By Pete Hughes 12th June 2008

Some may disagree with their tactics, but there is no doubt that the protest on the roof of Justice Minister Harriet Harman's London home has brought the issue of fathers' rights back into the headlines. The video below from BBC News contains an interview with F4J leader Matt O'Connor who, responding to then Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, explains why his members feel driven to take such drastic action.

O'Connor was given an unusually unsympathetic interview by the BBC, but a quick scan of some of the national newspapers reveals that those on both sides of the political spectrum understand that there are issues that need urgently addressing.

Below are some quotes from columnists in some of the UK national newspapers. Click on the names to read the full articles

Ann Widdecombe in The Daily Express
"How many more roofs must be occupied before government listens? What will it take for Harriet Harman, who has benefited from a long-lasting marriage and the involvement of her husband in their children’s lives throughout, to take pity on those unfairly denied access to their own children?"

Jane Moore in The Sun
"When two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners staged a protest on minister Harriet Harman’s house roof this week she commented that the "police have got more important things they could be doing". In an increasingly lawless Britain, where knife and gun crime is now commonplace, indeed they have. But the irony is that perhaps the root cause of the majority of that crime can be attributed to the very thing that caused Mark Harris and Jolly Stanesby to leap on her roof in the first place. The family breakdown that has been accelerated - some might say actively encouraged - by a succession of woefully misjudged Government policies."

Shannon Kyle in The Guardian
"Denying dads their right to see their children, I think, quite simply makes you a terrible parent."

The last one is my personal favourite! As Steve Moseley says in his video appeal, how right do you have to be before the law changes?