lupestripe | Border Control And Customs

Going through the passport palava on Sunday evening at Manchester Airport, I noticed that the lady who was directing us to the desks was chewing gum. Now, I'm as liberal as they come but is this really a good first impression to be giving to the numerous foreign nationals who are arriving in our country? It just makes us look uncouth and unprofessional in my opinion.

In addition, customs staff - particularly British ones - are tremendously unfriendly. Granted, their job is both serious and monotonous but a smile and a "Good Evening" wouldn't go amiss. It would be more welcoming for both nationals and visitors to our country and it must always be remembered that the vast majority of people who pass through our borders are doing so legitamately and are not breaking any laws. Sometimes there is an element of guilty until proven innocent when you cross international borders.

And whilst I am on the subject of customs - I have never had as much trouble at an airport than I have had at Copenhagen. My bag had to be scanned three times because I was chosen for a "random check". I think this had more to do with me being a male in his mid-20s than anything else but I was carrying two pairs of pink fluffy handcuffs, a pirate flag that could perhaps have been used as a weapon and my transvestite husky plush. Perhaps these aroused suspicion.