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Heathrow expansion is absolutely rotten news.

How come?

It's something I don't know much about (other than a committee got appointed to make the decision and that decision got kicked down the road because Cameron was worried about his popularity).

From a totally uninformed opinion I always liked the idea of a totally new Thames estuary airport.

because Cameron was worried about his popularity

Is this the definition of irony?

An airport in the middle of the feeding grounds for a vast avian population? What could possibly go wrong.

10,000 Londoners per year suffer premature deaths from air pollution due to NOx.
Another Heathrow runway ensures higher concentrations over London and the flightpaths.

Climate change is still happening right? Why the push for more?

Chemtrails...

Asking the important questions

he's going to quit? does this mean he'll be out of a job? oh no! how will he pay his rent without a steady source of income?

Not really, he'll stand as an independent against 3HR but take the Tory whip on everything else. Not much will change.

It'll be interesting to see if Justine Greening quits (she almost certainly won't).

Because we need to send a clear message that the UK is not a clueless fuckwit governed by populist bigotry and a misplaced sense of its own importance. Plus sovereignty.

Not really, he'll stand as an independent against 3HR but take the Tory whip on everything else. Not much will change.

I've read he'll force a by-election.

Not really, he'll stand as an independent against 3HR but take the Tory whip on everything else. Not much will change.

I've read he'll force a by-election.

Yes, that's exactly what I said. He'll resign as an MP and stand in the subsequent by-election as an independent candidate on an anti-3HR ticket.

But, if elected even as an independent, he'll only oppose the Tories on 3HR and take the Tory whip on everything else.

Apologies. Completely glossed over the "stand" bit. Read "sit" in its place.

From a totally uninformed opinion I always liked the idea of a totally new Thames estuary airport.

Even if it's close to the sunken ammunion warship?

If they have to demolish somewhere to build an airport runway, why not Dagenham, or Croydon?

Because then the planes would take off in different directions.

Wasn't there was an airport in Croydon before it moved to Gatwick?

No problem.

Even easier for Zac as the Tories aren't going to contest the seat.

(It makes little sense for them to contest it; Zac as an Independent and a new Tory candidate will split the red trouser bridage vote and just let the Lib Dems in.)

http://www.standard.co.uk/solicitor-paralysed-on-mountain-bike-course-sues-instructor-for-4-million-a3378066.html

the red trouser bridage

Just what kind of bride would wear red trousers? :)

I always wonder about that, trainees always have a free choice and you can't physically restain or stop them from being dumb just guide them as best you can with words. I'd guess the consent forms where the person signs to say they are doing it at own risk didn't come out in the court?

I always thought Birmingham would have been a better place to expand airport capacity. It's 90mins or less into Euston and I'm sure that could be made quicker even without HS2 and it would improve connectivity for a larger part of the country without increasing travel congestion (road, rail and air) in the south east. Plenty of people travel from the frozen north and less frozen Midlands to Heathrow for flight connections as it is, so it might even help with airport capacity in the south east.
The land would be cheaper too, one assumes.
I guess it partly depends on the benefit of having a huge hub airport with shitloads of connecting flights vs several smaller hubs more spread out.

That's what HS2 is for.

I wonder if they need to get a court verdict to force the instructor's indemnity insurance co. to pay out.

I'm a total sucker for infrastructure projects. I don't agree that it is a backward step to be increasing air transit capacity as some people seem to think.

However, choosing Heathrow baffles me. Surely Birmingham would be far better? Also, why just expand one airport?

I expect that when HS2 is running the cost of the fair to Heathrow from the North will be close to what some people are paying for their flights...