Heathrow

Tories rule out third runway

Submitted by Richard on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 10:00
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Bullingdon

We’re through the looking glass people. I woke up yesterday morning to discover that the Conservatives have opposed the third runway, and are actively warning contractors that if they sign a deal with Labour it won’t be honoured under the Tories. What the bloody hell is going on?

A little background: as a child of the early eighties I grew up under a blue Government, and came of age under a red one. I still associate Conservatism with milk theft (not so bad: I was allergic to it) and very spotty six formers. At age 11, that’s about as evil as life gets. Only axing Cities of Gold could have increased my hatred.

But Cameron and Villiers have been tiptoeing around the third runway for some time now: last year’s Quality of Life Commission report opposed expansion, and there have been constant noises from Tory HQ on ‘economic arguments’ not yet being proven. But the industry is hopping mad and pushing harder than it's ever pushed before, so until the plans are six feet under, forgive me for not raising a glass just yet.

Vote Plane Stupid for Transport Secretary

Submitted by Richard on Wed, 09/24/2008 - 13:53
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Vote for me

So it’s goodbye to Ruth Kelly, bane of environmentalists and apostle of airport expansion, who has resigned to spend more time with her family. Who will be next? No one seems to know (but everyone has an opinion), so rather than play musical cabinet chairs, I’m going to throw my hat in the ring. Gordon, if you’re listening, I’d be very happy to take over as Secretary of State for Transport.

I know that I’m not a Member of Parliament – although that didn’t stop you opting for Digby – but I have taken transport issues to the very top of the House of Commons. That’s got to count for something, right? After all, from what I’ve seen Transport Ministers are just meant to get in bed with aviation bosses, and how hard can that be?

Businesses in third runway economic growth shocker

Submitted by Richard on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 09:50
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Fat cat 2

There's something refreshing about the credit crunch: the high-pitched sound of the City of London starting to panic. After years of making oodles of money the fat cats are worrying about how they'll make the repayments on that Maserati they impulse bought last summer.

Luckily for the huddled masses of London's famous Docklands there is a panacea: expanding Heathrow airport. Despite London business group London First (like Earth First! but with hierarchy and massive environmental degredation) calling for a "better, not a bigger Heathrow", a coalition of 100 businesses has demanded the airport expand to serve their bloodthirsty cries for more economic growth.

Interestingly those calling for expansion include Severn Trent Water (former workplace of current BAA wanker Colin Matthews) and Hilton Hotels (who make a living by giving people a place to stay when they jet off on business). So they're hardly unbiased. Perhaps if these corporations focused less on supporting airport expansion, and more on running their own businesses we wouldn't be staring head first into a recession, hmm?

BoJo appoints BA Chairman as adviser

Submitted by Richard on Mon, 09/08/2008 - 11:40
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BoJo salute

Boris Johnson - Kyoto opponent and lover of gas guzzling automobiles - has pulled together a list of people to advise him on making London a 'world class global city'. Who's in? Step forward BA Chairman Willie Walsh, the rabid supporter of Heathrow expansion who won't be happy until the whole of West London is one giant airport.

Silly Willie isn't someone I'd trust for advice: last year he was infamously rebuked for telling the entire British Airways 'Executive Club' that the third runway would reduce emissions (something to do with stacking, apparently), and his airline is about to pay out lots and lots of wonga after agreeing to rip off passengers by price-fixing fuel surcharges with Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic.

But the six million dollar question is: what advice will Walsh be giving? We already know the answer to that. Walsh is addicted to expanding Heathrow, and is unlikely to agree with BoJo's support for a new airport in the Thames Estuary. His whole argument centres on making London a world class global city - just the remit of Boris's committee. During the election the mop-on-a-bike signed up to a cross-candidate statement against expansion - doubtless to appeal to the Tory-voting West London residents. Is a volte-face just around the corner?

Competition Commission condemns BAA for not expanding enough

Submitted by Richard on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 15:17
Tags:

Cujo

Isn't free-market capitalism great? Just when BAA was enjoying a few months of rest, after an annus horribilus which saw protestors against Heathrow's expansion sitting on planes, squatting their car park and prancing about on Parliament, along comes the Competition Commission demanding the airport operator sell two London airports ASAP.

Normally I'd be rolling about laughing, except that I made sure to read the fine print. One of the reasons the Commission wants BAA to split up is... it didn't expand airports fast enough. Apparently BAA should have issued a legal challenge against the cap on Gatwick expanding, as well as been more aggressive at Stansted.

