An unjust, feminist view of murder | Melanie McDonagh - Times Online

Under one of the amendments now up for discussion, a man who kills his wife for infidelity will be convicted of murder, straight up. As Ms Baird put it: “The days of sexual jealousy as a defence are over.” But at the same time as making it more likely that men who kill women will be put away for life, another proposal would make it less likely that women who kill men will be convicted of murder. If a woman does away with her spouse on the basis that he abused her for years, she would no longer have to prove that she acted on the spur of the moment. She can claim “fear of serious violence”. The trouble is that these changes give the impression that the law would regard one kind of domestic violence (by women) leniently while viewing another kind (by men) as beyond the pale. The fact that they are being fielded by a trio of feminists such as Mses Harman, Eagle and Baird doesn't help matters. This, you feel, is the feminist take on murder. ..cases - they should be judged on their individual merits. And that means, I'm afraid, doing away with the mandatory tariff and giving judges discretion over sentencing.

Quite - everytime the Government imposes mandatory tariffs you make bad laws, because all cases are different and the punishment should fit the crime.