May high on pre-poll testosterone

You hear it all the time when there's a terror attack in one of our cities. Politicians come out and encourage residents, visitors and citizens to go about their daily business as usual. It's like a mantra out of the pollie's playbook when this kind of incident occurs. Senior police are accustomed to say similar things when they're dragged out before the microphones in the aftermath of a mass slaying: Don't worry, just act normal. Don't let the terrorists win.

Which is why it's so surprising to hear the British PM Theresa May promise to trample on human rights laws if her government - if elected later this week - finds that that's the only way to combat terror more effectively. Who's calling the shots now? If we let May and her ilk get away with this kind of legislation program we're undoubtedly letting the terrorists win, because it's exactly this kind of draconian response that they are seeking when they commit the crimes we are becoming more and more used too hearing about in the news. We must stay strong to our roots as pluralistic democracies, with central to that aspiration being a belief in universal human rights. In their many forms.

May is possibly just jacked up on whatever hormone it is that animates politicians to over-deliver prior to election day. Of course, there's the alternative - Corbyn and Labour - which seems now to be a real possibility. People across the world lamented the killings on London Bridge and they will be watching what happens later this week in the UK as the election unfolds. For the Australian public an added inducement to tune in will be that the ABC's Antony Green will be covering the election. It should be fun.