Minister for children Beverley Hughes recently explained why the Government supports 'reasonable punishment' as a defence for smacking (The Minister's View, 6 November). I was disappointed with her familiar portrayal of this position. There is no respect for children in their routine humiliation and hurt through the many 'mild smacks' that result from a 'commonsense view' that smacking should not be a crime. Confusion took over as the minister referred to last year's consultation on the effectiveness of the...