Abbott never fails to live down to his frightening reputation

The only thing that one can rely on Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to consistently do – blindly play to mob mentality.

Next he is likely to suggest the re-introduction of the death penalty for those committing serious offences, including minors and the intellectually disabled.

ABC News on 11 November 2010:

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says if the courts keep on handing down lenient sentences then Australia will probably move to a system of elected judges.

Mr Abbott made the comments after being confronted with concerns about crime and sentencing during a community forum in Brisbane last night.

He says he would rather not change the system, but too many judges are handing down sentences that do not reflect community anger at crime.

"I never want lightly to change our existing systems but I've got to say if we don't get a better sense of the punishment fitting the crime, this is almost inevitable," he said.

"If judges don't treat this kind of thing appropriately, sooner or later we'll do something that we've never done in this country: we will elect judges and we will elect judges that will better reflect our sense of anger at this kind of thing."

Now I have always believed that sentencing by an independent judiciary was all about law not anger and, that if a society wanted sterner sentencing its legislators wrote law which specifically reflected that desire.

Court imposed punishment should never be subject to political pressure or mob whim and Abbott's silly media bite reflects a mind which meanders down dangerous paths.