[transtraxman]

Published today1st July in Travel Weekly.

“Aviation review identifies 20 possible runway sites”.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2013/07/01/44534/aviation-review-identifies-20-possible-runway-sites.html

[transtraxman]

Seen in Airport World 11th July ´13
“UK needs ‘constellation’ approach for London airports” by CEO of Gatwick.
To start with, a second runway at Gatwick followed by expansion at other airports round London “to deliver the air connectivity”, “to deliver true competition”,” to lesssen the environmental impact …. and….. make the UK capital’s airports more resilient to disruption”.

http://www.airport-world.com/home/general-news/item/2844-uk-needs-constellation-approach-for-london-airports

Seen in Travel Weekly today 15th July´13.
“Boris goes cold on his Thames estuary island hub plan”
The London Mayor switches support to Lord Fosters proposal to an airport on the Isle of Grain. He also supports expanding Stansted to four runways. (Both ideas are, conveniently, outside his constituency of Greater London).

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2013/07/15/44667/boris+goes+cold+on+his+thames+estuary+island+hub+plan.html

Also seen in Travel Weekly today 15th.
“Heathrow to rule out fourth runway until 2040”,
The CEO of Heathrow Airport Holdings(HAH) ruled out a fourth runway at LHR and mixed mode use on the existing two runways until 2040, but ruled in a third runway.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2013/07/15/44668/heathrow-to-rule-out-fourth-runway-until-2040.html

[transtraxman]

It seems that the Airport Commission, which is due to publish its provisional conclusions on runway provision in the South East of England by the end of December, is already preparing the ground. It will then also provide a “short list of options for expansion”.

The UK Airports Commision chairman, Sir Howard Davies said,”To rely only on runways currently in operation (in the UK) would be likely to produce a distinctly sub-optimal solution for passengers, connectivity and the economy, and would also almost certainly not be the best solution in terms of minimising the overall carbon impact of flights and travel to and from airports,”

Published by Airwise/Reuters yesterday 7th Ocober.
“Airports Commission Says UK Needs More Runways”,

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1381189793.html

Published by Buying Business Travel yesterday 7th October
“South-east needs more runways – Airports Commission”

http://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/0721473-south-east-needs-more-runways-%E2%80%93-airports-commission

Will the politicians swallow the poisoned pill?

[canucklad]

I particularly enjoyed the following language….

“a distinctly sub-optimal solution “

i would have asked for further clarification..

Will the politicians swallow the poisoned pill? ……not with an election in 2015…..Short term votes mean more than long term prisperity !

We don’t need another runway in the coming decades, we need it now or accept losing our future export growth to our continental partners….

Oh and if you missed my sarcasm……the word was partners

[transtraxman]

“prisperity” is a new one for me.

[canucklad]

Hi transtraxman…

I must be suffering from Irritable Vowel Syndrome today : )

[SimonS1]

Completely agree Canucklad.

Election due in the next couple of years – check
Are the main airports in and around your constituencies – check
A couple of marginals involved (eg Crawley) – check
MPs who could be awkward (eg Gillan/Greening – check
Scope for plenty of protests – check

Computer says no.

[transtraxman]

Published yesterday 7th Oct. in the Mailonline…
“Heathrow runway hint as airport tsar backs expansion: New runways WILL have to be built in the South East of England warns Britain’s airports chair.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2448699/Heathrow-runway-hint-airport-tsar-backs-expansion-New-runways-WILL-built-South-East-England-warns-Britains-airports-chair.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[AnthonyDunn]

Ah well, if we (and the rest of the electorate) would agree not to get uppity about the prospect of “things happening” that we might not necessarily like i.e. new runways, railways, motorways, housing developments etc. close by where we live, then I am sure that your average politician would happily do the right and proper thing.

So, when trying to sell to clients, you knowingly do something that will p*ss them off do you? No, I didn’t think so. Exactly the same point applies in a democracy when politicians have to curry favour. It’s a sales process.

[SimonS1]

Anthony – the company I work for has a long term vision. We can’t satisfy everyone all the time but we try and do things that deliver results for our clients over the long as well as short term. That is what sales means for us.

