I must admit, if I’d been a politician for 37 years, I’d feel a guilty pleasure at a disruptive questioner getting tased. They would have loved these in the House of Commons back when Blair was around.
But: could it have been the cops just having a bit of fun? I mean, imagine the average doughnut-stuffing American cop:
BBBBZZZZZZZ!
Cop: “Huh? Did you say something?”
Kid: “Don’t tase me!”
Cop: BZBZZZZZZZZZ!
Cop: “Oh, DON’T tase me? Sorry, I thought you said… TASE ME!”
BBBZZZZZZZZ!
It’s a fact of politics that anything intended to subdue ends up being used to punish, from weapons to laws. That’s the problem with Tasers – unlike a revolver, they’re non-damaging enough not to need careful thought before using. I’d rather be tased than shot, but in Britain’s ever-encroaching police state I’m not sure I’d have the option.