diff --git a/tags/search.py b/tags/search.py
index 37f32b1..9df9775 100644
--- a/tags/search.py
+++ b/tags/search.py
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@ def parse_query(q):
     return ParsedQuery(tags, plain_text_q)
 
 
-def _search(m2m_qs, fk_fieldname, project, obj_list_all, obj_list_filtered, q):
+def _search(m2m_qs, fk_fieldname, project, obj_list, q):
     if not q:
-        return obj_list_filtered
+        return obj_list
 
     parsed = parse_query(q)
 
@@ -77,15 +77,11 @@ def _search(m2m_qs, fk_fieldname, project, obj_list_all, obj_list_filtered, q):
         except TagValue.DoesNotExist:
             # if the tag doesn't exist, we can't have any issues with it; the below short-circuit is fine, I think (I
             # mean: we _could_ say "tag x is to blame" but that's not what one does generally in search, is it?
-            return obj_list_all.none()
+            return obj_list.none()
 
         clauses.append(
             Q(id__in=Subquery(m2m_qs.filter(value=tag_value_obj).values_list(fk_fieldname, flat=True))))
 
-    # the idea is: if there are clauses from m2m tags, the filter (on Issue, for Events) is implied by those and not
-    # involving the on the base_qs is more efficient; if there aren't any clauses, that's necessary though.
-    obj_list = obj_list_all if clauses else obj_list_filtered
-
     # this is really TSTTCPW (or more like a "fake it till you make it" thing); but I'd rather "have something" and then
     # have really-good-search than to have either nothing at all, or half-baked search. Note that we didn't even bother
     # to set indexes on the fields we search on (nor create a single searchable field for the whole of 'title').
@@ -111,18 +107,11 @@ def _search(m2m_qs, fk_fieldname, project, obj_list_all, obj_list_filtered, q):
 
 
 def search_issues(project, issue_list, q):
-    return _search(IssueTag.objects.all(), "issue_id", project, issue_list, issue_list, q)
+    return _search(IssueTag.objects.all(), "issue_id", project, issue_list, q)
 
 
 def search_events(project, issue, q):
-    return _search(
-        EventTag.objects.filter(issue=issue),
-        "event_id",
-        project,
-        Event.objects.all(),
-        Event.objects.filter(issue=issue),
-        q,
-    )
+    return _search(EventTag.objects.filter(issue=issue), "event_id", project, Event.objects.filter(issue=issue), q)
 
 
 def search_event_tags(project, issue, parsed):