So
that was the reshuffle that was.
IDS
refused to move to Justice (how’s that for the smack of firm government?).
Warsi was kept on the payroll as the token Asian/Muslim/woman, and the rest was
musical chairs, Westminster-style.
And
then there was the extraordinary decision not only to keep Hunt but to give him
a bigger job. This is the man best known for the Murdoch take-over farce, for
trying to cancel the NHS tribute at the Olympics opening, who was in charge of
Olympics security, and who has a bit of form for expenses hanky-panky,
tax-avoidance, and nepotism.
What
was Dave thinking? Well, my take is that it was not because Hunt will be a
success but because he will fail. Health is the graveyard of political careers,
so Dave can shaft him, smiling the while. Very Machiavellian, Dave.
Of
course, if Dave had reshuffled himself in favour of David Davis that would have
been really great news. Still, cometh the hour……
The
overall winner was not even in Parliament.
It
was the ever-irrepressible Boffo Johnson.
The
government has now, to all intents and purposes, dumped its manifesto promise on the LHR third
runway, and that puts Boris Island firmly back on the menu. The Tory Party
Chairman, one Shapps (who he?) has said that ‘a third runway will not be built
within the term of this Parliament’,
i.e. before 2015. How’s that for weasel words? If they gave the go-ahead
today they couldn’t even start building ‘within the life of this Parliament’.
So
what are the issues?
Those
of us who use that benighted airport regularly know that it is bursting at the
seams. It is running on about 98% capacity, and the smallest hitch, like a
snowfall, can cause delay and chaos. Something must be done, but what?
If
LHR is to remain as London’s #1 airport it must have that third runway (but we
also have Gatwick and Stansted, both of which could be expanded more quickly
and more cheaply but the big boys don’t want to go there). London is in
imminent danger of losing its leading role as an international hub.
The
downside is location.
It
is in a densely populated urban area, which causes huge traffic, environmental,
and social problems. A third runway would mean the demolition of a lot of
housing and other buildings with all the attendant expense, technical problems
and public protest on a major scale. And the Tory party is split on the issue
anyway.
The
SW prevailing winds mean that most landing approaches are over central London.
Increased traffic from a third runway would undoubtedly increase pollution and
noise nuisance. But much more important is the security aspect. A successful
terrorist attack on a landing aircraft would cause slaughter on the ground on
an horrendous scale. There is particular vulnerability because of the ease with
which a missile could be concealed along several miles of flight-path.
So
what are the merits of Boris Island?
Most
landing approaches would be over the sea, eliminating many of LHR’s
disadvantages. Take-off would be over land
far less urbanised than central London. Noise and carbon pollution would
be minimal.
It
would be very accessible. The approaches by land would be from both the Essex
and Kent sides. There are good road connections. Rail services from both north
and south could be extended to the new airport terminals. Southend and Manston
airports could become satellite feeders. Southend in particular would be only
minutes away, and will soon have its own dedicated railway station.
It
would provide huge economic stimulus to a somewhat neglected corner of SE
England (a side benefit would be that it would kill off once and for all the
absurdly massive wind farm planned for the Thames Estuary, as turbines
interfere with the surveillance approach radar – something the Greens like to
keep quiet about).
The
downside?
The
most obvious one is the SS Montgomery. This is the wreck of a ship carrying a
large cargo of explosives during WW2, including block-buster bombs and other
noisy things. It lies more or less in the middle of the estuary. It is said that
the cargo is very unstable due to degrading during its long submersion. If it
blew up it would probably takeout most of Southend sea-front and do £20
million-worth of improvements. I have flown over it many times on the approach
to Southend Airport and thought to myself that if it goes up I will break the
altitude record for light aircraft.
Then
there is the time-factor.
After
going through Parliamentary inquiries, planning
procedures, environmental impact studies and all the rest of the bureaucratic
delaying mechanisms years will have passed before the first sod is turned. Shall
we say 30 years before the first flight? Or three if we sub-contract it to the Chinese.
Whatever
the outcome, the row has put Boris where he loves to belong – on the front
pages. Another step on the road to No. 10.
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