High Court judge speaks out against family breakdowns
17 Jan 2012
A senior High Court judge has launched a campaign to promote
marriage and try to prevent couples from seeking the help of a
divorce
lawyer.
Sir Paul Coleridge said his aims for the Marriage Foundation, which
will receive funding of around GBP150,000 a year, was to put and
end to family breakdowns which he claimed had an "appalling and
costly impact".
However, it is not just the financial cost of divorce that Sir Paul
spoke out against as he told The Times that "almost every" child
considered to be dysfunctional is the product of a broken
home.
"We have to rid ourselves of this dream that we are going to find
the partner who is perfect in every way: emotionally, physically,
intellectually – it's just a nonsense," he explained.
He told the news source that marriage is the best environment to
raise children, adding that he would discourage having children in
an unstable relationship and promote marriage where relationships
are steady.
The Foundation will create a family-friendly campaign, hold
seminars and undertake research into marriage in a bid to lower the
3.8 million children currently involved in the family courts.
Its key message, he explained was "mend it, don't end it".
His outspoken comments have garnered backing from a number of
senior lawyers and MPs, included prime minister David Cameron who
is also campaigning for tax breaks for married couples.
However, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed
Miliband have poured scorn on the proposals for encouraging
marriage with tax benefits.
