The Last Ditch by Tom Paine

THE LAST DITCH

An official’s mind

Published by Tom

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I landed at Manchester Airport last night. For once, there were no queues at immigration, but the post and ribbon barriers that usually structure them were in place. An older businesswoman who had sat next to me on the plane from Frankfurt walked straight through, opening barriers as she went. We followed, pleased at avoiding the humiliation of walking pointlessly from side to side under the gaze of the petty officials.

The senior immigration officer (an officious Scot) looked angry, but said nothing. As I walked away after he had checked my passport, he barked at a junior colleague to "Put those barriers back! Someone [pointedly, as the "someone" in question was in earshot] has opened them." She scurried to comply.

How were those ribbons aiding Britain’s security? Why could they not have been restored (the work of seconds) when there were actual queues?

I am glad I didn’t join the State apparatus. I cannot imagine delighting in petty control of my fellow man.

8 responses to “An official’s mind”

  1. Kevyn Bodman Avatar
    Kevyn Bodman

    Unfortunately there is a substantial minority of people, in every country I have lived in and in many social groups that I’ve been part of, who do delight in interfering, organising and restricting the activities of others.
    A lot of people just love to exert control.
    I suggest that the way to deal with them is the way the best leaders, officers in the armed forces,managers etc. behave; that is with courtesy and politeness but firmly making it clear who is in the superior position, and in dealing with offialdom that it is the citizen,not the official.
    It is not always easy to behave that way.
    But we need more and more people to do it or it will no longer be the citizen who is in the superior position.
    Some think it’s too late already.
    That’s a depressing thought ,isn’t it?

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  2. Mountjoy Avatar
    Mountjoy

    I wouldn’t dare move the ribbons at Heathrow, though!

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  3. sanddef Avatar
    sanddef

    Hehe

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  4. Ian Grey Avatar
    Ian Grey

    I saw those barriers myself this morning- again no queue at all but about ten zig zags to navigate.
    For people in a position to arrange to inspect the innards of my bottom though, ducking under them was considered a high risk activity.

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  5. TDK Avatar
    TDK

    I think she was rather foolhardy.
    I was waiting at Heathrow terminal 4 for an Atlantic flight, when a fire alarm went off. They did not evacuate the terminal but they did clear an area in the middle of the air-side duty free, adjacent to where new passengers would enter after cleraly passport control. On each side, security staff held passengers back; thus barely 60ft separated the two passenger groups. Bizarrely, new passengers were allowed to enter the duty free where they were asked to move to one end or the other.
    My flight was now calling from the other end, so I walked across. I managed to not only reach the only line of security guards but pass beyond. However, two security guards then grabbed me. They then escorted me back across the forbidden zone and plonked me back in the wring side of the terminal. I was told that either I complied straight away or they would arrest me. The fact my flight was waiting, had no influence. I decided not to challenge their logic in making me re-cross the “danger” zone.

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  6. Welshcakes Limoncello Avatar
    Welshcakes Limoncello

    Ribbons! That’ll protect us from Al Qaeda then. I think you have to be of a certain mindset to want to do certain jobs and if you have a sense of the absurd you just can’t.

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  7. Inspector Gadget Avatar
    Inspector Gadget

    If I’d been on Armed duty at the Airport I’d have shot you dead with no warning if you had touched the barriers!
    And don’t knock bossing your fellow man about – it does wonders for the ego.
    (Only kidding for those who don’t know me!)

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  8. jameshigham Avatar
    jameshigham

    Don’t know if I would have actually had the nerve to do that.

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Tom is a retired international lawyer. He was a partner in a City of London law firm and spent almost twenty years abroad serving clients from all over the world.

Returning to London on retirement in 2011, he was dismayed to discover how much liberty had been lost in the UK while he was away.

He’s a classical liberal (libertarian, if you must) who, like his illustrious namesake, considers that

“…government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.”

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