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LUCINDA CREIGHTON HAS said proposals to criminalise parents who smack their children are “totally unacceptable”.
The Renua Ireland leader was responding to comments made by Children’s Minister James Reilly in light of an EU ruling stating that Irish smacking laws are in breach of European law.
Reilly told the News at One yesterday he would discuss removing the defence of reasonable chastisement from Irish common law – the outright banning of smacking within the family.
Reasonable chastisement has already been removed as a defence for schools and teachers in cases of corporal punishment.
Creighton is unhappy with the proposal, saying: “Mums and dads in today’s world operate under serious time and fiscal pressures.”
“Even parents who smack their children know at a deep level that striking a child, no matter how gently, represents a failure of parenting.
The notion that a parent who lightly smacks a child might be criminalised is a step too far.
Creighton said Ireland “spent many years trying to get the state out of our bedrooms in terms of telling people how to live”.
Are we now to replace the old ways with a nanny state which will be squinting into the windows of law abiding parents looking for the slightest slip up to occur so they can reach an arrest quota?
The former Fine Gael junior minister said parents “make mistakes” and need more support such as improved child care facilities and parental leave.
“The defence of reasonable chastisement does not advocate the corporal punishment of children.
“The best way to deal with issues of such sensitivity as the smacking of children is through creating social sanctions and a culture where it is not considered acceptable,” Creighton added.
Reilly said the government doesn’t “intend reaching into everyone’s home”, adding: “Parents these days use other methods of raising their children and disciplining them.”
Yesterday June Tinsley, Head of Advocacy at Barnardos, said Ireland has “rightly come under fire for not legislating for a full ban on all forms of corporal punishment of children, including smacking children at home”.
“Our legal system doesn’t allow adults to be violent to each other so it makes no sense to allow a parent be violent to a child, especially as children are particularly vulnerable members of our society.”
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See, this is what happens when you slag off the red line.
Ha exactly.
Yup… those red liners will be laughing all the way to the post office or the methadone clinic this Wednesday morning wondering just what exactly is this ‘work’ thing that their South Dublin counterparts are so concerned to be missing.
Red Line is South Dublin from Saggart to Houston Station. At least consult a compass when composing your slurs!
Autocorrect thinks it’s in Texas.
Very funny Drew … not.
Drew the south Dubliners have to “work” as you put it to afford the shed loads of cocaine every weekend!
Aye we do…. For taxes purposes though we’re working to afford our ‘columbian overseas foreign aid’ donation.
Running the red line through gang territory has now paid off. Its so used to gun shots puny lightening doesn’t frighten it
Was there not a stabbing on the green line recently????
Another blow in who probably doesn’t have a clue..
There was, my comment was tongue in cheek (written onboard a red line tram)
The new machine gun turret on top will have that sorted .
Funny too, Felix. We might be posting from the same train.
**looks around nervously**
@ Shane Walsh only spotting your comment now:
If using the red line since its inception in 2004 first for school & college, and now to go to work making in excess of 460 trips per year (allowing for annual leave/bank holidays) for the last 6/7yrs qualifies me as a blow in so be it
Good response to my early morning moany reply. Remind me to shake your hand at the Kingswood Stop in the morning ;) ;)
^^^now thats freaky!! :-)
hahahaha :) :) :) Happy Wednesday.
Shussss don’t tell anyone
Threw a fuse in her. Be grand. If she keeps blowing throw a bit of fag paper or a 10 mil bolt in her. Also be grand. Ish.
Its same problem as yesterday. They dont have the skills to repair. Any technical fault and they have to go to the foreign companies that built it. Makes you wonder why they pay local engineers? After last nights investigations they have just madw the problem worse by disabling the whole line.
Fragile wee thing that Luas….
This is obviously God’s way of telling liberal South Dublin to vote No! Subtle, but I get the message.
Not a bad thing, considering that Enda’s gang were lying in wait to ambush the electorate for a vote on something that they dont really give a s**t about.
It’s that Breda O’brien playing with the new testiment weather kit …
It’s running again now
have your say