Wednesday 5 September 2012

Speculation over Aviation Policy and Justine Greening's departure



So Justine Greening has been shuffled out of the cabinet. Even before she has cleared out her desk the media and pundits have begun speculating what this means. Like an episode of Dawson's creek or from my premarital love life everyone is sat about over thinking everything, suggesting hypothesises and second guessing every tiny detail. 

 A couple of months ago the opposition were trying to convince us all that Boris island or the Hoo peninsula scheme were the only options and that those evil Tories would force it upon us - Those blaggards! 

 Then in recent weeks Heathrow expansion has become the sticking point and aren't those dastardly Tories are going to U-turn on an election pledge. Then on the weekend there were suggestions of an airport Northwest London.  

 Now with Greening gone and the virtual unknown of McLoughlin getting the brief the spot light is going back on Heathrow. 

 I think it is time for us all to be honest...  

 No one knows where this new airport/expansion will be even if there is to be one! 

 Let's stop guessing and stabbing in the dark and wait for this consultation. When it finally comes, it will be the chance for ALL the possibilities to be weighed and debated and for everyone to have their say. 

 My personal opinion, and it is simply that and I don't say it's anything more, is that Ms Greening went because she wasn't impartial and that whatever the outcome opposition would call foul play.

This consultation is a chance to lay out Aviation policy and to finally answer the question of capacity in the country. Getting rid of internal flights in favour of HS2, moving freight capacity onto smaller airports or fields, a better distribution system that could free up space, finally abandoning the slap-dash space filling or quick fixes that have been successive Government's solutions. It will also be the time to bring to the table the reasons why an Estuary airport won't work r be so detrimental to the environment. Lets stop fearing the Consultation and work with it to achieve the aims we want. 

It would be wrong to rule anything out but it would also be wrong to say anything is definite. Lets be adult about this.

As the artillery barrage and scare mongering continues from different groups pertaining to know what is going to happen and what the Government is up too and the inevitability yadda yadda yadda it is the cool hard logic that states no one knows and I shall save all of my ammunition for the Consultation. People will be less tired of listening to the constant drone of noise and take it in the manner it is intended. Until then we should remember the wise words of Baz Luhrmann who once said;
worrying about something is as effective as solving a problem as chewing bubblegum - and wait for the consultation instead of constantly seeing signs in every perceived and real in/action.

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