Heathrow expansion caught in a mist of propaganda

By Julian Sudre

"Flying propaganda of extending heathrow has sent the government in another bout of pathetic navel-gazing"

Something was in the air. A miasma of governmental projects has descended upon of all airports, heathrow, with noisesome waves of cringe-worthy arguments in favour of its expansion.
Last year, someone from the government had to voice, perforce, to us - citizen - of the English capital that London much needed the third runway to boost the British economy and its influx of businesses into the capital.
It would appear by all accounts that the transport secretary, Ruth Kelly knew with perfect consistency how to deliver platitudes to a more-than-weary audience of disenchanted spectators. She noted that environmental aspects of the dilemma would not constrain whatsoever negative impact on the planet as the appetite for air travel will continue to grow willy nilly at 5 per cent a year. It was almost as if a pseudo-festival of satire had been launched with her two-fisted command of the country.

I shall surmise that Kelly, by all odds, would not be entertaining the thought of having a property in the flightpath of the airport and even less to live withing a 10 miles radius of heathrow. After all, planespotting is not her bailiwick. But the year to come , if the juggernaut devotion to appropriate infrastructural monsters of modern times is not harnessed, will become an annus horribilis to the preachers and the converted.

Flying propaganda of extending heathrow has sent the government in another bout of pathetic navel-gazing.
Contemporary political discourses have paled into the morass of greed and wealth. Hence why cities reflect the spontaneous foibles we inherently have in all of us and airports are the manifest doors to blemished territories. Humans have spawned tracts of decadence into conurbation affixed to generators of demographical power.

Juvenal, the Roman poet and author of the Satires, pertinently expressed how the common people - rather than caring about their freedom - were only interested in bread and circuses.
The holistic approach to be content with the size of heathrow was kicked into the long grass, supported by the comforting locutions of the government. The art of peddling moronic policies and their self-congratulatory measures adhere remarkably well to today's shibboleths.

With a latest report that confirms that the extension of heathrow would not impact on the economy. At any rate, tourists visiting the UK spend at least 15bn pounds less per year than UK tourists going on holiday overseas. Expanding aviation simply means increasing the trade deficit for UK tourism.
Although, ministers were taken by surprise after 18 000 people lodged objections to the plans which has caused concern at the highest levels of Labour if plans for a third runway are given the go-ahead. The Department for Transport had felt a "wobble" within its premises about BAA's proposals as they realised it could cost them votes.

As Juvenal said, who will watch the watchers and who will guard the guardians themselves?