The problem of a dominant city

Well, in the end, it took just four years for Munich Airport to secure the green light for a third runway, compared with decades of anguished debate over the same issue at London Heathrow.

Germany’s second-largest airport has now received federal court approval for the project  which had been challenged by an environmental group.

And while in the UK and the basket case of a commission says yes to runway three at Heathrow, only the most flamboyant of gamblers would place money on it being built any time soon, like in the next 20 years.  It is just not politically feasible.

There are two interesting contrasts between Munich and Heathrow.  First, Germany has much stricter planning and environmental laws than the UK.  And second, the German economy doesn’t ride on the back of a single city.

But there is a third reason which need you only to glance at maps of the two airports to see why development has proceeded so differently: Munich’s purpose-built hub sits in green fields outside city limits, whereas Heathrow – built in the 1920s as an aerodrome for testing – is walled in by the housing estates and motorways of greater London. 

The sight of an almost crippled Airbus with its engine doors waving in the wind flying in over the west end of London last year should make anyone think twice about expanding an already dodgy site.

London calling

It looks an interesting story on the BBC web site this morning.  The new London Route Master, that iconic bus of London streets, is having battery problems.  A litany of issues are thrown at the reader.  A number of drivers apparently have raised the issue with Christian Wolmar, an independant transport journalist who is quoted in the BBC article.  He must be well known to the bus drivers if they have picked him out to vent their concerns on.

Then it comes, the sub head line. “A Boris failure”.

"The drivers say almost nine out of 10 do not have the electric motors working. This bus is a ridiculous throw back. It has been a total waste of money. It's a Boris failure."

So who is this transport journalist that the BBC are so heavily relying on?   Christian Wolmar is not just any old journalist.  He is also seeking the Labour nomination for mayor of London.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame Mr Wolmar for this BBC website article.  He actually writes a very interesting and informative blog that politicians of all colours should spend more time reading.  I particularly like his Tractor v HS2 offering.

So where has the imbalance in the article come from?  Tom Edwards Transport correspondent, London.  Come on BBC, you can do better than publish a piece that appears to be little more than Unite propaganda.

Shot from a police helicopter

Michael McIntyre is in the news having been photographed from a police helicopter in London.  The picture was then tweeted by a police officer.

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The ground operations director for the National Police Air Support Unit, Superintendent Richard Watson, said: "We are aware of the tweet and, as far as we are aware, it does not breach any data protection legislation. We feel however it was inappropriate and it has since been removed.  We will be speaking to the person who posted the tweet."

Well, that is good to know.  If I am ever stopped by the police for breaking the law I will tell them, “as far as I am aware, I’ve not breached any laws”. 

Sadly this is appears to be just yet another case of police making the rules up as they go along.  Everyone who deals with images in the police will have been well taught what is within data protection laws and what is not.  If something as basic as the handling of data and evidential material is so flawed, what chance of a really serious case being thrown out of court because of an officer’s illegal behaviour.  I think I know what I am talking about here having Chaired one of the UKs geographically largest CCTV operations for many years.  Data security and complying with legislation was our number one priority.  As you would expect.

What is wrong with these people?  Do none of them ask the very basic question, “what will this look like on the front of tabloid papers tomorrow morning?”  That some police officer even thought it was appropriate in the first place calls into question his or her judgement.

We know what is wrong.  The culture.  Whether it is unlawful use of images or more serious issues like the killing of Mr Tomlinson, it is a culture that is permissive of wrongdoing that pervades. And in every organisation where does the culture come from?  The Leader.  Everyone mimics the behaviour of the Leader.  So you know what kind of Leader you have by the way the  people who work for them behave.  Oh, and not a word of apology about a gross intrusion into Mr McIntyres life.

Mind you, just be thankful you don't live in Los Angeles where shooting by the police takes a rather more dangerous form.

Unlikely bed fellows

I find the European Parliament one of the strangest, even bizarre, of “parliaments”.  Grand buildings entertaining grand egos of people who support the European project.  They dismiss anyone who disagrees with their grand agenda as slightly eccentric, but certainly wrong.

