DAD'S RIGHTS?
'Spiderman' David Chick held up the London traffic for days by occupying a 150 ft crane - the latest in a series of protests by the Justice-4-Fathers organisation. Justice-4-Fathers think that the courts are biased against fathers, especially over access rights to children where parents separate.
Justice-4-Fathers has caught public attention not just for its stunts, but also by its use of the language of victimisation. On their website, founder Matthew O'Connor calls lack of access 'bereavement' and denounced a 'brave new world where [fathers] have effectively been replaced by the state as the protector and provider to their children'. Even those who are unmoved by the sentiment can recognise that it strikes a chord amongst fathers who feel they have lost out in the sex war.
It is a curious reversal of fortunes that spending time with children is seen as a privilege, rather than a chore. For years feminists accused men of leaving women holding the baby. But attitudes to parenting have changed, and childbirth is no longer seen as a natural occurrence that brings irksome obligations. Instead having children is an expression of personal worth - somewhere between a lifestyle choice, and a human right.
Fathers-4-Justice appeal to a sentiment that men's status is necessarily compromised if they are routinely judged to be the less responsible parents. Who could have predicted that the sex-war of the seventies would turn into a contest where the prize was a greater share in domestic work?
THAT RUMOUR
The British press is in a frenzy over allegations that heir to the throne Prince Charles was the submissive partner in a gay affair with his one-time personal assistant, and former footman Michael Fawcett. The rumour has been circulating for months, and is supported by testimony from another ex-servant George Smith.
One good reason not to believe the reports is that - from the point of view of Britain's cynical press - it is just too good to be true. From being the symbol of family life, the Royals have come to symbolise instead, its collapse. Affairs, divorces, family quarrels have satisfied Briton's desires to see the ideal family brought down to the basest level. It is that prurient fantasy that is feeding the rumour.
-- James Heartfield