In the race to the bottom toward achieving a 100 percent socialistic nanny state, the United Kingdom still seems to be leading the United States with the latest ruling: Parents at council recreation areas are banned from play areas because they might be pedophiles.

The task of watching over the children has been assigned to “Play Rangers” instead, who have been vetted by the police through criminal background checks. "Please stay back madame, we're in charge now. You can see your child through the fencing."

Mums and Dads excluded from the now fenced-off play areas can only gain entry by submitting to a criminal background check and being issued a government certificate.

The play rangers are to watch over other people’s children, ages 5 to 15, at certain parks that contain skateboarding equipment, zip line, and rope swings, plus indoor arts and crafts and other sporting activities. Parents must register the children upon entrance, furnishing personal contact information in the event of an accident. Parents are calling the whole situation a disgrace, as they feel they are the best protectors of their children, having the child’s best interests at heart.

One mother of eight, Jenny Abbasi, said “I have been using the playgrounds for 18 years and it's a sad day when parents cannot be involved with the enjoyment of their children.”  Mother-of-five Marcella Bergin also commented, “It's like they are branding all parents potential paedophiles, which is disgraceful. Ninety-nine per cent of people are great parents and certainly not child abusers.” Grandmother Mo Mills stated, “The council should hang their head in shame at this political correctness gone mad.”

The child protection hysteria in Great Britain has seemingly reached its zenith with this latest ruling by local government officials. However the local officials are blaming confusion over laws and regulations, and usage of the state’s anti-pedophilia data bank that contains the names of 11 million cleared adults, those who can work with children.

A council notice to parents explained that they had a “responsibility to ensure that every authorised adult who enters our site is properly vetted,”  because they said, “Safeguarding the children and young people who use the site is one of our top priorities.”

Arguing that the council members are simply enforcing government policy, Council Mayor Dorothy Thornhill said, “Sadly, in today’s climate, you can’t have adults walking around unchecked in a children’s playground and the adventure playground is not a meeting place for adults.”

Branding parents as guilty until proven innocent — branding everyone as equally suspicious at the least — is certainly a great breech of freedom. It is a serious departure from all logic and is a huge intrusion by the state in the God-given authority of parents.

In the UK the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), is the government agency created to “help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.” The regulations state:

It is now a criminal offence for individuals barred by the ISA to work or apply to work with children or vulnerable adults in a wide range of posts — including most NFS jobs, Prison Service, education and childcare. Employers also face criminal sanctions for knowingly employing a barred individual across a wider range of work;

Employers, local authorities, professional regulators and other bodies have a duty to refer to the ISA, information about individuals working with children or vulnerable adults where they consider them to have caused harm or pose a risk of harm.

There’s absolutely no mention of parents in the regulations and so the whole thing is sheer nanny-statism and nothing more.

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DDW said:

Som points to consider 1. Most modern government agents are criminals and/or thug types to begin with. How is it that they are "safer" than the child's own parents? 2. Political "correctness" is nothing but madness and stupidity; it always was and it always will be. 3. Next step, government removes the children from their parents entirely. 4. What makes anyone think that it can't or won't happen here? WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

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November 09, 2009
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rprew said:

	... "It takes a village to raise a child", said a village idiot. And all the other village idiots agreed. It takes a socialist commune to raise a village idiot. If you can't get a commune, perhaps a sequestered playground will do.
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November 09, 2009
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