Two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners have been given a suspended sentence

Rye & Battle Observer

Fathers spared jail over Harman roof protest

Published Date: 18 December 2008

Two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners, including one from Herefordshire, who scaled Harriet Harman's roof dressed as superheroes have been given a suspended sentence.

Anthony Ashby, 43, from Ledbury, and Nigel Ace, 40, were also banned from climbing on any roof other than their own without express permission from the householder. Leader of the Commons Ms Harman and her husband, Jack Dromey, were woken at just after 6am on July 9 this year by the pair, who were dressed as Spiderman and Batman, City of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.. The court heard that Ms Harman and her husband installed extra security after the incidents and no longer felt as secure in their home. Ashby, a painter and decorator from Skippe Close, Ledbury, denied the charge but, representing himself during the trial, he told the court he had no defence. He was given a five-week sentence suspended for two years. Ace, a former sales manager from Deer Mead, Clevedon, in Somerset, admitted disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment and failing to come down from the roof when asked to do so by police. He was given a four-week sentence suspended for two years. Both men were ordered to obey a curfew between 8pm and 5am until January 5. They must also each pay £100 compensation to the victims and £100 in costs. On Thursday, Ashby told the court: "I wanted to exercise my right to protest while the family laws in this country are unjust." But the court also heard that Ace now realised that it was wrong to stage a demonstration on the roof of a private house and is no longer a member of F4J. Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, 17th December 2008

Father guilty over Harman roof protest

Published Date: 17 December 2008

A Fathers 4 Justice campaigner who dressed as Batman to invade the roof of Harriet Harman's London home has been warned he could face a prison sentence.

The protest by Anthony Ashby, 43, was "very distressing" to the house's inhabitants and forced the Leader of the Commons to move out not, knowing when her family could return home, a judge heard. Ashby, a self-employed painter and decorator from Skippe Close, Ledbury, Herefordshire, denied disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment and failing to come down from the roof when told to do so by police. District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, sitting at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, found him guilty of both charges concerning the home of the Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham. Judge Arbuthnot told him: "I'm leaving all options open. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with you yet, I haven't excluded custody." Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.

• Last Updated: 17 December 2008 3:31 AM
• Source: Press Association
• Location: The Press Association Newsdesk

Grantham Journal

Father to learn fate over Harman roof protest

Published Date: 17 December 2008

A Fathers 4 Justice campaigner from Somerset who admitted dressing as Spiderman to invade Harriet Harman's roof will learn his fate later this week.

Nigel Ace, 40, a former sales manager from Deer Mead, Clevedon, admitted disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment and failing to come down from the roof of the London home when told to do so by police. He was joined in the protest by Anthony Ashby, 43, a self-employed painter and decorator from Skippe Close, Ledbury, Herefordshire, who had denied the charges. But District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, sitting at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, found him guilty of both charges. She told him: "I'm leaving all options open. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with you yet. I haven't excluded custody." The protest was "very distressing" to the house's inhabitants and forced the Leader of the House of Commons to move out not knowing when her family could return home, a judge heard. Ashby, who dressed at Batman, argued in court that he had not distressed the politician and her husband, the union leader Jack Dromey. He said: "I don't think he was distressed at all - probably annoyed, but not distressed. Like I say, he's a man of the unions, so he's a stronger man than that." Georgina Nicholas, prosecuting, said Ace and Ashby "flatly refused" to come down from the roof, turning their backs on police and ignoring officers. The court heard Ace told police Ms Harman needed to engage in debate, saying: "She's ignoring us and that is why we are here again. If not we want Gordon Brown to come down - no messing about." Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.

The Socialists in the UK have not improved child poverty at all and new report states Dads are Important

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095802/One-British-children-living-poverty-breakdown-traditional-families.html

"The Government's approach has always been to deny that family structure makes a difference. They have been throwing money at the problem, but even the most generous benefit system cannot replace an absent father."

One in four British children living in poverty due to breakdown of traditional families

By Steve Doughty Last updated at 10:01 PM on 16th December 2008

Nearly a quarter of children now live in single parent families

The growth of single-parent families has led to a quarter of children growing up in the poorest fifth of homes, an official report said yesterday.

The study by the Office for National Statistics found the number of children living in the poorest households has soared in the last 30 years.

The analysis by the Government's statistics body is intended to show who has won and who has lost from the big changes in earnings, taxation and state benefits over the three decades to 2007.

It said the number of single parent families represented only 3 per cent of homes in 1977. This has since doubled to 6 per cent.

In 1977, 19 percent of children lived in the poorest fifth of homes. This rose to nearly 30 percent by 1997 as the numbers of lone parent families grew.

Nearly a quarter of all children now live with single parents and the numbers of lone mothers have trebled since the 1970s.

