SHORTLY before Nicola Sturgeon sent vast swathes of Greater Glasgow to bed without any supper for breaching coronavirus regulations, she announced her programme for Government for the upcoming parliament,

Riveting it was not, inspiring even less so.

But in amongst it, Ms Sturgeon said there would be a bill to enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots Law, calling it “one of the most ambitious pieces of legislation in the 20-year history of devolution”.

The bill would mean public authorities had to follow the UNCRC on the rights of children from early life, including the right to play, to be free from violence and to an education.

On the face it, the bill looks great apart from the fact the UK ratified the UNCRC as far back as 1992, so I’m not sure the term ‘ambitious’ can be applied here.

If something is already in place then why make it law? The only people who can possibly score from this new law are lawyers and precocious children who will want to test their ‘rights’ at every turn.

Many will simply make up what constitutes their rights so they can have their day in court.

Ever since devolution was set up, the rights of children have been enhanced in law, culminating in the ban on smacking.

Child sex crimes, trafficking, a ban on child soldiers and various other hideous crimes against children are already against the law and, rightly, carry heavy sentences.

Every child also has the basic right to free education, healthcare and the right to play in many of the public parks and spaces across the country.

So again this raises the question – why enshrine it in law? No other country in the world has despite every member of the UN, bar one, ratifying the UNCRC.

If 196 countries have all signed it but do not think there’s any reason to make it law, then why on earth should Scotland?

I’m a parent of two children, but despite this I still like children and would never dream of harming one.

Virtually every other adult is the same. We live in a civilised country after all, so this bill smacks of yet another example of the state being given extra powers to interfere and hinder in people’s everyday lives.

Public bodies already have extensive powers to ensure the welfare of children is protected, and rightly so. They don’t need more which someone, somewhere will abuse and only do more harm than good.