Slapped Down

Given that one of the main attractions of Brexit for its more schoolboyish acolytes is the chance to bring back the birch, it's unfortunate that the Scottish government has once more fallen behind the mainland by supporting the outlawing of corporal punishment of children. The Recrudescent Imperium of Westminster, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands regards offspring of the non-wealthy as fit mainly for shelf-stacking, call centres or cannon fodder; and a bit of muscular Christianity about the backside also makes a good preparation for the increasingly inevitable time that desperate and disgruntled juvenile resources will spend enjoying the hospitality of those nice G4S people. Present policy permits "reasonable chastisement", except of course between consenting adults who are not prepared to pay.