OUT OF STEP
A new YouGov poll published by Resolution on Friday ahead of its annual conference in Manchester this weekend , reveals just how out of step with the realities of family life and its breakdown the political parties are in modern Britain. The YouGov poll asked over 2000 adults in the UK about a range of issues related to family breakdown, divorce and the status of cohabiting couples. The poll found that almost three quarters (72 percent) of people don’t think unhappily married couples should stay together because of the children, and over two-thirds (68 percent) believe that couples should be able to divorce without blaming each other.
David Allison, the new Chair of Resolution, said: “Family issues are dominating the election agenda with all parties developing and publishing policies aimed at the nation’s families. Sadly many of these policies miss the point, fail to engage with the realities of family life in the 21st century and leave many families out in the cold. If unhappy families aren’t going to stay together because of their children – they certainly won’t stay together because of a £10 tax break. Politicians need to stop using family life as a political football and engage instead with real solutions which support rather than judge families.”
The online YouGov poll also showed that 4 out of 5 (80 percent) people agree with the principle of financial support when a relationship ends, and almost three quarters (72 percent) of those who agreed with this principle believe that it should apply to couples in any relationship regardless of whether or not they are married.
“Despite the fact that cohabitation is the fastest growing family type in the UK, the present government has only paid lip service to the idea of supporting families of all shapes and sizes and did not support Lord Lester’s recent Cohabitation Bill. By passing up the opportunity to reform the law for cohabiting couples it has allowed discrimination to persist in family law,” David Allison said.
Resolution, which represents over 5500 family lawyers, believes that couples must be able to divorce without blame after six months of separation and couples who live together must be given legal protection.
David Allison, the new Chair of Resolution, said: “Family issues are dominating the election agenda with all parties developing and publishing policies aimed at the nation’s families. Sadly many of these policies miss the point, fail to engage with the realities of family life in the 21st century and leave many families out in the cold. If unhappy families aren’t going to stay together because of their children – they certainly won’t stay together because of a £10 tax break. Politicians need to stop using family life as a political football and engage instead with real solutions which support rather than judge families.”
The online YouGov poll also showed that 4 out of 5 (80 percent) people agree with the principle of financial support when a relationship ends, and almost three quarters (72 percent) of those who agreed with this principle believe that it should apply to couples in any relationship regardless of whether or not they are married.
“Despite the fact that cohabitation is the fastest growing family type in the UK, the present government has only paid lip service to the idea of supporting families of all shapes and sizes and did not support Lord Lester’s recent Cohabitation Bill. By passing up the opportunity to reform the law for cohabiting couples it has allowed discrimination to persist in family law,” David Allison said.
Resolution, which represents over 5500 family lawyers, believes that couples must be able to divorce without blame after six months of separation and couples who live together must be given legal protection.
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Thanks for the figures you have provided in this post.
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