Aaagh - what price global warming

I just watched the news tonight - and twas the final straw. Not only is BAA going to apply for a new runway at Stanstead (and of course the damage that will do to local environment) to meet the demand for cheap budget flights (treble the numbers now), but now there is a proposal to widen the M11 to four lanes to not only facilitate these additional passengers, AND to meet the needs of the huge expansion of building being driven by the governement in the South, middle and East of England. So now we have a huge expansion of house building with no mandatory controls on Co2, Water and the like - and probably for votes a huge expansion of cheap flights and their contribution to global warming. I sometimes wonder if this government has children - or is the need for votes and fear of big business more important.

Did you know the Office of Community Affairs (previously the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) provided comments on the Draft East of England Plan and a key comment was that the numbers of houses set for each area should be regarded as the minimum, and every effort made to exceed them. This is of course the driest area of the country, abstraction is above limits and there is no additional capacity. Reservoires take 20 years to come on steam.

To quote the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee March 2006 ââ?¬â?? Sustainable Housing: A Follow Up Report ââ?¬â?? Conclusions and Recommendations

"48. The need to build new homes is seen as an absolute imperative and is used by the Government as a mandate to sweep aside any concerns that people may have about the environmental impacts of those plans. We find it deeply worrying that there is no appetite within the OPDM to take on the building sector and guarantee that these homes will be built to sufficiently high energy efficiency and environmental standards. What we find reprehensible is the clear signal from Government that it really does not matter that these homes are going to be built before supporting infrastructure is in place. And we reject the implication that the people for whom these new communities are intended will be so grateful to have a home, that they will be prepared to put up with substandard communities rather than sustainable communities. "

Apologies - I neede to vent, I despair over what this government is doing to this country, short term tactics to quote statistics at election, with no long term vision. I will now go and have a drink and calm down

 

Fran, I can only agree and say Aaagh!
The sooner this government is ejected the better but is there a better party to replace them. They all seem to be out for their own power and glory once they get in don't they?

 

I don't think it matters which party is in power.If they want to expand Stanstead then they will.When the blue lot was in in 1979 my husbands village Yardley Hastings in Northamptonshire was one of the places earmarked for the third runway.They even set up up an action group YARA{Yardley Against Rural Airport}with lots of fundraising and petitioning going on.In the end it was decided much to everyone's relief to extend Stanstead....

They were saying on the news tonight that this would all happen by 2015.Whether that means completion or the start of it,I don't know.I expect it will not be very pleasant for anyone living under the threat of it...

 

I need to get out into my garden, that always restores my balance. I really need to see the back of this government - Blair or Brown I don't care. Whether another would be any better, who knows

 

I think that it should be pointed out that the proposal to expand the M11 to 4 lanes each way is only that. A proposal. Although my profession puts me right in the firing line for attacks by the Green protesters, it might come as a surprise that I am not wholly in favour of all the STN expansion proposals. The second runway could easily be built by widening and strengthening of the northern taxiway and that would actually REDUCE the impact on the local population. I also have a degree of sympathy for the 'Stop Stansted Expansion' people who actually live in affected areas (i.e. within 4 miles)

Those of you old enough to remember the early seventies will recall that there were totally stupid suggestions for the 3L airport. Land reclamation from the Thames estuary and a completely new site on green fields at Willingale. Obviously, two of these propsals were only made so that they could be "Rejected to appease the protests" leaving an expansion of STN the only feasible option.

I believe that the same thing will happen again and that there will be only a minimal expansion of STN and I strongly suspect that the M11 will not be expanded. I can only hope that STN will never be able to accept that appalling contraption the A380. If anyone is interested in just why it is so bad, I could fill many pages. However, it cannot operate from STN at present simply because it cannot negotiate the turns on the taxiway even when empty without ripping tyres off and digging holes in the asphalt.

 

So tell me about the A380. I mislike its shape and size, but then I am an ex RAF gal, who also misliked the shape and size of the Hercules and Argosy, preferring the Vulcan.

So what else is wrong with the A380?

 

Ahhhhh... the Vulcan!! I never got involved with that magnificent beast, much to my sorrow. I finished up in the RAF on Hercs (Trash Haulers or Turkeys) having spent most of the preceding years on fast-jets.

The A380 has a multitude of design defects. If cargo in the freight bay is not evenly distributed, the freight bay floor bows quite dramatically because the floor beams are under strength. Due to the weight of the monster and because Airbus Industries would not pay Boeing for the right to use the main bogie steering concept, the 380 cannot negotiate anything other than a gentle curve on the ground. When they tested it at Toulouse, the tyres on the left landing gear ripped off and the bogie dug a trench in the taxiway. Airbus, in general have a design nightmare in that the aircraft is actually controlled by 5 computers, 3 of which are programmed in a different language to the other 2. I wont go into detail, but basically, the pilot tells the computers what he wants the airplane to do and, if the computers agree, they will comply. Or not, as the crash into the trees demonstrated. There are a lot more quite serious problems but this is not the time nor the place.

What did you do in the RAF, Fran?

 

I think it`s time that our Tone and Mr(stealth tax)Brown along with the rest of "New Labour" were ousted. It`s just a case of who to replace them. The Libs? I don`t think so. The Tories? will they be any better? What frightens me is that with the general feeling about immigration the way it is more people will vote for the BNP. One thing I know for certain is that when our assembly elections take place in May here in Wales I will most definitely NOT be voting Labour. Having said that my Nan is probably, at this moment, spinning in her grave. David.

 

I don't think I will ever fly in that beast - sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Usual political compromise I suppose.

I didn't do anything special, a couple of years in Admin, and then trained to be a nurse. Very good training it was to - besides being a lot of fun. Thoroughly enjoyed my service life :D Which of the fast jets did you fly?

Read a fabulous article on political spin today by Howard Clemmow.

"In the olden days when a politician wanted to do something they would make an announcement about it hopefully before actioning it. Thus you would get Nigel Lawson lumbering in front of the television cameras and telling us that inflation was too high and so he was putting interest rates up to 15%. You might not like it but at least he was being honest.

This way of doing things is now considered distincly old hat and instead you get "media managment". For instance Gordon wants to reduce the amount of cash he's spending on higher education so Tony announces that he wants 50% of school leavers to go on to university. Then Gordon says we can't possibly afford to pay for half the population to go to university so we're going to have to introduce tuition fees. Finally, hardly anyone can afford to go to university any more and the few that do have to pay for themselves. Result!. The government spends less on higher education, Tony looks like a social visionary and Gordon comes across as a prudent pregmatist"

Trying to get behind the spin to what is actually going on - is important.

 

That tv program,Hustle,comes to mind.They never get caught either.

 

Fran, I was on Javelin then Lightning then when the G suit started to get uncomfortable, I transferred to Hercs. In civvy street, Boeing 727, 737, Lockheed L1011 (Tristar)plus a load of other airplanes including exec jets for a pharmaceutical company.

Put "Skytrucker" on Amazon for a giggle.

Cheers
Allen

 

By the way Fran, did you ever get posted to RAF Halton? (Princess Mary's)

 

It's what I have been saying for years.It is the natural evolution of the planet,but would they listen to me NO :D :D

Sorry,forgot the word would so had to edit it :D