Needing a new television set in the early 1980s I was keen to buy one which had the latest Ceefax services – the price of sets which came equipped to receive these had dropped dramatically, as had the size of set required, & I had seen an enthusiastic BBC man saying, of the latest services, – You can get real-time information on landings at Heathrow, just as if you were looking at the displays inside the airport.
In those days I, not often, but often enough, had to go to Heathrow to meet friends arriving from abroad; by that time it had, unlike in earlier days, become almost impossible to get through to the airline to find out about any delays, which meant that every now & then you spent a few frustrating hours just mooching.
But even if the plane landed on time it would take at least an hour for non-UK passport holders to get through customs & immigration – just about the time it would take me to get to the airport using the new(ish) Underground connection, leaving me free to stay at home doing something useful until Ceefax told me the plane had landed.
The service turned out not to be exactly as specified – at best you were just told ‘flight delayed.’
At the end of the 1980s I was doing a weekly commute by train from the North to London. It was always tough trying to decide whether to put up with cattle class conditions on the Friday evening trains, or lose a precious half day by travelling on Saturday morning when sometimes the only fellow-passenger would be Brian Redhead on his way home to Macclesfield after doing the Saturday morning Today programme.
I soon learned that, before making the decision, it was essential to check the football fixture list.
The worst journey of my life took place on 3 May 1973 – an afternoon train from Newcastle to London, filled with supporters of Sunderland United Football Club who had, unexpectedly, got through to the final of the FA Cup to be played at Wembley that Saturday..
By the end of the 1980s not too many football fans were still travelling to matches by train, but the 1985 Act prohibiting the carrying of alcohol on certain trains meant that passengers could not always freely board a train at Euston unless a policeman was standing guard at the ticket barrier ready to inspect the bags of any likely-looking suspect.
One Saturday I learned, too late, that four FA cup round matches were taking place in the north west that day. The queues for trains wound round & round the station; I saw at least two elderly people collapse – there is no option but to stand. Lesson learned.
These two stories illustrate that the problems facing those in charge of immigration control are far from unique. Certainty – checking everybody – has undesirable consequences too. And certainty about the nature of the checks also carries its own hazards – those who would wish to get round them will find it easier if they know exactly what to expect.
My feeling is that, whatever the final outcome of the present row between ministers & civil servants about airport security checks, the real villain will turn out to be Godels law of administration
Links
Immigration Minister joins debate on border row
Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985
The risk of queuing?
Border controls: still no answers
Related post
Gödel’s law of administration
