So, the child-beating referendum has had its expected result: an overwhelming "no" vote on a marginal turnout. I have just two words to say to all of you who voted "no":
Fuck you.
You may have won the vote, but that doesn't make you right. Anyone who believes that violence against children is either necessary or acceptable is simply a monster. Anyone who thinks its fine because they were beaten as a child "and it didn't do me any harm" is simply stupid. Any dead people who feel their parenting style is implicitly being criticised are exactly right, and should get the fuck over themselves. The old law treated children as property, provided legal cover for extreme violence against children. The new one treats them as people, removes that cover, and sends a powerful social message that any violence is not acceptable. To some extent that message is redundant - the use of smacking has dropped precipitously, as today's parents reject the brutal methods of the past. But that does not protect the children of the hard-core child beaters who organised this referendum, the people who believe in faeries or devils or other bullshit and think they need to beat their delusions out of their children. Those children need our protection now, and it is absolutely the business of the state to protect them.
What this vote shows is that there's an awful lot of you monsters out there. Fortunately, you're dying out. And our country will be a much better place for children when you are gone.