Author Francis Jones said that the history of the economy over three decades had been 'a game of two halves'. During the 1980s high earners became much better off, but rich and poor have stayed in much the same position since the early 1990s.

• Cameron will vote against crackdown on single mothers as Labour accuses him of backing benefits culture

Even the poorest have seen their incomes rise as the overall wealth of individuals and families has more than doubled since the 1970s.

Labour's tax and benefit changes since 1997 have made little difference to the equality gap between rich and poor, it found.

Rich and poor have stayed in much the same position since the early 1990s

But while ministers have tinkered with the levers of the economy, the shift that has really decided on who is well off and who is poor is the revolution in family life, the report said.

The ONS said that the count of children in the poorest fifth of homes has fallen to 25 percent since Gordon Brown introduced the tax credit benefit system in the late 1990s.

However, a series of Whitehall studies have shown that tax credits, which pump money into single parent families, has left two-parent families who rely on just one earner much worse off.

Department of Work and Pensions figures this year showed that children now dropping into poverty are almost entirely those who live with two parents.

Numbers of children in the poorest fifth of households - which rely on state benefits for most of their income - is now nearly a third higher than in 1977.

The ONS report yesterday that children have now joined the elderly as those most likely to be poor.

It said: 'Along with retired households, one adult households with children are the other main group of households that are highly concentrated in the lower part of the income distribution.

'The combination of low employment income and the presence of children results in low incomes.'

It added: 'The increase in one adult households in the bottom group was simply due to the increase in their number, rather than any change in their overall position in the income distribution.'

Enlarge

Labour is pledged to lift children out of poverty.

However, the Government has maintained since coming to power in 1997 that all kinds of families are equally good and that there is no advantage for children in having two parents or married parents.

All research continues to show that, despite the availability of tax credits, children with single parents are poorer, less healthy, do less well at school, and are more likely to fall into worklessness, drug abuse, crime and single parenthood themselves as adults.

The report led to new calls from supporters of the traditional family for new state policies to encourage parents to stick together.

Robert Whelan of the Civitas think tank said: 'It is gratifying to find that the Government's own statistics body confirming what we have been saying for years: low income is an intrinsic problem of one parent families.

'If you really care about lifting children out of poverty you have to try to encourage two-parent families.'

He added: 'The Government's approach has always been to deny that family structure makes a difference. They have been throwing money at the problem, but even the most generous benefit system cannot replace an absent father.

'Fathers do far more for families than pay the bills. It's the father that matters, not the benefits.'

Project Save Christmas ~ Fathers 4 Justice Canada

from Mike Murphy to Santa Claus hohoho@northpole.merrychristmas> date 16 December 2008 subject Project Save Christmas

December 16, 2008

SANTA CLAUS NORTH POLE H0H 0H0 CANADA

Dear Santa:

Project Save Christmas: http://www.fathers-4-justice-canada.ca/content.asp?DocID=36

Three and a half years ago on June 8, 2005 my children were torn from me and I did not find them for 7 months. Christmas in 2005 was the loneliest day of my life. I cried and cried for their presence but it was not to happen.

For the past 3.5 years, due to the winner-take-all adversarial “no fault” court process I have been fighting to regain my equality as a parent in their lives. It is a very expensive process that is not yet over and the only winners will be the lawyers who keep bringing their customers to court instead of doing the right thing and keeping both parents in the children’s lives on an equal basis.

I will be living below the poverty line after it is all over and likely be homeless.

Equality by definition means just that except in our family court. Instead of the best interest of the children it is confrontation after confrontation through the court to win back the God given gift of fatherhood and parenthood that my government has taken away from me to the detriment of the health and well being of my children. All studies point to the fact children do far better in all situations when both parents remain in their lives equally.

Ten years ago, on December 9, 1998 a report was filed to the then Liberal Government of Mr. Chrétien entitled “For the sake of the Children”. It can be viewed here. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=1031529&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=36&Ses=1&File=6

In it was recommended a new way of dealing with the end of marriage by which there would be a presumption of shared parenting. Australia introduced it in 2006 and some U.S. states have added it since, including Florida on October 1, 2008. Canada has not acted on this recommendation.

The spirit of Christmas is being eroded from the lives of thousands of families and I would wish you to help bring about changes to give us Equal and Shared Parenting for all affected Mom’s and Dad’s for Christmas. It will help to bring some joy back to this wonderful celebration of giving and that is indeed in the best interest of our children.

Michael Murphy A sad but optimistic dad. Fathers 4 Justice Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A6J8

cc Stephen Harper,Michael Ignatieff,David Orazietti (MPP);Sault Star;Dalton McQuinty;Craig Perdue (Rogers Radio);Tony Martin (MP)