Bob tells Barron to butt out

UKIP MP, Bob Spink, has spoken out against an attempt by a Labour MP to ban parents from smacking their children.

Bob labelled it as "political correctness overriding common sense". I'd go a bit further than that and say that it's another needless intrusion into family life by the British government - a group of people that are largely devoid of morals and often lack even a basic understanding of the difference between right and wrong.

Children already have legal protection from physical abuse - there is a difference between smacking a child and assaulting a child. People campaigning for a ban on smacking children often use the word "hitting" when talking about smacking children because it evokes images of the children in NSPCC adverts who cower in their rooms when they hear their violent father's voice. It's nothing short of propaganda and they should be ashamed of themselves.

When I was a child my parents smacked me when I misbehaved. Their parents did the same to them. My parents never used slippers, belts or a cane like their parents and grandparents did for reasons that should be pretty damn obvious - you don't need a weapon to discipline a child. If my children misbehave and talking to them doesn't work they also get smacked. They don't get smacked hard and they don't get smacked often but if my wife or I think that the only way to stop the bad behaviour is a smack then they'll get one. We are, after all, the best judges of our childrens' behaviour and the most appropriate way to deal with them.

The law doesn't need to change except, perhaps, to provide for more serious punishments for people who physically abuse children. It's been a long time since my eldest (10 years old) has had a smack because I think he's too old for it to make a difference. He's mature enough to punish in other ways that will be far more effective - take his mobile phone off him, ban him from the computer, etc. I know this because I'm his parent, I live with him and I know how best to deal with him. The British government doesn't know my son, how do they know what's best for him?