I notice Simon has had a ramble today, see http://birchington.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/sunday-ramble.html
with some thoughts on the airport and once again I find I am trying to work out
what I really think about it.
I guess to me it has been a sort of ongoing joke since the
1960s, because obviously an airport needs to be a transport hub and Thanet’s
location makes it a very few spokes.
Unkind I know but in truth so much money has gone into
trying to make it work and always the problem is that most people who would
ever use it would have to travel past at least on large operational airport, invariably
offering more destinations, more flying times and better prices.
I guess being in business and living in Ramsgate what would
be best from my point of view is the stability of knowing where we stand with
it, the uncertainties particularly about night flying are damaging to Ramsgate,
being at the end of the runway.
I guess there are some types of airport activity that would
be beneficial the local economy,
perhaps five or ten years after it had become established, but uncertainties
about noise and other environmental issues, particularly drinking water
protection are damaging to the local economy.
When uncertainties about pollution issues continue for fifty
years while various companies discover the fish make very few journeys by air,
the damage is considerable.
I guess there are potentially two sorts of airport, one
being a modern regional airport with the highest standards of environmental and
safety controls enhancing the local economy and bringing tourists direct to us,
the other a sort of dumping area taking mostly flights that aren’t wanted
elsewhere, mostly freight at anti social hours, I guess this would have the
minimum environmental controls that they could get away with and would be
detrimental to the local economy.
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And another inside St Lawrence tavern, apologies to any victims.
Oh and here are the photographs http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/laptop512c/id6.htm
It seems Simon has been busy today with a second post about
changes to the Conservative shadow cabinet, see http://birchington.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/new-statesman.html
I guess I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of its members
cross the floor to one of the independent groups, partly because of this lack
of Conservative ideology and partly because of the groups backing of a series
of non runners but mainly their failure to listen to the local people they are
supposed to represent.
The latest business over the airport being an example, it is
really quite simple, the council hold an internet consultation which has more
responses than any other and is overwhelmingly against night flights. The
Conservative group claim to represent local people and yet seem to be saying
that they are for night flights.
I would guess that the local Conservative group stands a
fair chance of spending the next seven years in opposition, particularly in
view of the recent election results, so I guess they will try making some
changes.
It's very simple really. The government of Margaret Thatcher elevated the needs of business above all. This philosophy now pervades every facet of modern life. Anyone who runs a market stall, cleans carpets and sells houses or used cars is a businessman, to be revered by society, and held in higher esteem than lowly servants like schoolteachers, nurses, or soldiers. Schools and universities are seen as training grounds for workers; hospitals are seen as workshops to fix the broken workers; entertainment has to be organised so that it doesn't interfere with the working day; the environment is either something that gets in the way of business or presents business with opportunities to make money. Tony Blair's Labour party could have reversed some of this by instigating policies which revolved around the individual. Unfortunately, they too sold out and now, sucking up to business is the only game in town. Local politicians are just weedy little versions of the national ones, so TDC puts the needs to business above everything and everyone else.
ReplyDeleteOf course, those with half a brain recognise that Thatcher's claim that "what's good for business is good for the country" falls flat when you look at the current economic mess. It doesn't take a genius to see that the assumption that economic growth would continue forever, was fatally flawed. You have to assume they knew it wouldn't last, but knew it would last long enough to line their nests.
Mr. Hart's stand against night-flights is an encouraging throwback to a time when politicians were responsive to public opinion and didn't take everything "business leaders" said at face value. Ed Milliband could do worse than take note. A party which was committed to putting the needs of people first could do rather well.
What a load of emotive codswallop - you'd have us living in tents and bartering for sheep.
ReplyDeleteIf we still suffer from the legacy of Thatcher what, may I ask, did New Labour achieve in thirteen years of acute financial mismanagement. Maybe it was not Thatcher that got it wrong, but the sudden change of direction to a public sector fuelled economy during the Blair/Brown years.
DeleteRejecting Manston expansion, without so much as sitting down with the airport operators to discuss mutually beneficial prospects, is par for the course with Labour administrations. It is a simple but effective strategy. The more people on the bread line then the more Labour voters.
Peter, people not wanting them is one thing, but responsible authorities rejecting out of hand without even discussing the full proposals is something else. As to flight paths, well I once lived in RAF married quarters on a Vulcan bomber base (and that is real noise) so I can tell you one gets used to it. No worse than backing the railway line or living next door to some neighbours.
ReplyDeleteFortunately don't have door slamming with aircraft, leastways you hope not!
ReplyDeleteNobody has "rejected the proposals out of hand without discussing them." The proposals have been on the table for more than a year and there has been extensive debate within the local community. In addition, the Council has spent a lot of taxpayers' money commissioning expert reports about the proposals, all of which have concluded that the economic benefits are being overstated and the environmental impacts underplayed. The pro-airport lobby keep banging on about the economic benefits but they have not produced a shred of evidence to support these claims. In fact, the most impressive research has been done by the NNF group which looked at other airports and was able to produce a very convincing demolition of the jobs claims being made by Infratil.
ReplyDeleteI guess the underlying complaint here is that the Tories haven't been able to influence the extensive debate which has taken place. There are two key reasons for this. Firstly, the Tory leadership made it clear that they were supportive of night-flights irrespective of the environmental impact. They were focussed only on the supposed economic benefits. There is no point in debating an issue with people whose minds are closed and so they were, rightly, marginalised. Secondly, the Tory councillors didn't bother attempting to engage with the people of Ramsgate. They could have attended one of the several public meetings which took place; they could have dropped leaflets through letterboxes; they could have set up a stall in the town centre to speak to people. They did none of these things. They didn't bother trying to speak to people because they, arrogantly, assumed they would be able to sit in their ivory tower and override the people's wishes.
It is time for Bayford to step aside and it is to be hoped that the local party will elect a more progressive leader who is more in touch with public opinion and more open-minded. Unfortunately, this isn't a description I would apply to any of the candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring, so far.
Why did Infratil remove the noise monitors in 2006, and TDC and KCC ignore this for years?
ReplyDeleteAlong with the aquifer, and illegal overflights, the public have been deliberately endangered by their civil servants and politicians.
The Police must be called in.
Tom, at the next local election I suggest you stand in Ramsgate as a candidate and see how you get on and experience local democracy in action.
ReplyDeleteTony, local democracy should involve serving all the people in the district, not just those of a few targat wards. Anyway, I will take you on in an election if you like, but how about Viking or Kingsgate wards.
ReplyDelete1017 has it about right. No-one from the Conservative Party seems to want to listen to the people of Ramsgate and they are certainly not going to win any friends down here by their rigid insistence on their present line. Northwood, Newington and Whitehall are all pretty deprived areas and they voted resolutely for a Labour manifesto committed to no night flights, so either the jobless in these areas are happy to be jobless or they have seen through the Infratil charade.
ReplyDeleteI wojuld suggest that the various Ramsgate wards sort out their prospective candidates for the next election pretty soon and get them out on the street. Only by talking to the people will you get any idea what this area wants.