Heathrow's Controversial Expansion; Government Says YES

[mcgillianaire]

As expected, the government has decided to build a third runway and add a sixth terminal to the world's busiest international airport, but work won't commence on either project till at least 2015. Significantly, the Tories have promised to scrap the plans if they were to come to power, while I think the Lib Dems have always opposed the expansion plans. Both opposition parties seem to prefer investing into high-speed rail links. Such an idea is a wonderful one and the government should invest in a high-speed rail corridor connecting St Pancras International with the rest of the country, instead of limiting it to just Birmingham as I think they have proposed to do. St Pancras is just two hours away from Paris and Brussels and it would be tremendous if by 2020 or even 2025, it were possible to travel between Edinburgh and the French capital in less than five hours (it currently takes about seven hours).

That said, I have always felt naturally inclined towards runway expansion at Heathrow. Though if I may add a qualifier, my previously blind endorsement has given way to a tentative one pending a thorough understanding of all the core issues before developing a more informed opinion. I still need to convince myself that the economic benefits will outweigh the ecological costs and even though there seems to be more opposition than support for the plan, I'm going to stick to my gut instinct for now. Greenpeace has likened the decision to political suicide for Gordon Brown, and if that were to be the case at the next election, an informed opinion may not even be necessary. :) Either way, the level of controversy generated by the decision both in parliament and outside of it makes me wonder how the government is going to get away with it. There is substantial opposition to the plan within the Labour Party itself and we were all treated to one of their MPs getting suspended for five days from the House of Commons yesterday for rowdy behaviour showered upon the Transport Minister, in an act unseen since 1988! (See Video) One wonders how many Labour MPs oppose the plans, but I doubt it would ever be enough to bring down the government, even if it were to be voted upon by the House.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how events pan out. The opposition activists have taken their protest to the next stage by getting celebrities to buy an acre of land in the middle of the proposed area for the new terminal and runway. The government has acknowledged the nuisance value that this will add to the expansion plans. And although the Tories have pledged to scrap the plans if they were in power, their man in London, our mayor, has a different take on things. He opposes expansion at Heathrow but would rather build a new Heathrow in the Thames Estuary to the East. I don't agree with him, but it's an interesting alternative.

Comments

[drunkendeadcat.livejournal.com]

I thought it was weird to see alistair macgowan getting involved in the protest then doing a few impressions on the news

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting one for the Tories. By 2015 we'll have had not only the next election, but the one after that, so popularity will come into it. Perhaps even more so if there's a small Tory majority or a hung parliament next time around. Mind you, it would be typical if, after a huge battle, the third runway opened in 2020 just as someone developed a teleport machine which instantly made air travel obsolete. =:P

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Hehehe. That would be pretty funny.