THIS week the Law Lords ruled that the Home Secretary should be stripped of his power to set the minimum jail sentence to be served by murderers before they can apply for parole.

Instead, it was decided that under human rights legislation the decisions should be left to judges not politicians.

It is all very well saying that such decisions on minimum sentences be left to the legal experts and not a politician who is likely to be swayed by public opinion.

But surely, in the cases of those who pose the most threat to society, there should be a place for public opinion.

What is wrong with a politician's decision being affected by what the majority of the public want? The other option means the sole responsibility lies with a group of judges, many of who are so far removed from society that they have no concept about the perils and dangers faced by most of us in modern day Britain.