Did anyone see Michael Portillo on the 'This week' show after question time, yesterday?

Interestingly, especially with him being a very loyal Conservative grandee, he said that he won't be voting for Borris in the Mayoral elections in London because he could not contemplate voting for someone, that does not support a third runway.

Thought that was very impressive of him.

Funny, I feel the same. I've no issue flying a few hundred miles per hour, but the though of something on land going that speed fills me will all sorts of pessimism.

Leaves on the line, a fallen branch, a buckled rail, a dozy signalman ... Not to mention thousands of Km exposed to terrorist action. Sorry to be so negative, because I know there are loads of long-haul high speed trains. The concept
just ups the risk level a bit too far for me.

Design flaws....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16345592

I am fine with the new line from London to Birmingham. Just not long distances.

Speeds around 60 mph should add to your confidence :D

And I don't want to go to Birmingham anyway :cool:

Yep

If I was still living in London I would vote for that independent lady who is the only one with the balls to back it

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...-airports.html

Easyjet boss talking about runway and immigration queues

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18816180

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18800496

I guess it will be a few more years, and probably a change of party leader/government, before the new runway finally gets approved. Having criticised the ludicrous length of the T5 public enquiry, it now seems the replacement method (cabinet decision) is going to be as lengthy and timewasting.

To me it seems :

Cameron doesn't have a clue and fails to give leadership, can't see the economic relevance of it.

Osborne does want it and keeps leaking so; much depends on whether he succeeds Cameron.

Boris likes madcap schemes like Boris Island, or his cablecar, which look grandiose but are impractical and nowhere people want them. If he succeeds Cameron then no chance.

The Girlie (aka Transport Secretary Justine Greening) doesn't know one end of an aircraft from the other and just does what her millionaire neighbours in West Hill want to vote for - the fact that a significant number of others in the constituency actually work at Heathrow seems to have passed her by.

Clegg is increasingly getting out of line with the cabinet and may end up causing an election, in which case he is finished and the green lobby takes a dive.

We'd better go for Osborne then.

If BA really want to fly the extra routes that everyone claims they want and would provide then with the resources we already have done it.

We also need to worry about the many millions of people who live and work under the flight paths. If they are tired then production goes down which will affect all the many business across the region.

Personally I wouldn't worry about the terrorist action, I'd be more concerned about good-old-fashioned engineering cock-up or short-cuts on maintenance or ....

For instance, back in 2008, a German ICE train derailed at low speed near the centre of Cologne shortly after travelling at 186mph (a.k.a. 300km/h) on the Frankfurt-Cologne high-speed line. I've travelled on that line a lot and a derailment at full speed really isn't something to dwell on. Loads of tunnels and viaducts too... :( Guess luck was on their side that day.

Having said that, the French seem to manage to run their TGV network more or less without any serious accidents. Wonder what the trick is? :)

But unfortunately, not on their side ten years earlier - a quite shocking event.

The supremely boring Independent is suggesting that the Conservatives may be switching their position in LHR. The most depressing thing in the whole article is that the Transport Secretary Justine Greening is likely to be opposed because the LHR flight path goes over her west London constituency. A shocking example of institutional nimby-ism.

From the outside looking in, and now blissfully free from the UK taxman, it seems like a George Osborne free from LidDem constraints is the only hope the UK has left. If Labour get back in - god help you all!

Third runway is a good idea; however I feel sorry for the people who live in Sipson and Harlington who are unable to sell there properties due to the general procrastination of the government on this.