Mizter T wrote:
On 03/09/2014 14:53, Recliner wrote:

On Wed, 03 Sep 2014 13:40:12 +0100, Mizter T
wrote:

On 02/09/2014 07:57, Recliner wrote:
To no-ones's surprise, Boris Island hasn't made the airport expansion short
list. Indeed, it's only pressure from Boris that left it on the list for so
long at all. So what remains are three options, two for Heathrow expansion,
and one for Gatwick. The business vote strongly favours Heathrow, but
Gatwick is easier politically. The decision is due after the election, and
I wonder which will win?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29026484


Gatwick. Eventually.

So why all the procrastination then? The reason they keep deferring
the decision is that Heathrow is the only one that makes economic
sense, but it's politically very difficult. The only safe time to
choose it is right after an election.


It's political dynamite! The parties policies on the airports question
going into the general election could be interesting - that said, they
might well just say 'we'll follow the recommendations of the Airports
Commission', when said recommendations (when they arrive) aren't likely
to offer such an easy get out of jail free card. Individual candidates
might do their own thing anyway.

My reckoning is that Heathrow expansion will ultimately just be too
politically toxic a path to take (remember the widespread pre-2010 opposition).

If a decision was made to expand Heathrow, I wouldn't necessarily
consider that the end of the story.

Maybe not so politically toxic after all?

From
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...rd-runway.html

Quote:

"The Ipsos Mori poll, seen by The Telegraph, of 143 MPs, including 58
Conservatives and 66 Labour MPs, is the first commissioned by the airport
since a third runway was controversially put back on the table through the
Airports Commission inquiry, which has short-listed two possible designs
for expansion at the hub.

A decision by the last Government to expand Heathrow was over-turned by the
Coalition and opponents have since claimed that there would be
insurmountable political hurdles even if a third runway is recommended by
the commission in its final report next year.

The opinion poll shows that 88pc of the MPs questioned believe a hub
airport, such as Heathrow, is “critical” to Britain’s future economic
success. When asked which option they thought would best solve the issue of
hub airport capacity in the UK, 58pc answered a third runway at Heathrow
while 13pc backed a second air strip at Gatwick.

Just 8pc favoured a new airport in the Thames Estuary - the Mayor’s
preferred option which was last week ruled out by the commission.

Only 4pc backed a scheme put forward by Heathrow Hub, a private company
backed by the former JP Morgan Cazenove banker, Ian Hannam, to extend
Heathrow’s existing northern runway and effectively operate it as two air
strips."