Gordon Brown - Prosperity Of UK Depends Upon Expansion Of Heathrow Airport

[hatrack]

Gosh, I didn't know that the economy of Great Britain was so fragile that it could hinge upon a single runway at a single airport.

Too bad about that "climate problem" you were talking about earlier, eh Gord?

:eyes:

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Britain's economic prosperity 'depends' on expanding Grupo Ferrovial SA's Heathrow airport, said Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He told the CBI annual conference here that the UK 'must respond to a clear business imperative and increase capacity at our airports'. 'Britain as a world financial centre must be readily accessible from around the world,' he said.

Brown also indicated that there would be little hope for those trying to oppose expansion of the world's busiest airport, when he said the government would 'press ahead' with a third runway.

This will be made easier when the government tomorrow introduces its Planning Bill, designed to stop campaigners from holding up developments ranging from airports to nuclear power stations.

EDIT

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2007/11/26/afx4371788.html

On edit: interesting commentary from the Guardian:

Last week, Gordon Brown went a striking shade of bright green, talking about the need to cut our carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%. This week, we appear to be back to normal, with a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) that called for the expansion of Heathrow, an overhaul of the planning system (which will very likely increase climate-changing emissions from new infrastructure, including incinerators and bigger roads), and a reminder that new nuclear power stations remain high on the agenda.

On airports, the prime minister said that "We have to respond to a clear business imperative and increase capacity at our airports ... our prosperity depends on it ... And this week, we demonstrated our determination not to shirk the long-term decisions, but to press ahead with a third runway" (at Heathrow). While last week the business imperative was, quite rightly, on low-carbon development, this week the old economic dogmas have resurfaced, and as usual, they are covered in tarmac.

Similarly short-term and ecologically flawed logic has been applied to an analysis of the planning system. "Planning - which we all know that despite recent changes remains too inflexible. Following the case put in the Eddington and Barker reports, the legislation which will be published tomorrow will put in place a streamlined system for making decisions on key national infrastructure projects," he said.

The streamlining that ministers have in mind will downgrade environmental considerations and will limit the say that communities and people have in decisions that affect them. If the government's proposals are turned into new laws, your role in determining whether or not you will get an incinerator at the end of the street will in future be far more limited, to not much more than having an input to the design of the gates.

EDIT

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tony_juniper/2007/11/brown_shows_his_true_colours.html

[razzleberry]

1. tax on jet fuel for international flight: zero ... not a penny n/t

[tom_paine]

2. We need larger deck chairs on the Titanic!

And music! Softly playing orchestra music to keep everyone calm and entertained.

"Hors'douvers, anyone? Champagne? Coffee?"

[The2ndWheel]

3. "also indicated that there would be little hope for those trying to oppose expansion"

If there are 14 words that better describe the last few thousand years of history, someone should find them. Everyone can then play "Name the Tune".

[Javaman]

4. Can't wait till the price per barrel of oil gets so high that that extra

runway that he wants will be nothing more than a giant concrete park.

[Nihil]

5. Alternatively ...

... it becomes a good solid base for the arrays of the Heathrow solar farm!
(All that wasted space, already lost to cropland or domestic use, no shadow
from trees ... might as well take advantage of it!)
:-)

[Javaman]

6. There you go! A much better use of the space! :) nt