PROTEST groups descended on the Labour Party conference to oppose the expansion of Manchester Airport and raise support for ex-British Gurkha soldiers.
A flash mob, from the new environmental pressure group Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport (SEMA), staged a colourful protest to coincide with the fringe debate 'Can politicians save the planet and get re-elected?'
About 100 protesters, with support from London campaigners opposed to the expansion of Heathrow airport, removed coats and jumpers to reveal bright red protest T-shirts outside Manchester town hall.
Bemused passers-by stopped and stared as protesters spelt out the words 'take the trains'.
SEMA protester Robbie Gillett said the 'colourful expression' was designed to surprise unsuspecting passers-by and highlight the 'madness' of plans that would see the number of passengers double to 50 million a year by 2030.
The 22-year-old Manchester University student told the MEN: "It is madness to be expanding airports when the threat of climate change is hanging over us. Manchester airport is already responsible for the same amount of CO2 emissions in one year as the entire economy of Uganda."
Campaigners from Manchester Friends of the Earth presented transport minister Ruth Kelly MP with an aeroplane covered in postcards from her constituents urging her not to ignore aviation.
Manchester Friends of the Earth lead climate campaigner, Ali Abbas, said: "Having a climate law that ignores emissions from aviation is like having a drink driving law that ignores alcohol from vodka - it clearly doesn't make any sense.
Also protesting outside the town hall, 50 members and supporters of the Gurkha Army Ex-serviceman Organisation (GAESO), protesting at the treatment of ex-British Gurkha soldiers and their families.
GAESO are also raising support for the Immigration (Discharged Gurkha) Bill, currently pending in Parliament.
Gopal Siwakoti Chintan, a GAESO spokesman, said: "We are here to fight for settlement rights and to put pressure on the government. We hope to allow all Gurkha's from Nepal to come to Britain."
Tweet
Showing comments 1 to 7 and replies | View All
Big Blue CITY,The Arabian Knight,Sharif Azul Celeste., Manchester (23/09/2008 at 20:22)
Daniel Lee (24/09/2008 at 00:39)
The creation of jobs here is massively irrelevent in the face of the increased damage and accelaration of climate change that expanding the airport and correspondingly the number of flights will do.
You make literally no point in saying 'it won't increase the carbon footprint'. This is nonesense. Flights are increasing, despit the current blip in the economy and the weakest operators failing, and the government and aviation industry want it to expand even further despite it going against government targets in the Climate Change Bill.
Mr Humphries, BIG BLUE CITY., Manchester (24/09/2008 at 14:14)
If it isn’t a natural occurrence then planes may be a contributing factor of many.
I understand your point about expanding the Airport but them planes are there, it doesn’t mean that at a later date nothing is going to be done about the carbon footprints.
One of the reason for the Runway may be to make the flow of traffic much easier and this may reduce the carbon footprint it means they can land faster rather than waiting in a long queue.
expansion doesn’t automatically Mean more planes although that’s how it seems in the past, it may now also be about fuel economy.
Everybody is out there bringing the issue to the attention of the Governments but obviously it is still being debated.
At the moment the jury isn’t out because they are still collating the evidence, scientists are looking into it, its my view that once they grasp the the reason or reasons for the problem that's if it isn't a natural occurrence, its my view they will do something, your people are pushing for end before we get the answers, people are looking into it.
I am sure people would give up an holiday by plane to save the world if it was proved that planes were the main problem.
The world has got to where it is today from being originally a ball of fire, so I am sure it will repair easy once we get the answers.
Increase decrease in carbon footprint we can only wait and see.
My view is oil will run out long before the world is at a point of no return.
Bean B4, manchester (24/09/2008 at 14:54)
MIC N (26/09/2008 at 17:05)
Pete Birkinshaw (27/09/2008 at 17:16)
We did shout "Free rail travel!" for a while, you can't get cheaper than that.
It's possible 'the student' might not have been in lectures because:
- This was a quick demo at lunchtime
- Lectures haven't started yet (it was Fresher's Week). Sitting in an empty lecture room is a bit dull.
Daniel Lee (28/09/2008 at 00:15)
In any case, there is no debate to be had any more on the issue of global warming. The fact the world is on a warming trend is not even disputed by the likes of Shell and co., and the thousands of scientists working on the COP for the UN give a 90% probability rate that we are leading much of the warming.
If you have a 90% chance that a plane has a defect, you take action to fix that defect. The effect of not action on climate change will be even worse. The government can't be relied on to act as they're under the mantra of continued economic growth and in the pocket of business, hence why they won't support workers with a windfall tax, and tie transport improvements in Manchester to another tax.
The intention of Manchester Airport is to increase passenger numbers. This requires more planes, or bigger planes, but I don't expect there to be a massive fleet of those new Airbus's any time soon.
I appreciate your measured response, too often people are quick to rubbish things, but unfortunatly you seem to have been swung over by a tiny self-interested minority in the media. If the same amount of coverage of those supporting the idea of man made global warming in the scientific world was given as those who question the idea, you'd have to get a sunday paper every day to fit the rest of the news in.