last year wearing a T-shirt that read "Not Guilty" and a grin. At first, nothing was easy. After almost three decades under the dim glow of prison lights, Dillon was uncomfortable in the black of night. He couldn't eat unless he was told. When he tried to buy a dozen chocolate doughnuts at a grocery store, he held up the line for an uncomfortable lesson on debit card machines.

"Everything that was out here had completely changed to me," he said. "It was like I was Fred Flintstone that came out."

He ate lasagna with his family on his first day home, and he celebrated Thanksgiving with loved ones a few days later. In the year that followed, he gained a few pounds and grew some facial hair. He still plays guitar, an instrument he picked up behind bars, and now talks of going back to school.

Dillon and Wolfinger both place some blame on John Preston, a dog handler who claimed his animals could track scents months after a suspect was present. He testified his dog found Dillon's scent on the shirt and at the crime scene. He was later discredited and died last year. Preston's testimony was also used against Wilton Dedge, convicted in Brevard in the early 1980s of sexual assault. DNA evidence freed him in 2004, and the Legislature awarded him $2 million.

Now, Dillon focuses on his most powerful weapon against those who wronged him: telling his story to law students and law enforcement agents. He said he harbors no anger toward the system, but he wants the individuals involved in the prosecution and investigation to be held accountable."I feel like I'm the thorn in their side right now and I am the scariest thing that they have seen in quite a while compared to the system that they've been running," he said. "My mouth is a dangerous tool on them. Each day I think of more and more stuff that happened that shouldn't have happened. And each day I remember it, it comes closer and closer to getting in their closet."

I am grateful to Shagda, Glenn Sacks and Zuberi for alerting me to these stories.

Click here and answer the question!

There is only one race,
the human race and it
is a race we ALL have
to win! Davey
'..judge a man by his character...' Dr. Martin Luther- King 1963

Coming next........
WED: US Overload.
Thur: 19th Movenber 2009.
Fri: Justice4Grandparents& Baby'P'?
Sat: World Review.

About Domestic Violence Against Men

Statistics About Domestic Abuse And Violence Against Men. Very little is known about the actual number of men who are in a domestic relationship in which they are abused or treated violently by women. In 100 domestic violence situations approximately 40 cases involve violence by women against men. An estimated 400,000 women per year are abused or treated violently in the United States by their spouse or intimate partner. This means that roughly 300,000 to 400,000 men are treated violently by their wife or girl friend.
Once again an area Davey has had first hand experience, and for me one of the more tricky blogs. I would describe domestic violence as cowardice by either party but from a man's perspective the accepted norm is you don't hit a woman! So when the table is turned you are given a double whammy as even in the act of defence it can be construed as aggression as that is what society expects, and what if the woman threatens to injure herself? Then she tells the police it was you that threw her down the stairs or such like. Attitudes on this need to even up and women should recognise as with false accusations of rape this undermines genuine victims of either heinous crime!

Male victims of domestic violence
Men are victims of domestic violence
at the hands of both female and male
partners.





Why Do We Know So Little About Domestic Abuse And Violence Against Men?

There are many reasons why we don't know more about domestic abuse and violence against men. First of all, the incidence of domestic violence reported men appears to be so low that it is hard to get reliable estimates. In addition, it has taken years of advocacy and support to encourage women to report domestic violence. Virtually nothing has been done to encourage men to report abuse. The idea that men could be victims of domestic abuse and violence is so unthinkable that many men will not even attempt to report the situation.

The dynamic of domestic abuse and violence is also different between men and women. The reasons, purposes and motivations are often very different between sexes. Although the counseling and psychological community have responded to domestic abuse and violence against women, there has been very little investment in resources to address and understand the issues of domestic abuse and violence against men. In most cases, the actual physical damage inflicted by men is so much greater than the actual physical harm inflected by women. The impact of domestic violence is less apparent and less likely to come to the attention of others when men are abused. For example, it is assumed than a man with a bruise or black eye was in a fight with another man or was injured on the job or playing contact sports. Even when men do report domestic abuse and violence, most people are so astonished men usually end up feeling like nobody believes them.
Click on the title to view a film on this and consider that like Parental Alienation, domestic abuse has a psychological affect on children that may stay with them for life and affect their future relationships.

AN ODE TO BLOGGERS! click here

A few months ago I was honing my blogging skills that I had taken around the world, and with my sights on my own blog I sent a copy of my latest to Guido Fawkes, top political blogger in my view, and though my blog to him was top heavy (always concerned about leaving some thing out of this massive subject) I welcomed his reply which was to reduce it have a hook line and keep it brief and to the point!
So with my new found basic journalistic skills, I made a cup of coffee and pondered my next blog. Inadvertently I had left the radio on after Mr.Ferrari and found my self listening to James O'Brien at LBC who started to rant on at what he considered 'Feckless Fathers' to a degree that I am sure Harriet Harman would have adopted him as a lost love child, and at least he has a certain future at the BBC! I was not really in the mood to ring in, but his ill thought out ramblings on a subject he clearly had sparse knowledge of was raising my gander so was just about to grab the phone!
Unbeknown to me the sister of Chelsea Star Frank Lampard had also heard this and let her brother know and he came on the show saying pretty much what I had in mind and O' Brien, on this occasion, was a fool! As I finished my inspirational coffee I found myself typing; " From now on F4J protesters will wear Chelsea Strip rather then superhero outfits on demonstrations!"
That was it, the briefest comment I had ever made so I circulated it to every newsroom and to date it is the most responded to item I have ever written, I even told an eminent Sun reporter I would do an interview if he took the subject seriously unlike the BBC who ridicule the protesters but do not ask why they are there, I then suggested he used my quip as a cartoon as all he asked was were 15 F4J supporters going to invade the football pitch, I can't remember saying no just hanging up!
Why is it the only way to get this subject into the news is by a counter productive stunt by someone called Batman?
International Men's Health day November 19th 2009 http://www.movember.com/