I quite often SLF to Europe from LHR & LGW as a sim tre and last week got the "shoes off" treatment at the second security check just before boarding. Quite humiliating at the time, belittling really. Some of the posts above say it's all in the name of security, sacrifice your dignity to the cause etc. Well, it's the final straw for me. The general unnecessary hassle in today's flying environment, not just security but all of its unpleasantness means that the crews travelling with me for training are often arriving at the sim tired and stressed before they even begin. I'm going to seriously look at going by rail next time through the chunnel. I'm amazed that anybody flies at all these days unless it's absolutely necessary. And of course it's not just aviation security. Officialdom everywhere has started to become just a little bit frightening in the UK. Do you respect the police any more? Whose side are they on? Tried making a joke to a traffic warden recently? Planning regulators, hygiene inspectors, adoption agencies, CSA - the list is endless. All these people are paid for by us!
JB - I suspect that, in the end some sort of direct action along the lines you suggest is going to be the answer if passenger profiling is considered politically unacceptable. The first few people to do it are probably going to lose their jobs - but more than one or two of us are getting close to the stage where we don't care any more and I suppose it's us who are going to have to make the stand...