LL
You continue to make my point for me. The CIVILIAN police would stop you carrying a 3" blade in Wooton Bassett High Street. The CAS was pulled up at the CIVILIAN LHR while travelling CIV AIR! As you say in your defence, movers NO, Civ Pol YES.
If your logic was applied, the Met would arrest the Brigade of Guards at Trooping the Colour for illegal carriage of bayonets and swords. Let's hope the Met don't have movers.
However, we were soldiers, returning with all our warlike (sorry, Rambo) kit from several weeks practising the scientific application of legal state violence. And we were not travelling Civ Air (or so we thought) but Crab Air. Military professionals working with military professionals, or so we thought.
So when other so called MILITARY (who were not filthy and exhausted like us) armed with rulers and tape-measures took away our pen knives before allowing us to board a MILITARY flight, we were somewhat bemused, but definitely not amused.
The funny thing was, although our longs were all bundled up, we were still allowed to keep our pistols. I suppose the twit responsible reasoned that you can't stab anyone effectively with a Browning. I really think the movers were negligent in not taking away our pencils though. You can do a lot of damage with a sharpened HB. As I'm sure you know as I presume that is your weapon of choice.
Do you still rest your case, M'Lud?