The second point is that the courts—it has rightly been pointed out in the debate so far—apply the law. There's been a criticism from the other side that there isn't real discretion in the case of the three-strikes law because the manifestly unjust safety valve is a threshold that's set too high. But that again misses the point that it's the discretion of the courts being exercised on so many occasions previously that has led to a loss of trust by the general public, rightly or wrongly. You know, we can all make arguments about the need for an enlightened approach to justice, but the fact of the matter is if the people of New Zealand as a whole lose trust in the institution that dispenses justice, then we will see vigilante action whether in an active or reactive sense—which is to say self-defence—and that will take us into an even darker place. That might sound merely as though it's a thing that a person might say in favour of the three-strikes law, but in fact I can tell you it is absolutely real. The fear in the community, the lack of trust in our institutions, and the desire—yes—for revenge; and I don't say that that is a good thing that reflects well on human nature, but it is a real thing, and we cannot be ignorant of that in this House when we are making laws. We should not give in to our basest instincts, but we cannot ignore them because that would be to compound the error. 