The Labour party in the UK has been slowly introducing legislation that would make the most paranoid fantasies of the ACLU look tame. Normally, I'm skeptical of those who warn how things are starting to look like a police state, but in Britain things look a bit different. I don't think anyone can read this article and not wonder where things are going. In it, a citizen has volunteered to have his car searched by some 'police community support officers', when they come across a Victorinox Swiss multi-tool:

The community support officers reacted immediately. They behaved as if they had never seen a penknife before, pulling out the bottle-opener, the corkscrew, the thing that gets stones out of horses’ hooves. ‘This device has a locking blade,’ said the constable, after which a short, whispered debate ensued. My goodwill towards the police began to give way to alarm. I reached for my mobile to call the lawyers and explain that I was going to be late for my meeting, but the constable stopped me. ‘Turn that phone off,’ he said. ‘You’re about to be arrested for possessing offensive weapons and carrying a bladed instrument in public. You’ll be allowed one call when we get you to Charing Cross police station.’

I felt confused and indignant. As we stood by the side of the road, waiting for a police van to arrive, I asked the constable whether this whole business was, in his opinion, a valuable use of police time and resources. This was when the policemen and the PCSOs started to become hostile. ‘You’ve committed an offence, mate, and you’d better get used to the fact that you’re going down for six months,’ said one policeman.

(via Samizdata)