Smacking Debate

So this week we've had to look for articles on the 'Smacking Debate' I think this is an interesting subject as peoples opinions can depend on their culture.
The article below is a new article that was written after 'that' episode of Coronation Street.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/18/coronation-street-smacking-row-should-parents-be-allowed-to-slap-their-children-115875-23705138/

It gives the opinions of two proffesionals, one is for smacking, the other against. I think I would definately agree with Phillip Noyes of the NSPCC, surely there is other ways of disciplining a child, I know from personal experience that if I got smacked it wouldn't stop me from doing what I did wrong again, I would just run away faster! I always found that hearing the dreaded words "I'm dissapointed in you" was a lot worse than a smack.
However some cultures agree with smacking and think it plays a vital part in disciplining children, we watched a video in Fionas lesson about smacking called 'Smack and I'm Proud' and I'm sure you'll all remember the lady with the fish slice, well she thought it was okay as it was in her culture.
The link below will take you to a forum about the programme so you can see what others thought of it.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10917898

Then this link is an article about the TV show
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-406087/Proud-smack-children.html which points out some of the key things that were said on the show and the opinions of the parents that smack.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/parenting-discipline-smacking-is-it-really-so-bad-416324.html This article is written by a lady that believes in smacking but also believes that it has become socially unexceptable in middle class society and therefore many people will deny smacking their children. I found this article interesting as many peoples opinions are taken into consideration. A child psychologist and childrens rights campaigner both say it is wrong, on the other side a friend of the journalist, the journalist herself and Tana Ramsey (Gordans wife) say it is okay to smack.


So what do you think??