Batman

The history of direct action is a proud one, taking in the likes of Peter Tatchell, Greenpeace and Swampy. Many feature very brave individuals � think of those campaigners on their tiny inflatable boat heading out to tackle a huge tanker or whaler.
And it does work. The bottom line is that here we are, reading, talking, writing and generally thinking about the Fathers4Justice stunt. We�ve also been looking at the photographs, and it was fascinating yesterday to se which editors ran Batman but refused to display his banner. Their attitude � the Times, the Express, and others � was as if to say �We like seeing Batman on Buck House and the police all a tizz, but we don�t want to know about your squalid little campaign, thank you.� Interesting to see that the Telegraph had no such qualms, and also printed the best photo of the day, that of the daring duo actually ascending their ladder.
I think, all in all, fathers� rights is an issue the media have not been taking seriously enough, and what these people have done is get it on the agenda. What you have to do is make sure you have a strong brand and a clear message, and then find something really eyecatching to do, as Batman and Robin have just proved. The trick is to hang on to the �Daily Mail vote� in the process. Some, like Swampy and the Greenham Common women failed to achieve this: too much mud, not enough soap.
Keeping a direct-action campaign going is more tricky, as whatever the action is, it quickly loses its newsworthiness unless it features nudity or a celebrity (or as a last resort, a nude celebrity). Imprisonment also becomes increasingly likely as the authorities� patience, warning, cautions, and suspended sentences are all ignored in pursuit of the Great Cause, whatever it may be. But for now, well done Batman. And he looked really chuffed too.