Plane Stupid shut down Stansted Airport

[free spirit]

link

In October controversial plans for an expansion of Stansted Airport were given the go-ahead by the government. Airport owner BAA wants to increase passenger numbers from 25 million to 35 million a year and flights leaving the airport from 241,000 to 264,000 a year.

I'm sure people will be along shortly to give the protestors shit for causing innocent passengers problems, but IMO they should really be directing their anger at the government for approving a plan to expand the airport that goes 100% against the governments recently restated policy of reducing UK carbon emissions.

Once the new runway is built it's never going to be unbuilt, so it will in effect entrench an additional increase in the UK's carbon emmissions that will then eventually have to be offset by other areas of the economy / huoseholders / car drivers etc. if we're to hope to meet our targets.

If the government was capable of having any kind of joined up policy on transport and climate change (like they claimed to have when we first elected them), then this action would not have been necessary.

as it is, direct action such as this must be seen as being a legitimate tactic in delaying the start of any building programme until the government performs it's (hopefully) inevitable u-turn on the issue.

It's a shame anyone has to have their lives disrupted, but unfortunately that's what happens when the government's in the pocket of the industry lobbyests, and makes completely illogical decisions that blow massive holes through the UK's Carbon reduction aims.

Full respect to all the protestors, hopefully this will be a part of the beginning of the end of such stupid unsutainable policiy decisions.

protesters had brought concrete blocks and 6ft-high security fencing with them and erected a "stockade" about 50m (164 ft) from the runway. They then chained themselves to the fencing. One of the activists taking part, Lily Kember, 21, said they had forced their way in using bolt-cutters while the runway was closed for overnight maintenance work.
She said: "There's 54 of us currently occupying a space on the taxi way about 50m from the runway.
"It's a bit cold, but everyone is in good spirits."

"We're here because our parents' generation has failed us and it's now down to young people to stop climate change by whatever peaceful means we have left. "We're afraid of what the police might do to us, we're afraid of going to jail but nothing scares us as much as the threat of runaway climate change."

 

[Bakunin]

Good for them.

 

[AverageJoe]

Most pointelss protest ever. They were saying that for every minute the planes were on the ground they were stopping 4.2 million tonnes of Carbon Emissions from happening.

So what did they do - kept the planes in the air for 4 hours.

*pulls 'hhhnnnnnggg' face*

The protestors should all be charged with attempted manslaughter. Manslaughter cos of the non-deliberate actions that endangered people lives whilst they were in the air with dwindling fuel supplies, and attempted cos no-one actually crashed.

And as for global warming etc etc....cows cows cows cows cows cows cows cows cows cowzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

 

[ajdown]

I'm sure most of the protesters drove to the area as well, instead of using organic bicycles or something.

I hope that the protesters have to pay the delay compensation the airlines are now liable for, to every passenger that was affected. Trying to make some kind of point whilst screwing up part of possibly the only holiday some families are going to get this year (or next) is really worth getting arrested for, I'm sure.

The point made? The group's name is well deserved. I'm sure it's a requirement of membership.

I'm all for global warming. It was bloody cold this morning.

 

[danny la rouge]

If the protesters could single out frequent flyers and business class, then fair play. But they can't. Some of the people disrupted will be folk who have saved up for ages, and who don't get many holidays. I'd be furious if it had been me on one of the less-than-a-handful of occasions I'd flown.

Yes, I'm more angry at the government, but frankly so should the protesters be.

 

[ajdown]

So there were 54 protesters. I'm sure they could have found more than 54 angry passengers who were delayed, given them all a baseball bat each, left an appropriate door open, and the police could have all gone for a tea break for 15 minutes.

Problem solved. Direct action, I believe it's called...

 

[snadge]

So you think it is OK for business to waste all the resources that the general public are trying so hard to save and make more money on them, companies leaving lights on in their premises all night when they are shut, office blocks in london beaming out light from every unoccupied office, airlines flying planes almost empty to destinations because they don't want to lose that flight franchise.

people with older cars getting taxed more than people with newer cars that are less efficient than my fucking RS4, having to pay a fucking congestion charge when supposedly fuel efficient cars get off for nowt but they have to be new but less fuel efficient than a 10 year old escort.

It's a fucking scam.

We as the public pay in increased bills for this extravagance,

 

[Bakunin]

If the protesters could single out frequent flyers and business class, then fair play. But they can't. Some of the people disrupted will be folk who have saved up for ages, and who don't get many holidays. I'd be furious if it had been me on one of the less-than-a-handful of occasions I'd flown.

Yes, I'm more angry at the government, but frankly so should the protesters be.

What other form of action would you suggest, then?

 

[snadge]

We don't fucking need any more bastard runways.

 

[danny la rouge]

So you think it is OK for business to waste all the resources that the general public are trying so hard to save and make more money on them

No, I don't.

Neither do I think it's right that the majority of the responsibility for energy saving and carbon targets is placed on individuals. Energy use in the UK is 70% business, 30% household. For that 30% to be expected to make all the savings is stupid and impossible. Yes, households can play a part, not least since it saves money, but business is not shouldering responsibility. As usual.

That's the real story.

So, I'm afraid I don't warm to self-righteous puritans who misdirect their energy.

 

[danny la rouge]

We don't fucking need any more bastard runways.

