Green-ing gone, green for Heathrow?
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jabird - what do you mean by double taxation in this instance ?
Unlike, say, MAN or LBA, there is no option for business passengers to take the train to London from Belfast and be back home in time for tea!
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There was some comment from Boris saying "it is utter madness building another runway right in the middle (sic) of west London".
I suggest most people here would counter with "it is utter madness building a new airport right in the middle of the Thames Estuary".
I suggest most people here would counter with "it is utter madness building a new airport right in the middle of the Thames Estuary".
How does it take 3 years for goodness sake?
Of course it has to take 3 years, so that it doesn't end up back in the "too difficult" tray before the next election.
Paxing All Over The World
BBC News - Heathrow: Government to study airport expansion plans
That is some VERY long grass indeed. Nothing changes in UK politics.
The commission will report after 2015.
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Saw a kid kicking a can down the road yesterday. Thought to myself that this kid has a bright future running the European Central Bank. On further reflection, thought, no, the kid could have a fantastic future as a politician, not making decisions on Heathrow expansion.
Call-me-Dave's dithering on the Heathrow expansion issue is very reminiscent of Gordon Brown's inability to make a decision on having a general election back in 2007 soon after he suceeded Blair.
Had he done so, the third runway would now be under construction and November 2012 would more than likely be general election month.
By revoking Labour's decision on Heathrow, Call-me-dave revealed his inexperience: an experienced politician, knowing that Heathrow expansion is essential, would have let the decision stand and pointed any flak in Labour's direction.
Instead he has made himself look weak, indecisive, and intimidated by the likes of Boris, Greening and Zak Goldsmith (of all people!).
You couldn't make it up.
Call-me-Dave's dithering on the Heathrow expansion issue is very reminiscent of Gordon Brown's inability to make a decision on having a general election back in 2007 soon after he suceeded Blair.
Had he done so, the third runway would now be under construction and November 2012 would more than likely be general election month.
By revoking Labour's decision on Heathrow, Call-me-dave revealed his inexperience: an experienced politician, knowing that Heathrow expansion is essential, would have let the decision stand and pointed any flak in Labour's direction.
Instead he has made himself look weak, indecisive, and intimidated by the likes of Boris, Greening and Zak Goldsmith (of all people!).
You couldn't make it up.
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BBC News - Heathrow: Howard Davies to chair independent review of airport capacity
How does it take 3 years for goodness sake?
How does it take 3 years for goodness sake?
One can almost hear Sir Humphrey responding to Jim Hacker asking how to defer a U turn until after the next election. "Well, one sets up a sub committee..."
Independent review? My arse!
Last edited by Artie Fufkin; 5th Sep 2012 at 19:13.
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It might be useful. If Milliband and the Cooper-Balls' get back in, they are able to say "we reluctantly accept" this * cough "independent" review. He'd look weak by doing nought, no longer an option so we might actually see a fait accompli.
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One can almost hear Sir Humphrey responding to Jim Hacker asking how to defer a U turn until after the next election. "Well, one sets up a sub committee..."
Whatever the environmental arguments of these projects (you can make strong pro and con cases for both), if I was Osborne right now, I'd be asking why spend £34bn on a project that is at best not proven when BAA will build Heathrow R3 for "free"?
People say a third runway will take years - and HS2 won't?
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Quote: "My understanding from the UPPRuNe (UP for unprofessional politicians') is that after we've been speculating for years that Fantasy Boris Island and now Heathrow West are smokescreens for Heathrow, Heathrow is now a smokescreen for bringing in a bully boy to steamroller HS2 through. Note that Gillan has been shunted out of the way too.
Whatever the environmental arguments of these projects (you can make strong pro and con cases for both), if I was Osborne right now, I'd be asking why spend £34bn on a project that is at best not proven when BAA will build Heathrow R3 for "free"?
People say a third runway will take years - and HS2 won't?"
Actually, it could be 2 projects: HS2 and Fantasy island.
Would also ask the question.
Why isn't it asked? - no experience of the real world, lack of any political "nous", being intimidated by the "teaboy" (Clegg), and running scared of the likes of Boris.
Whatever the environmental arguments of these projects (you can make strong pro and con cases for both), if I was Osborne right now, I'd be asking why spend £34bn on a project that is at best not proven when BAA will build Heathrow R3 for "free"?
People say a third runway will take years - and HS2 won't?"
Actually, it could be 2 projects: HS2 and Fantasy island.
Would also ask the question.
Why isn't it asked? - no experience of the real world, lack of any political "nous", being intimidated by the "teaboy" (Clegg), and running scared of the likes of Boris.
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Heathrow was a dinosaur by the '70s. No room to expand,rubbish infrastructure,approaches over the City at low altitude. The bullet needs to be bitten.Boris Island,incorporating a tidal barrier and improved transport links Kent to East Anglian? Bin Heathrow now, it will have to be done eventually,sooner the cheaper.
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Heathrow was a dinosaur by the '70s. No room to expand,rubbish infrastructure,approaches over the City at low altitude. The bullet needs to be bitten.Boris Island,incorporating a tidal barrier and improved transport links Kent to East Anglian? Bin Heathrow now, it will have to be done eventually,sooner the cheaper.
As to LHR being unfit, I agree, it was awful, allowed to go to rack and ruin. However much of it has been torn down since the millenium. T2 has gone, T1 is going, T5 is open and the new T2 is coming. By 2015, the vast majority will be 21st century facilities or refitted post millemium. You can't "bin Heathrow" until your replacement is up and running. As to being "cheaper", Fantasy Island is going to be built on European Labour rates somewhere off the coast, also inflicting noise on East London that had hitherto not been affected. That penny has yet to drop, that East London then gets all the noise West London loses. The approaches, whilst predominantly over West London, change direction with the wind. Of course no one has mentioned this to the good people of the East.
Nobody, but nobody has moved under the LHR flight path since 1947 without knowing there was a fricking airport outside Hounslow. Runway 3 is hardly ideal, but even the Green Tory, David Cameron, appears to have realised it is the only *realistic and affordable* option. Any fool (yes I mean you Boris!) can blah about a fantastic new airport far from population centres plugged into London, but let's be real. His role is pretty much to stand there and look pretty, the mayoralty is run by others for him. Beyond his writing career, Boris Johnson has never run anything more than a bath. His shadow cabinet career was a joke and the hard work for the Olympics was done by others, yet there was Bojo taking all the credit. I am no fan of Ken but that must hurt.
Last edited by Skipness One Echo; 7th Sep 2012 at 00:23.
That penny has yet to drop, that East London then gets all the noise West London loses.
Easterly ops at Heathrow can occur randomly with changing weather patterns but often get "stuck" when high pressure dominates. Over the years there have been times when 09L has featured in my briefings for days on end. Depending on the exact alignment of the new airport there will be areas of East London that could be very suprised at their exposure to aircraft in the future.