what do w think about he Ray parlour (?) divorce?

[codswallop]

is she greedy or fighting for our rights?
I cant decide

I am sure that a lot of people helped him become the footballer he is - physios, parents, coaches, friends, none of whom are claiming for a percentage of his earnings - I don't think the wife has any more right than anyone else who has helped him in his life.

He is an exceptionally talented footballer - it is unlikely that she could have earned this kind of money herself had she been concentrating on her own career.

Therefore I still think around £30k per year per kid would be more than enough.

I do think that the wife comes out of this looking like a much better character than the husband though.

I absolutely think that men should be financially generous to ex-wives and dependent children, if possible. But is it likely that this sort of ruling could make many men (especially wealthy ones) more wary of marriage? Perhaps they would choose to simply co-habit, rather than be legally bound to a partner? Isn't it true that the courts are far less generous to unmarried ex-partners, even if there are children?

I think the whole point of a wife helping him get where he is, is that unlike coaches, parents, etc., she gave up stuff to help him (parents may well have done too, but that's part of the job, in my book). Being a spouse is still legally considered a unique relationship (any lawyers out there will be able to confirm whether one is still allowed not to be called to testify against one's spouse - that certainly used to be the case, because the relationship was considered so unique.)

I don't understand your £30K cut off point PosyHD. Why £30k particularly? I think a percentage of the total makes much more sense. If a man is earning 5 million pounds, why on earth should he only be paying what for him, really is crumbs, just because he doesn't live with his children? Would you think it fair that he only gives 30K to them if he lived with them? I'm a bit puzzled as to why you've chosen this particular sum. It's certainly not enough to support a mortgage in London!