Correct.

 

[danny la rouge]

What other form of action would you suggest, then?

Target the right people.

 

[ajdown]

We don't fucking need any more bastard runways.

Why not? If there's not enough airport capacity, all you can do is expand them or build new airports.

Why do people insist on regressing us back to the middle ages technologically?

 

[snadge]

Why not? If there's not enough airport capacity, all you can do is expand them or build new airports.

Why do people insist on regressing us back to the middle ages technologically?

you are a fool.

Individuals are hit with ever increasing energy and fuel costs, the oil is now in decline, do you get it yet.

And these wastrel cunts want to burn more of it up by sending fucking empty planes across the Atlantic, for a government subsidy of course.

I fly a lot for my work and the amount of quarter full planes I have been on is astonishing.

 

[Bakunin]

Target the right people.

IIRC, you mentioned that energy use in this country is 70% business and 30%household. You also mentioned that business isn't shouldering its share of the responsibility.

Well, business isn't GOING to shoulder its share of the responsibility unless it is forced to, not while there's a profit to be made from ignoring it or merely paying lip service to it. And, as governments of all stripes in this country are and would be conspicuous in their lack of willingness to force business to do that, that leaves your idea rather up the creek without a paddle, doesn't it?

Seeing as governments aren't going to force business to alter its conduct on climate change, that leaves protest, and effective direct action in particular, as the only option. I'm not saying that Plane Stupid have all the answers or that they're right 100% of the time, but the fact remains that their work is having an effect and that they are one of the more successful and high profile campaigning groups out there.

If you don't like what they're doing or how they're doing it, go out and set up something yourself and try things your way. The more the merrier.

 

[danny la rouge]

Well, business isn't GOING to shoulder its share of the responsibility unless it is forced to,

Correct.

 

[ajdown]

And these wastrel cunts want to burn more of it up by sending fucking empty planes across the Atlantic, for a government subsidy of course.

I fly a lot for my work and the amount of quarter full planes I have been on is astonishing.

... then reduce ticket prices to encourage people to fill up the empty seats. Good business sense, happy passengers, all win.

 

[ajdown]

I'm not saying that Plane Stupid have all the answers or that they're right 100% of the time, but the fact remains that their work is having an effect and that they are one of the more successful and high profile campaigning groups out there.

Disrupt flights for a couple of hours, get themselves arrested for criminal damage and trespass (at least) and piss off hundreds of people who have been looking forward to a well deserved holiday for months.

If that's success, they aren't aiming very high are they?

 

[moon23]

They probably would have been better off targetting the airline companies or government buildings rather than an airport. There is not point in pissing of people who as it has been mentioned might be on a very rare flight in an otherwise low carbon lifestyle.

Building a load of new Nuclear Powerplants would have more effect, but of course irrationaly overeactions about the fear of radiation prevent that green alternative from happening.

 

[snadge]

... then reduce ticket prices to encourage people to fill up the empty seats. Good business sense, happy passengers, all win.

you really are stupid, they already do that thicko and STILL can't fill half the planes.

 

[danny la rouge]

They probably would have been better off targetting the airline companies or government buildings rather than an airport. There is not point in pissing of people who as it has been mentioned might be on a very rare flight in an otherwise low carbon lifestyle.

Exactly.

 

[derf]

I agree that climate change is a problem and that governments and the people need to do something about it today.
Closing an airport will really hurt the cause. The bad publicity will take ages to repair and just hurt the very thing they are trying get going.

 

[ajdown]

you really are stupid, they already do that thicko and STILL can't fill half the planes.

They don't reduce them enough then, do they.

Try not to get personal, it doesn't help people take you seriously.

 

[ymu]

... then reduce ticket prices to encourage people to fill up the empty seats. Good business sense, happy passengers, all win.

You are remarkably stupid.

 

[snadge]

The PEOPLE are thicko derf, we are being charged for the waste in business but the GOVERNMENTS are not, they are allowing big business to scandalously waste energy and allow that wastage to be paid for by the PEOPLE with increased energy bills.

Big Business are laughing their heads off and carry on wasting and pay their vastly reduced business rates for energy.

 

[snadge]

They don't reduce them enough then, do they.

Try not to get personal, it doesn't help people take you seriously.

can't help when I'm talking to thickos' and there are a few out this morning.

 

[snadge]

They don't reduce them enough then, do they.

Try not to get personal, it doesn't help people take you seriously.

so USA for a tenner isn't cheap enough, thicko!

 

[danny la rouge]

The PEOPLE are thicko derf, we are being charged for the waste in business but the GOVERNMENTS are not, they are allowing big business to scandalously waste energy and allow that wastage to be paid for by the PEOPLE with increased energy bills.

Big Business are laughing their heads off and carry on wasting and pay their vastly reduced business rates for energy.

But self-righteous puritans disrupting the rare holiday of a low-paid worker doesn't tackle that at all. It just shows them up as lifestylers without a clear analysis of the situation.

 

[ajdown]

so USA for a tenner isn't cheap enough, thicko!

Who does flights to the US for a tenner? I'd have one of those any day.

 

[snadge]

Who does flights to the US for a tenner? I'd have one of those any day.

I have seen them alongside flights to Spain, Germany and all manner of places for under £20, I flew to Prague for £22 return.