On a positioning flight from DUB to LGW with BA, I was searched very thoroughly in front of all the other passengers, despite showing them my ID I still had my stapler confiscated (what damage I could do with a 2-inch long stapler, I do not know).
Security don't seem to realise that a grumpy passenger is a lot more likely to kick off than one who is calm. I was fuming through most of the flight.
It does seem ridiculous that we cannot carry penknives in our flight bags. If I were to hijack a plane, I don't think leaning across either pilot to rummage through his flight bsg in search of a suitable weapon would be my strategy. I can think of some much better weapons that are freely available on most aircraft.
They'll be confiscating our headsets soon, in case we try to strangle someone with the cord...