@Francis,
I don't know whether it is true or not but the general feeling here is that bureaucracies are much more invasive in Europe than in the UK. We are not required to carry ID.
Whenever police numbers are reduced, as is supposed to be happening now with the very large government spending cuts, there is an outcry. Most people want to see more police. And, as you know, our police are not armed in the normal course of events. Bribes to officials are almost unknown.
But the general point I made that large bureaucracies are necessary to run complex industrial societies is valid.
In the circumstances in the US, and to a lesser extent here, I don't know what people who control security at airports are supposed to do if some of the views expressed on this thread make any sense. Some posters seem to want safe travel but at no inconvenience to themselves despite the threat that is known to exist. And they object to profiling because it is discriminatory. If the TSA exists with a task to do I can't see what the objections are about.
I presume you have heard of the medical procedure for entry into the British military. The "drop 'em, cough, you're in" procedure. Before the "cough" the MO gripped the scrotum. Not too tightly. And with equal opportunities in operation it might be a lady MO. It wasn't in my case unfortunately.
