Queue up

I wrote this post a while back about people forming an orderly queue for service at a bar in Manchester Airport Terminal 3. Having worked in pubs for many years, it was unusual to see such activity.

At the time we just put it down to habits picked up during covid

 

On our holiday last week, we flew from Terminal 1, which has two bars, The Grain Loft and Bar McR

 

We used to go in The Grain Loft most often, as it's the biggest one and the best chance of getting some kick arse seats, but since covid, you have to wait to be seated and you have to order via an app, you can't go up to the bar

 

We arrived at the airport early and it wasn't too busy, so I was looking at where we might get seats and the Mrs pointed out Bar McR and the fact that people were still walking up to the bar and paying cash, so we went there

 

I got us a couple of drinks and we sat down. The airport started getting progressivly busier, then Mrs B pointed my attention to the bar. A very orderly queue had formed from one end. It was from right at the end of the bar, too, so there was plenty of open bar for people to just walk up to if they wanted to

That's two Manchester Airport terminals where we've now witnessed this unusual phenomenon

I don't think I like it

Shoes off, if you hate Manchester airport security!

So we went to Corfu last week for a short break. I was going to write this post sometime this week, once I got round to it, then it seems there has been some incident at Manchester Airport last night, involving some muslims getting filled in by the police

The following story has absolutely no relevance to what what happened yesterday, it's just a totally unrelated story about Manchester Airport security, and nobody gets beaten up

So we're in the queue for security and we've just got to the bit where you put all your stuff in the trays. As per usual, I'm in a queue, so I'm stuck behind a fuckwit. Happens every time. This time it was two middle aged women who had been living in caves for the past decade and thought it would be a good idea to pack all their liquids (various make-up items, I think) in their case and had to take everything out in order to find it all. This took a while, so me and the Mrs were twiddling our thumbs and people watching for a bit

A large family of muslims turned up in the lane next to us

The security lady who was dealing with us lost her shit and went full on with this family, going through all their stuff before sending it through on the trays. She then told them all to take their shoes off

The patriarch of the group complained about this for two reasons: There was a queue of people waiting for the scanners, all wearing shoes. He was only wearing a pair of flip flops

The security woman started shouting, "ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXCEPTIONS!"

This went on for a bit and we got to put our stuff in the trays. The Mrs looked at me a bit bemused and asked why we were being asked to remove our shoes, when there was a queue of shoe wearers still at the scanners. I suggested it might be because of the muslims and decided to do an experiment, by walking off to the scanners with mty shoes on

I heard shouts of, "OI, OI, HEY, OI, YOU, BLUGH, GAH, SCREEE!", then another security woman came to stop me

Security woman: Excuse me, they want you to go back

Me: Oh I'm sorry, why?

Security woman: I don't know, she's just calling you back

So I went back and got yelled at, "SHOES OFF, SHOES OFF!". I asked why, when people in the queue were wearing shoes and she yelled again, "ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXCEPTIONS!"

So I asked the security woman who had stopped me what was going on, and she went round to ask her colleague. "ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXECEPTIONS!". Yes, she even yelled it at her mate. So the other security woman came back to me and said, "Sorry I don't know, they must have just made the decision after those other people went to the scanners"

So I approached the first securlty woman and asker her

Me: Are you just making this up as you go along?

Security woman: ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Me: Why, when you can see people in the queue for the scanner wearing their shoes?

Security woman: ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Me: Are you going to answer my question, or just keep yelling?

Security woman: ALL SHOES OFF, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Me: Well at least you answered one of my questions *Takes off shoes*

I normally wear boots with heels through security, to save space in my case, and I always have to take those off, but I didn't take them this time as we only had hand luggage. Going back a bit, I've even been asked to take off trainers, when everybody had to take off whatever shoes they were wearing, so I'm used to going through the scanners in my socks, but this irrational selectiveness was new to me, as was the shouty robot who made the decision

Anyway, we got through security without further incident

The muslim family were all body searched as they went through the scanners and all their luggage was hand searched after the x-rays. They were still being searched as we walked off to the bar, and probably got anally probed, too

It was obvious why the shoe thing happened; this one security woman got uber paranoid about the muslims, but tried to cover up her actions by pretending the rules applied to everyone

If she was going to do what she did, she should have had the courage of her convictions and explained to the muslims that they were being subjected to greater security because it is their demographic that are more likely to be hiding bombs in their flip flops

What she actually did, was so transparent, I was embarrassed for her

Idiots Discover Wind

Before they set sail, Mr Clibbery, a Canadian, said in a video posted on April 12: “We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels.”

It's wierd. These two idiots went out on a sailing boat to prove the above, and ended up dead

A couple who embarked on a “green odyssey” across the Atlantic were found dead in a lifeboat after being forced to abandon their wind and solar-powered yacht.

Did they think their wind powered sea-fairing vessel was the first one in existance? These eco-loons really do have a cheek. They want us to abandon the comfort and ease of modern technology and thrust us back into the past. To do so, they pluck something out of the past and say, 'look how good this is'.

Like sailing boats. Boats with sails are still in use and do still have their purposes, but for general global travel, they are fossils (see what I did there) from a bygone time. 

 

Let's get rid of cars as we've found something much better. This long faced animal has a leg in each corner and a bit in the middle you can sit on. Who needs cars?

Yes, you daft Darwin award winners, we all know you can sail the Atlantic without fossil fules, we just don't want to. 

 

We just went to Corfu for a few days and of coursee, we took a plane. Three hours (in the air) flight time, but on a sail boat, it would take months

Also, the cost of a wind and solar powered yatch would presumably only mean the super rich or entitled middle class eco-wallys could afford it

With the use of fossil fuels, the average prson can travel great distances, quickly, safley and cheaply. 

You paid a high price to demonstrate something that we all aready know about and don't care

The one we've all been waiting for

Finally. It's arrived. Today is International Moon Day

I shit you not

Today I will mostly be hanging my arse out of a bus window

Have fun y'all

They've only gone and done it

I've been asking for a while now, why people would consider switching their vote from Conservative to Labour. Well early indications (and by quick glance at them on the bog this morning), would suggest they didn't

Labour have the majority, but they don't seem to have any more votes than they had at the last general election

It seems that Labour didn't win, the Conservatives lost. And that is because Conservative voters have switched to voting reform. And Liberal Democrat

Now that I didn't see coming. Who the hell is voting for the Lib Dems? I thought they were gone for good. And with less votes than Reform, they've managed to wangle seventy odd seats

Well it's not all bad. Farage is now an MP, so that should ruffle some feathers, and maybe in five years, enough Conservatives will switch to make a real difference

It will all rest on our four Reform MPs actually doing something with what they have, and Farage sticking it out

However you analyise it though, there's one thing that's clear

We're all fucked

We already have a Labour Government...

...In Wales

The Welsh Government is looking to ban promotions on unhealthy food and drinks. It would also restrict the places they can be sold in supermarkets.

In addition the government wants to ban places being able to offer free refills on sugary drinks.

And in England

Welsh Conservatives criticised the move but the Tory run UK Government has put forward similar proposals for supermarkets in England.

If you're planning to vote Labour tomorrow, because you're pissed off with the Tories, as many people plan to do, please explain to me why you think a Labour Government would be an improvement

I just don't get it