Public 'servants' will ALWAYS abuse their powers… RICHARD LITTLEJOHN on the dangers of the 'Cinderella Law'

PUBLISHED: 19:24 EST, 3 April 2014 | UPDATED: 19:25 EST, 3 April 2014

One paragraph leapt out of Erin Pizzeys brilliant demolition of the Governments plans for a so-called Cinderella Law which would make emotional neglect of children a criminal offence.

Writing in the Mail, she said: In the old days, health visitors and community midwives went into peoples homes to help them. These days, the social workers are increasingly sent to judge and punish.

Pizzey highlighted the case of a loving mother-of-three on benefits, struggling to cope. What she really needed was a washing machine to make her life easier.

Social services could have helped her to get one through a local charity, but instead they hounded her and tried to take away her children. The more power social workers and courts possess, the more they will use it.

Abuse: Fears have been expressed over handing more power over children's welfare to social workers

This unfortunate woman was terrified of losing her children and was rude to the social workers.

Affronted by any challenge to their authority, they were going to make her suffer for it.

Pizzey was referring to so-called caring professionals, but she could just as easily have been talking about anyone hired by the State these days to serve the public.

It has been a consistent theme of this column that if you give anyone any modicum of power, especially if it comes with a fancy job title and a hi-viz jacket, they will always, always abuse it.

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Public 'servants' will ALWAYS abuse their powers... RICHARD LITTLEJOHN on the dangers of the 'Cinderella Law'