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Politicians tell the public who travel on public transport to remain calm and carry on normal life. Yet the response from politicians and police to terrorist attacks in London is one of panic and hysteria. Already one innocent man has been shot dead. Armed police roam the streets, and innocent people are being arrested and searched at gunpoint. Worse still, police have produced a "shopping list" of new legislation to be rushed in, and the leaders of all three main political parties have already agreed to much of it in a cosy chat in Downing Street without any parliamentary involvement.
The new provisions for control orders involve only extremely limited judicial scrutiny. History shows that a UK-style judicial system with independent judges did not stop the outrages of apartheid South Africa nor does it now stop human-rights abuses in places such as Israel. Repressive, unfair laws are likely to increase the risk of terrorism as the recent bombing in Egypt, with its long history of repression of the Muslim Brotherhood, demonstrates all too clearly. We need independent-minded members of parliament who will break free of any misconceived political consensus and stop laws going through that will create injustice and risk recruiting terrorists.