Smacks of inappropriateness

The bill that proposes smacking be banned or partially banned depending on what's enforceable misses the point. Why is it that legislators never ask themselves questions? Why do they think they need to protect children against smacking from their parents? Why do they think that people who look after other peoples' children don't need to be allowed to smack? If the government focussed on developing parenting skills then parents would not need to hurl abuse at their children, beat them, swear at them or treat them in the otherwise shabby manner that I see every day in south-east London. If their parents spoke to them in a way that they expect to be spoken to -- if they showed any care for their children whatsoever -- then we wouldn't get conservatives complaining about how those children should be beaten and liberals complaining about the abuse they're suffering. Evidence of physical abuse can still lead to prosecution without this new bill, but the underlying problem won't be addressed.