Civil Aviation Commitee

[chiglet]

Just watching BBC Parliament and the "Transport Minister" [Karen Buck] is
a. Waffling
b. Being "smacked" by Gwynneth Dunwoodie
c. Out of her depth
watp,iktch

[055166k]

For a long time the position of Transport Minister has been viewed as an introduction to the rubber chicken circuit for junior climbers. It can be a poison chalice, and if the post were offered to a seasoned MP it would be viewed as an insult or a demotion. You may remember that in the first term of the present Government that this seat changed roughly every 20 minutes.
The whole policy structure is a mess:
What is the success story of the last decade.......aviation.....HMG response....destroy it with extra taxes.....good heavens.....ordinary people are flying everywhere.
How can we stop the growth......don't build any runways......that won't work because those pesky pilots are landing at regional airports where people actually live.....blast the convenience.
New idea minister....environmental groups that represent over 3 dozen people claim ozone damage.....how about more taxes and extra restrictions.....whatever you do, don't mention that the MOD operate the filthiest noisiest fleet in the UK.....and don't mention that part of the growth is down to £millions spent to subsidise and develop new services.....who pays for that?.....please don't ask minister.....we do.