Letters to the Editor – 02/12 – More runways, Islands dispute, Best of Twitter
More runways
[Re: Our innovative Heathrow plan could expand capacity without huge costs, Friday]
I think Jock Lowe’s Heathrow Hub plan is a good idea. I do, however, also think that a second runaway should be built at both Gatwick and Stansted airports. Boris Johnson’s Thames Estuary plan is not going to happen – the Nimby and green lobbies are simply too strong to overcome. If the green lobby is powerful enough to give us these horrible wind farms and to prevent a sensible energy policy, then they are strong enough to prevent a brand new airport. If the Nimbys kill HS2, then ditto for them.
Name Withheld
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Islands dispute
[Re: Is there a risk the Sino-Japanese tensions over disputed islands will escalate dangerously?, Friday]
Thomas Koenig is right that a serious escalation over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands is unlikely. Air defence identification zones elsewhere in the world have provoked no such drastic escalation, and Japan and Korea have had such programmes in operation for many years. Most importantly, China has so far chosen not to confront the US, Korea or Japan on the issue of military overflights, while most civilian airlines have indicated that they will comply with China’s requirements. It is difficult to see where the spark for conflict could come from.
Amy Salt
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BEST OF TWITTER
Banks approved 67,701 mortgages in October, but still below pre-crisis average of 90,000.
@nr_zero
In southern Italy, 111,000 people left the labour force over the past year, versus 14,000 gain in the north.
@minefornothing
List of AAA-rated countries continues to shrink as The Netherlands leaves the club. Will anybody be left?
@notayesmansecon
Seriously, Eurocrats, when Ukraine prefers the Kremlin to Brussels, I’d say you’ve got a problem.
@DanHannanMEP