The result is a system (fully aided and abetted by the staff who operate it of course ) which moves a sight more traffic than West Drayton ever did or could.
.... and cost how much? and was how late? and still relies on NAS which is HOW old?
OTHER systems
were available at much less cost and were proven, but would have mean junking NAS. Those same systems have been in use in Europe for some time now, and offer the unique facility (to NATS) that they don't have to be shut down on a weekly or monthly basis. Swanwick of course, isn't quite so advanced.
Lack of CCTV information has been implicated in safety related incidents since Swanwick opened (the latest last week) Lack of it has been cited in many incident investgations and yet it's still not provided. You seem to be saying that management think that this situation is acceptable beacuse MOST of the time we get by without it. Doesn't sound much to me like a committment to safety
iFACTS does seem to be getting it right. It has had operational ATC people involved from the beginning.
The rest of the systems you mention have not (by your own admission). PM seems to be a bit hit and miss then.
LEADERSHIP, as goldfrog mentions is something that ATC sorely misses. The problem for NATS is that any leadership tends be stiffled by the current management because it doesn't fit "company style". Getting consensus can be very difficult among a group of controllers, they will however tell you as one, when you've got it wrong.
BEX