Be Reasonable Action Day: Dundee

Dundee’s city centre on Saturday morning was the venue for Be Reasonable Scotland’s first Action Day.

A group of local volunteers came out to let Saturday shoppers know about the Scottish government’s plans to “ensure” that John Finnie’s member’s Bill “becomes law”.

This Bill could see loving parents facing a criminal conviction for a mild smack on the back of their child’s hand.

Many parents were shocked to hear of this proposal, while others described it as “a load of nonsense”.

Several people joined the campaign and promised to tell their friends about it. If you’d like to join us, click here.

One gentleman was so encouraged about what we were doing, he took some leaflets to put on the various market stands outside the Caird Hall.

A mum came up to us to say she had raised five children, most of them young adults now, and all of whom would be appalled at the prospect of their mum receiving a visit from the police for what they knew was reasonable discipline.

We told her about the Holyrood Parliament’s call for evidence and encouraged her to ask her children to respond too – she promised to do so.

If you and your friends are on our mailing list, we’ll be in touch soon to let you know how you can respond to that call for evidence.

The saddest story we heard was of an incident where a mum was reported to social work by an elderly relative for smacking her daughter.

The child was taken into foster care for eight months and the mum lost her job as a teacher. If this is what’s happening now, what will happen when there’s a complete ban?

Our next roadshow event is at the Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling at 7.30pm on 28 December, where Murdo Fraser MSP will be the main speaker – if you live in the area, we hope to see you there!