I LISTENED to the Jimmy Young Show, March 27, hosted by Jeremy Vine who interviewed the Education Minister, Estell Morris.

The interview focused mainly on parenting responsibilities and violence of parents within schools.

I have commented before that, because of the lack of discipline enforced in the home, in the schools and in society in general, starting in the 1960s in particular, the problem has now spiralled out of control until society finds itself with an insuperable problem.

To get back to some reasonable degree of a responsible law abiding and caring society would have taken a massive effort and, in my opinion, this will now never happen as, now that the civil liberty and human rights brigades have taken over, the draconian steps that needed to be taken cannot now be made.

It is a sad reflection that, in the 21st Century, parents have to be taught how to parent. My grandparents brought up eight children without state help or outside interference. My parents, who both worked, did not need to be told how to bring either my sister or myself up to be respectable children or responsible adults and neither did my wife nor I with our children.

The authority of parents, schools and police has been undermined by "over the top" blanket rules, regulations and restrictions imposed as a "knee-jerk" reaction to a few genuine child abuse cases.

I have always maintained that my wife and I had our children, and, were, by such an act, totally responsible for them. I find it grossly offensive to be told by the government, or anyone else for that matter, how I should or should not bring my children up.

Our children were from the earliest age made to understand that "no" meant "no". They were taught to respect their mother and their elders and the rules that I enforced -- yes, enforced, for them to remain within our house. They knew exactly where the "line in the sand" was and the consequences that would befall them if it was knowingly crossed. Once they understood the ground rules, the rest of the parenting became relatively easy.

I believe that the state and the rest of the "know-alls" should have kept their noses out of family affairs in the past (except in the most exceptional of cases which should have been dealt with individually) and left parenting to parents. They, after all, should know how to bring their children up -- they used to be educated in these matters by their parents. It's probably too late now. You cannot uninvent the wheel.

R Schofield,

Howard Close,

St Annes.