Politicians are only interested in gesture politics. Keep peddling the same old waffle and stories of jam tomorrow and try and win a few votes. Meanwhile leave other countries to the serious business and allow them to gain ground or overtake us on the aviation front.

Inevitably there will be occasional dust ups, such as the West Coast railway balls up, but these normally go away and the government of the day can return to normal cogitating on things like HS2 and airport expansion with plenty of commissions of enquiry etc and no real need to do anything,

Meanwhile any new government will inevitably want to bin anything their predecessors did and re-enquire to ensure the previous enquiry did their enquiries in a suitably enquiring way.

Occasionally something good might slip through the net, in this respect it’s good to see Eurostar announcing a new rail route to Amsterdam from London – starting in December 2016!!!!

[canucklad]

Morning AD…..you’re right about it being a sales process…..
Unfortunately in the case of aviation policy, they seem intent on, to share your analogy to set out a telemarketing scam of call-back’s after call backs until the client eventually loses interest in the product altogether….

SimonS1….unfortunately that is what the sales pitch is…….don’t rush, we must look at the long term view!

I’m going to start another topic about the purchase of PIK by the Scottish government to ensure it’s long term viability….An economist was being interviewed on BBC Scotland about the purchase yesterday. He was pretty scathing about the damage being done to the Scottish economy in particular and the UK as a whole because of the governments dithering over the inevitable 3rd runway at LHR!!
To quote him…..”The Chinese have built 43 major new airports across China in the last 20 years, we can’t manage 1 runway in the next 2 decades”

[AnthonyDunn]

@ SimonS1 – 09/10/2013 05:01 GMT

There is no sub-genus of homo politicus. Politicians are from amongst us and they are reflective of us all. Having been an elected local councillor in LB Brent for four years, I am well aware of how twisted our take on representative democracy has become in the UK. If we consider politicians to be inept, then the obvious solution is that the complainers should be putting their heads above the parapet to demonstrate how much better a job they would do themselves. It is my view that no-one has any right to complain about politicians’ behaviour and performance if they are not prepared to do the job themselves. In the UK we have an entire culture of bleating and whining about others without being prepared to lift a finger to improve the situation.

Canucklad: the comparison between the UK and China is more than a little tendentious. Beyond those who are senior industrialists and/or members of the Chinese Communist Party, there are few who enjoy property rights in the PRC. If the Communist government wants to build a new airport, inner urban highway or dam, then they simply kick the existing inhabitants out of their homes and expropriate the land. I have seen this for myself in Beijing and it’s been reported on BBC TV’s Newsnight”. I am sure that you are not suggesting that we trash property rights in this fashion in the UK? The last time that happened was after the Restoration in 1660 and lead to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when the Scotty Stuarts were kicked out.

[SimonS1]

Anthony – the difficulty is that much of politics is a closed shop. For example I read recently that the Tories in Croydon are selecting a new candidate as their MP is standing down. Of the three candidates, two are advisers to the PM!!! And it was reported that the Tory Chairman had removed certain people from the candidates list as they did not campaign in one of the by-elections.

Same applies to Labour and the tawdry saga of Falkirk.

In any case being an MP these days is about as wanted a profession as being a banker. Expenses sleaze, MPs appearing on reality TV shows etc etc. Great examples to set to people who may be interested.

[AnthonyDunn]

@ SimonS1 – 09/10/2013 14:54 GMT

Erm no Simon, it’s not a closed shop, just one that requires time and effort in much the same way as climbing any other “greasy pole”. But with the disbenefit of having your every word and action subject to reporting, comment and wilful misrepresentation. Personally, I think that there are relatively few who have the broad shoulders (rhino hides?!) or what it takes to put up with the often malicious and deeply offensive criticism that comes with politics. But having just dished that out myself about a pair of shoulder-chipped ScotsNats, I am clearly in no position to point fingers.

[SimonS1]

That’s complete tosh Anthony.

The Croydon selection is the old Tory way of doing it. Greasy pole, candidates parachuted in by central office, advisors to the PM and people who will tow the party line on the airports front – unlike Justine Greening who had to be fired due to her unhelpful stance.

Contrast that with Tonbridge where the party has agreed to hold a totally open selection involving local residents. who do not even have to be party members.

You tell me what is likely to attract people to politics.

[Author]

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