There are lot of people this morning saying that one of Jamie Bulger's killers being

[Monty92]

Ok, so that is your moral stance. How should it be punished?

Impossible to answer. I think our moral framework needs to be fine-tuned first.

We can start by acknowledging that free will is an illusion.

[redgunamo]

On a more serious note, what is intent? On a purely primal level, if you punch someone in anger, in the moment of doing it, theres every chance you do want them dead - on at least a notional level. Is that 'intent to kill'? How do we make windows into men's souls to make such a fine judgment?

I gather legal people bring things like conspiracy into it.

[taxman10]

My Coutts card doesn’t have contactless, so I get to annoy people in the queue twice

[redgunamo]

On a related note, people generally speaking are weird when it comes to ethics. If someone moderately drink drives and gets away with it, they'll be considered little more than naughty scamps. yet if someone moderately drink drives and kills a kid, the opprobrium goes through the roof. Why? The 'crimes' were identical on a moral level.

It's not about ethics, I think. It's simply that we're a nation of pirates, blackguards, violent drunks and scoundrels. And, most importantly, proud of it.

So when such questions arise, the major part of us will instinctively side with the weaker, more vulnerable party, the underdog.