Yes, and the blighters are now consulting on the changes we had a leaflet through the door yesterday. It says "Our skies are changing. Get involved and have your say" (as if they'd take a blind bit of notice if we disagree with their plans).Curiously (not!) the leaflet doesn't mention the figure of 25,000 extra flights a year, though we're asked to comment on "our approach to managing [ie, increasing] noise at an expanded Heathrow" and "how you think we should operate [not whether they should operate at all at night] the proposed scheduled ban on night flights at an expanded Heathrow." In fact it mentions "an expanded Heathrow" several times, not the vital question of whether the damned thing should be expanded at all. In other words, a straight PR job to soften us up by making us think we're being consulted in a totally meaningless "consultation." There are various "consultation events," including Hammersmith on 24 January, Roehampton on 30 January, Wimbledon on 12 February and Twickenham on 13 February - but no one at all in Putney. I wonder why? As many people as possible should go to these events to put the case against yet more expansion, which, of course, they promised each time they did expand. The inglorious history of broken promises at Heathrow is outlined in an interesting post on the unlikely site of the Socialist Workers' Party: don't dismiss it just because in the past it's from the SWP, who have, admittedly, had a somewhat hazy connection to the truth:https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/14675/Promises+to+limit+Heathrow+expansion+broken+and+broken+againIf you can't go, or haven't had one of these PR leaflets, you can comment directly at https://afo.heathrowconsultation.com/ - though beware that you're guided carefully away from saying you want no expansion and fewer flights.
Richard Carter ● 2864d