Don’t fly through a BAA airport (I thought Luanda airport was bad…)

Flying out through Edinburgh, and this (apart from the fat arse in the view) was the size of box hand luggage was supposed to fit into.

A little blonde haired bitch in what looked to be a police uniform (but wasn’t) was enforcing the “law” and said she was just doing her job (echoes of Nuremberg there, it was not the law and it was certainly not enforced at non BAA airports. It was another example of British over reaction…).

I ended up with my laptop in a thin plastic bag meant for news papers, a Nikon D70 and 2 lenses in the map pocket of my coat and my underground helmet complete with light, on my head. My laptop case and camera case had to go as hold baggage through Paris, to Johannesburg (Johannesburg is notorious for lack of security, accountability and stealing from baggage).

Once at Paris, the Air France cabin crew were very good at finding me safe stowage for the breakables, and were totally bemused at the British idea of “security”.

I have to say it again. I think that the whole explosive liquids thing is bull shit, and a distraction thrown up by Blair and Bush.

There might be some truth in “intelligence” coming out of Pakistan, but whether that amounts to more than a bunch of semi literate Pakistani cops kicking the crap out of someone until he was inspired to confess, we will probably never find out.

Whatever happens, that bottle label that said “The Taste Explosion” has a lot to answer for.