So they must have wondered what was going on today when two very unlikely bedfellows turned up.  In one corner, Nigel Farage.  In the other, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras.  Like or loathe Farage, (he attracts sentiments both in equal measure), he is unfortunately the only person who talked sense.  Slightly flaky in style perhaps, but on the nail with his analysis.  It’s just sad that we have to rely on Farage to say what needs to be said.

I bet Mr Tsipras never in his wildest dreams thought he would be praised to the heavens by Mr Farage. Funny old world.

Who are these gangsters?

I really never thought I would see the day when I would be agreeing with Romano Prodi, former chief of the European Commission. He is of course also a former premier of Italy. So what has the great man had to say?  Noting that it is the EU's own survival that is now a stake as the botched handling of the Greek crisis escalates into a catastrophe he continued, "If the EU cannot resolve a small problem the size of Greece, what is the point of Europe?"

"I would like to know how Merkel, Juncker, or Lagarde can possibly take it upon themselves to throw Greece out of the euro. It is true that irrational behaviour always recurs in history. The First World War broke out over a minor incident. Let us hope this is not our Sarajevo," he said.

On a separate front it has emerged that European members on the board of the International Monetary Fund tried to suppress the publication of a report by the IMF showing that Greece's debt is "unsustainable" and that the country is in grave need of debt relief.

This of course turns out to validate the claim by Syriza that a deal without debt restructuring fails to go to the root of the problem, and merely ensures another crisis later. Angry staff members at the IMF leaked parts of the paper to the German press, forcing full publication.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament has also called for the elected Syriza government to be replaced by "technocrat" rule until stability is restored.

You do really being to wonder who these people who control the EU think they are.  Their behaviour is moving from bully to gangster in one quick step.

Plus ça change! Or if you prefer Greek, τόσο περισσότερο αλλάζει.

Albrecht Ritschl. Never heard of him I hear you say.  Perhaps not, but in an interview given to Der Spiegel he does have some interesting things to say that are very relevant to the current predicament facing Greece.

A bit of background here to give us some context, Ritschl, 51, is a professor of economic history at the London School of Economics.  But he was born in Munich and previously taught as a professor at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, the University of Zürich and Berlin's Humboldt University. All very notable places of learning.

So what’s this German professor on about?

Germany, he explains, was the biggest debt transgressor of the 20th century.  That being the case it has no right to lecture the Greeks, or its leaders should at least show some humility and be prepared to compromise when they criticise Greece.

“Germany is king when it comes to debt. Calculated based on the amount of losses compared to economic performance, Germany was the biggest debt transgressor of the 20th century.”

The collapse of the Weimar debt pyramid had terrible consequences, but after the Second World War America spent a lot of money ensuring that there was not a repeat while victors such as Britain were crippled by the costs of war.

Ritschl says: “After the first default during the 1930s, the US gave Germany a “haircut” in 1953, reducing its debt problem to practically nothing. Germany has been in a very good position ever since, even as other Europeans were forced to endure the burdens of World War II and the consequences of the German occupation. Germany even had a period of non-payment in 1990.”

The anti-Greek sentiment in German media outlets is highly dangerous, says Ritschl.

“We are sitting in a glass house: Germany’s resurgence has only been possible through waiving extensive debt payments and stopping reparations to its World War II victims.”

The Der Spiegel interview concludes with a question: “Looking at history, what would be the best solution for Greece -- and for Germany?”

Ritschl replies: “The German bankruptcies in the last century show that the sensible thing to do now would be to have a real reduction of the debt.  Anyone who has lent money to Greece would then have to give up a considerable part of what they were owed.  Some banks would not be able to cope with that, so there would have to be new aid programs.  For Germany, this could be expensive, but we will have to pay either way.  At least Greece would then have the chance to start over.”

Now, here is the interesting thing.  This interview was not conducted last week.  Oh no, it was on June 21, 2011.  Plus ça change!