Without Authority

By

Barry Worrall

In the first weekend of February 1990, Barry Worrall lived an ordered life, as an academic in computing, with a wife and two children, and comfortably housed in an affluent suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northern England. That weekend, out of the blue, his wife left in the family car, taking their two children. To Bristol, about 350 miles distant.

His treatment by the British family law system was to radically change his life, and strikingly change his outlook on our society. This book gives an account of the Barry’s transformation, and his realization that remedies should include constitutional reform.

A documentary of reform in family law
Supported by anecdotes from an ordinary man

A stark awakening

The early years of the men’s rights movement
Including conjecture on the future

Two strands cover contemporary periods :
• sketch autobiography, 1947 - 1990
• documentary of reforms in family law, 1947 - 2000.

Two further strands cover consecutive periods :
• personal account of a legal case in matrimonial and family law, 1990 - 1993
• documentary of the early years of the men’s rights movement, 1990 - 2004.

A final strand covers an undefined period :
• conjecture on the future, 2004+.

Here is the Forward and Prologue...

Foreword

Barry’s story needs telling. He refers to it as anecdotes from an ordinary man. In one sense it is, because Barry’s story is that of millions of men in the UK today; decent, well-educated, law abiding, family men, the salt of the earth who, through no fault of their own, have had their lives torn apart by a corrupt family law system.

But, in another sense, Barry’s story is not that of an ordinary man. Unlike most ordinary men, Barry decided to do something about it and he has spent the past 14 years campaigning tirelessly to change things. I have worked with Barry for a large part of that time at close quarters and I have seen him put up with the most appalling frustrations and battles, not only with politicians and lawyers but also with other men’s groups who have often failed to understand what is going on and have been ill-equipped to fight the powerful enemy bent on destroying them.

The first men’s family law reform group was Families Need Fathers which was set up in 1974 at the time when the post-1969 reforms had started to bite. Men were finding themselves, through no fault of their own, stripped of their children, homes and income and being left heartbroken and destitute. Its problem was that it had objectives that were far too limited and it failed to understand its enemy. It took the line that the best way forward was appeasement and discussion. It is a sobering thought that, in thirty years, little or nothing has been accomplished. As I write, I have just received an email from a new group called Fathers 4 Justice which is fighting the same fight.

Barry’s account is unique. He gives a very sound historical account of family law reform, starting with the Labour Government’s liberalising agenda of the late 1960s, and blends this with events in his own life – the normal events of a young professional man. The plain innocence of Barry’s life contrasts starkly with the underhand scheming of the judiciary who pursued their agenda relentlessly and against the wishes of Parliament to strip men of all rights within marriage and create the mother and her child as the only family unit now recognised in law as legitimate. The coming together of these two series of historical events in Barry’s case was shocking.

It is difficult to see what is going to happen to our society. Not only have the reformers got things badly wrong, they fail to acknowledge this and continue in a state akin to neurotic obsession. When I gave evidence to the Law Commission on their proposal to extend wives’ property rights to the unmarried, I pointed out that every one of their predictions regarding the impact of their reforms on society had failed to come about and asked if they felt they were doing the right thing. The chairman of the meeting just looked at me and failed to answer.

It is hard to get inside the head of someone who appears to operate in a manner so completely at odds with the tenets of science, engineering and all human endeavour based on a rational link between action and consequence. All I can say is that progress will not be made until such individuals are removed from positions of influence. I hope and pray that Barry’s account will help in some way towards this goal.

John Campion
Hindhead
Surrey
March 2004

There are many that should receive credit as contributing to this volume, in one way or another.

On the one hand those personal friends and family, such as Gerry Fenwick and Hilary Dawson of Newcastle, and my parents, who all gave support through the years. The colleagues that I have worked with at Northumbria University.

And especially to those who encouraged : Liz ‘Cotty’ Davison, from Wensleydale, who kindly suggested many useful revisions, and proof-read the early drafts; and others who proof-read the later drafts in some detail.

And those others, in the various fathers’ and men’s rights groups, who gave their stories, their ideas, their time and effort, to allow us all to know. We need to thank all of them for at least understanding what has been going on. They may have given an opportunity for remedies.

On the other hand, by far the greatest credit must go to Dr John Campion, who mentored and guided, set strategy and tactics, and kept us to the fundamental principles. Only after his input did we realise what it was all about.

This brief book takes the form of a documentary with personal anecdotes. It is in five parts :

1. a sketch autobiography, 1947-1990;
2. a contemporary documentary account of developments in law, 1947-2000;
3. the author’s own legal case, 1990-1993; followed by
4. his involvement in the initial men’s rights movement, 1990-2004;
5. conjecture on the future, 2004+, which includes the author’s own ideals.

The book emphasises the difference in cultures between ordinary men and women, including this man of ordinary background, but of some education, and those who have influenced and developed matrimonial and family law. It relates the author’s naïvety, his ‘stark awakening’ to what had being going on behind our backs, as this has been ‘without authority’ and often by stealth. It covers his own, and the various men’s groups’ response to their experiences.

This is a story that should be of interest to those who value the rights of ordinary folk to determine their own lives, to determine the laws which affect their own rights and responsibilities, including those related to a central component of their lives, marriage and the family. And those who wish to do this without interference by others.

If some of the few subject professionals also find interest, and would like further detail, they only have to ask.

Much of the book is written direct from memory, except for those sections which are obviously researched historical legal records, or quotations from other works. The author owns that memory is not always good in detail. But it is believed that the broad narrative is true, and does not contain departures from reality in the substance. I apologise to anyone who remembers the detail better than myself. I invite them to contact me.

Everyone has some unpleasant episodes and characters in their recall. I have left most out, except where they are relevant to the theme of the book.

The book is about issues that have not been given adequate coverage in the press and media. The issues should have been headline news, as they fundamentally affect the lives of the majority of the population. Not only have the issues hardly been covered, but most of the media commentary is actually hostile to any mention that there are problems, or that men should have rights. So the story will be news for most people. Because of this, and because of the novel character of the account, it has been written largely in non-technical terms, and in an informal style to be readily assimilated and accessible to those who are unfamiliar with the subject.

The operation of a democratic country, in which the people decide the laws they want, relies on the press and media reporting to the people what is going on. Without this reporting, the people can’t assert their wishes. No one can know what needs to be done for the benefit of the country.

It is wished that the news in this book is passed to the next generation, so that they will be wiser than the present.

The Men's Hour

Without Authority

By

Barry Worrall

Here is the Forward and Prologue...

Foreword