WHEN Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said that his party’s policy on airport expansion might be revisited after the general election, my immediate thought was, “Uh-oh, maybe they are serious about government after all.”
But now Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Transport Secretary has stepped in and slapped down Mr Clifton-Brown and basically told him to stick to international development.
The thing is, the Tories aren’t at all opposed to regional airport expansion, as was made clear last time the Commons debated it; they’re (nominally) opposed to the third runway at Heathrow, much to the bewilderment and frustration of most of the business community. And they’re against it for reasons that have nothing to do with the environment (hence their support for airport expansion elsewhere) and everything to do with trying to win votes in the west of London.
Fair enough, you may say. But it’s hardly the attitude you would expect from a party that wants to be taken seriously as a government-in-waiting.
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Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 3:39 pm
Oh please, you don't think your party makes policy based on trying to pick up a few votes?
For what it's worth, I'm also against Heathrow expansion. Nothing to do with trying to pick up votes (no-one would vote for me even if I was a candidate) or the environment. More to do with the fact that we shouldn't be expanding an airport that is in the wrong place and is run terribly.
And finally, what is wrong with populist policy? Isn't that simply 'doing what the people want'? Makes sense to me.
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 4:25 pm
You really feel comfortable about lecturing other partys about being serious about government? Really?
You're actually in government and an absolute joke! Browns (i no longer have the respect to refer to him as Prime minister, which i have done through everything else!) response to criticism of a lack of helicopters costing soldiers lives is beyond laughable….it's simply disgusting!
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 4:27 pm
Also, re. transport policy. Heathrow expansion is an absurd idea. A forward thinking government would expand Birmingham and integrate it with an enormous high speed rail hub to the major cities. There#s space to do this in B'ham and makes sense for the WHOLE country and not just London!
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 4:46 pm
Looks like a perfectly serious policy for government to me, although I still don't trust them to stick with it. So still the LibDems for me in west London.
PS your comments have gone very odd – I preferred them as they were, looking out for certain icons so as to avoid their rants. Now I have to read the name instead.
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 6:30 pm
Yes, curse those Conservative for promising to undertake actions that are popular.
Why, next they'll be offfering to do things in some sort of “manifesto”…
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 6:31 pm
Tom,
Seriously? You're suggesting the Tories shouldn't be worried about actually winning the election?
The fact you think this is to gain votes in the area suggests you accept the people of the area are against it, so it's a bad idea why? Shouldn't the local populace have some say over this?
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 5:36 pm
yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn…..cant you do anything other than slag the tories off?
i thought you had a bit of nous about u tom but your ramblings about the conservatives are just getting irritating….
if u guys were so serious about governing why did you help yourself to all that money in expenses and when u get a chance to get rid of that awful pm u keep for the sake of your party rather than your country.
sorry to say this tommo but u guys are just hypocrits…u never tell the truth…u tell us everything the tories do is stupid and wont work and u gave us the worst pm ever….!
now please go back to movie reviewing your far better at that!
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 6:32 pm
Deep down Tom you must know you have lost the election. so keep up the good work of slagging off the Tories that is the only thing Labour is good at.
Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 11:50 pm
@ JohnnyNorfolk
Come now. You must agree that Labour is also awfully good at avoiding responsibility, spending taxpayer's money and buggering things up.
Thursday 23 July 2009 at 2:16 am
I do not know how anyone can possibly think of voting Labour at the next General Election. A party that renages on its manifesto pledges simply cannot be trusted. As a lifetime 'socialist', I am ashamed that the party that I have supported all my life changed its mind about a manifesto pledge as soon as it became the Government (without a really, really good reason). Manifesto pledges are manifesto pledges, and Labour MPs, regardless of their personal opinions, are bound by them, unless circumstances are so severe that the pledge cannot be implemented.
I am, of course, talking about the Smoking Ban.
I will not vote Labour again until the Party corrects this horrendous error and amends the ban in accordance with the manifesto.
Thursday 23 July 2009 at 3:03 am
This slagging off of a Cotswold Tory sponsored by…
Thursday 23 July 2009 at 8:32 am
“Serious about government”. Well the Labour government could start by telling the truth if you know what that word means.
After Brown banging on about Tory cuts. i have just been looking at your own published ( Tuesday) figures for cuts after the election at £3 billion including £ 100 mil
on education.
Now standing up in parliment week after week saying there will not be any is just not good enough Tom. So please sort yourselves out before anything else
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