I HAD to chuckle at first when Eileen Henderson referred to Jim Pasqual's original letter about airport expansion (Airport growth is about profit not UK) by saying 'you really need your head looking at'.
But Jim has merely responded by saying: 'If the powers that be in Westminster say a third runway is needed to keep us solvent in the very competitive years ahead, who am I to argue?"
Did he not say in the previous paragraph that he is no lover of British political parties? Very strange.
Governments, from both parties, have said a lot of things over the past 50 years.
Has Jim believed every statement they've ever made, unaware that politics is a very dirty game, with politicians saying anything to get a few extra votes?
Unfortunately I presume he must from his latest letter.
There were more than 70,000 responses to the consultation document on the future of Heathrow Airport earlier this year.
The Government said it only had a few thousand to begin with (until it was forced to come clean under the Freedom of Information Act).
Would dear old Jim happily swallow its original claim and happily believe this was all down to a 'clerical error'. I suppose so.
It's now common knowledge BAA and the DfT have been working together to massage statistics in favour of a third runway at Heathrow - once again a fact that had to be dragged out under the FOI Act. Jim must be blissfully unaware of what really goes on behind Whitehall doors.
But it was the fact he dragged every subject under the sun into his reply, including pension credits, income support, the 2012 Olympics, which really puzzled me.
If he had a watertight case for this Heathrow expansion he could have said so in a few lines and convinced everyone.
The fact he couldn't supplies the obvious answer. There is no case.
London First and other pro-business groups are now saying they want a well-run and well-organised Heathrow before BAA takes on any further white elephant schemes. If it can't manage today's airport (eg the luggage fiasco at T5) how will it ever manage tomorrow's expanded Heathrow?
Surely even Jim must realise it can't.
MARK MIDDLETON-SMITH
Bassett Gardens, Isleworth.
