Leo Kidnap Plot

As reported by the BBC today (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4622880.stm), Fathers 4 Justice are back in the news, although they deny any involvement in the alleged plot to kidnap the Prime Minister's youngest son. I have no problem with the basic aims of Fathers 4 Justice (although I'm not so sure about their methods), but what bothers me is the 'knee-jerk' response that their activities may generate. Having worked in family law for over twenty years, I'm just not sure that any further changes in the system are urgently needed. Contrary to popular belief, there is no presumption in favour of the mother and most courts that I have used deal with children disputes in an extremely sensitive, caring and even-handed manner, encouraging conciliation at every step of the way. The main problem with the system is delay, but that has more to do with lack of funding than the system itself. I'm not saying that we should be complacent, and certainly we should continue to look for 'better ways', but changes made hastily under pressure from the media or groups such as Fathers 4 Justice are not the way forward.