Just because I do not agree with you it therefore does not follow that I am wrong. I do understand the issue you raise, I just don't agree.
Prove to me that the airport experience in this country is costing UK PLC money?
Avoiding changing flights in this country costs the airport operator money at the terminal in question I suppose but BAA's profits for example don't seem affected by this issue and you don't interact with border control when you transit the same airport more often than not unless you have a DAT visa so it can't be that part of the experience.
BBC NEWS | Business | Passenger fall hits BAA profits
This seems to suggest that it's a credit crunch issue actually and that just about every airport in the world is concerned with similar issues. So long as the UK is the centre of the world for certain issues, people will continue to come. When that changes, they will not. It's as simple as that.
As a matter of interest, does the US border experience put people off going there? Credit crunch notwithstanding, has it affected US ability to attract inward investment? Or does a more connected & on-line world mitigate such problems?
The UK's reputation for Border Control is just what drove the formation/creation of the UKBA and more rigorous border controls so not sure where you are going with that either. It was simply waving people through up until 10 years ago or so that led to some of the problems we have may appear to have socially today, so fixing that by operating differently now is not likely to be part of the problem either. You either submit to a more rigorous regime of questioning and profiling when you enter the UK or you avoid it by not coming. Not so sure I have a problem with those that would seek to avoid questioning not coming here.
I have not asserted that the state is better than commerce, all I've said is that it is different and not that compatible. And on commerces current performance, thank Christ for that.
Huffing and puffing, waving my fists etc. It's all very emotional FTG, calm down and take a deep breath, it an interesting debate, that's all.
Like you said, you are well out of it old chap and all power to you.
And smile when you pass over us at 37000ft and raise your G&T to us.