Environment chiefs speak out on Heathrow

Submitted by Joss on Mon, 08/18/2008 - 10:30
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Brown dismayed

Another week, another couple of eminent critics of the Heathrow expansion plans take their turns to speak up. This time it was Stavros Dimas, EU environment chief, and Lord Smith, the new boss of the Environment Agency and a former Labour Minister speaking up for reason and scientific opinion.

Smith told The Independent that building a third runway would be "a mistake" because of pollution and noise and said he'd keep telling the government that's how it is. Meanwhile Dimas announced that a third runway would "significantly" breach European air pollution guidelines, which will soon become law.

Climate Camp returns to Heathrow: where next debate

Submitted by Richard on Mon, 07/21/2008 - 13:58
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Sipson Grave

Although the decision on Heathrow has been delayed until later this year (so that Ruth Kelly and her lackeys can pretend they're reading our submissions to the consultation) the mobilisation against the runway continues. Next weekend the Camp for Climate Action and local residents groups will meet to discuss where next - i.e. what they're prepared to do if (and when) the decision to expand goes against us.

The conference will build on the solidarity between greens and residents, which culminated in last year's occupation of BAA's car park and a week of action against aviation industry targets. There'll be speakers from a number of anti-expansion groups, and the aim of the day is to face up to the enevitable decision to expand.

So get yourself down to Harlington Baptist Church on Saturday the 26th of July, 12-5. Let's show the Government that whatever the decision, the struggle against airport expansion goes up regardless. For more info see the Camp for Climate Action website - and see you there!

BAA invented super-green-jumbo to make case for third runway

Submitted by Richard on Sun, 07/20/2008 - 11:30
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Invented plane

God bless the Sunday Times. After exposing a whole host of nonsense from BAA (including how they tried to influence the Competition Commission's report), they've now discovered that BAA faked one of the central claims of the Government's case for expansion.

BAA were given the now-famous "strict, local environmental limits" by the Government, and told that expansion could not take place if either noise or pollution would breach these limits. When it became obvious that the runway would be way too noisy and polluting, they invented a new type of super-jumbo which was uber-quiet and non-polluting.

The plane was going to be so popular that by 2030 it would account for more flights out of Heathrow than any other 4-engined aircraft (including the Airbus A380 and other jumbos). But neither Airbus nor Boeing have any plans for such a plane; nor do engineers think it's even possible to build one. Even the Government was sceptical, but BAA told them there wasn't time to revise the data... so in it went.

Planning Bill destroys democracy and fosters direct action

Submitted by Richard on Thu, 06/26/2008 - 20:53
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Claremont Road

On Wednesday the Planning Bill received its Third Reading, and scraped through with a majority of just 43 votes. It now goes to the House of Lords where the unelected chamber is expected to step up and tear strips off it. If anyone is wondering just what the implications of the Bill are, I suggest reading the following excerpt from John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, as he tried to persuade Labour politicians to oppose the Government and the Bill.

"The behaviour of the House in agreeing the programme motion and conducting today’s debate has been little short of a disgrace.

"The practical implication of the Bill is that it will most probably be used in my constituency first with regard to Heathrow. Before Members walk through the Lobby tonight, they should recognise what they are doing. If they vote for the Bill and it is used at Heathrow, thousands of people will lose their homes—they will be forcibly removed from their properties. Those parents who send their children to Heathrow primary, William Byrd school and Harmondsworth school will see those schools demolished. The proposal will also mean a roadway through Cherry Lane cemetery, so we will dig up our dead as a result of the proposals for Heathrow that will be forced through under this procedure. When Members vote tonight, they should recognise the human implications as well as the pollution of the air of communities across London.

London First: scrap 5,000 flights at Heathrow

Submitted by Richard on Wed, 06/25/2008 - 09:17
Tags:

Sardines

What strange times we live in. First the Tory party decides it doesn't think Heathrow should expand (and then goes further, with vague comments about no expansion in the South-East), then business leaders demand BAA axes 5,000 flights to sort out Heathrow's chronic delays.

This is about the only sensible thing I've ever heard a business leader say. BAA likes to cry about how Heathrow is over-capacity, and therefore must expand right bloody now. But what sort of an argument is that? If Glastonbury announced that it was really overcrowded because they'd decided to let 30% more people in that it was designed for, would your first response be "expand the festival"? Doubt it - you'd demand they reduced the number of people there until it only had the number of entrants it was designed for.

Why do BAA think it's acceptable to over use the airport? If, as they are so proud of claiming, it was designed for 55million but currently handles 70 million, then why don't they just starting cancelling flights until we're back to 55million again? When people's homes are at stake (not to mention the climate) why should we let BAA artificially create delays to justify expansion. You may think Heathrow needs sorting out, but it doesn't need expansion. BAA must stop squeezing people into Heathrow as thought they were sardines.