MCFly 47 - Janet Clowes on Manchester Airport

Shortly after MCFly 46 hit the inboxes, an eakle-eyed reader spotted that we mis-attributed a quote to Janet Clowes, Conservative candidate for Wythenshawe and Sale East. We contacted her, offering to run what she actually thinks. Here it is:

"The comment by Marie Raynor (Local Candidate for Brooklands; Manchester Ward) was made last autumn in response to specific plans being suggested for the development of an additional freight depot on the Manchester Airport site (related to the Hasty Lane site), rather than any long-term strategies being proposed by any interested parties.
"In relation to your article, there is no doubt that Manchester Airport is vitally important to the prosperity of the North-West - and especially Wythenshawe & Sale East. Over 19,000 people are employed directly on-site and a far larger number are indirectly dependent on the airport. It seems unlikely that an airport operator would try to force through controversial
plans for expansion if it meant risking their franchise when it comes to an end. Manchester Airport's second runway application went through all the normal planning process and received strong support from the community at that time.
"However expansion of regional airports can only be encouraged where there is community support. Regional airports have the potential to reduce transit flights by increasing "point to point" services as well as reducing congestion around London's airports.
"Manchester Airport is owned by the ten local authorities with Manchester City Council owning 55% and the other authorities 5% each. As a result local councillors effectively have the final say over Manchester expansion and they are accountable to the local electorate."

MCFly 47 - Hustings Report

April 20 debate "Is the Council taking the right action on Climate Change?"
A varied audience of about 30 gathered to hear the wisdom of Richard Cowell (Labour), Gayle O'Donovan (Greens) and Graham Shaw (Lib Dems). The place of the missing Conservative candidate was taken by a helium balloon (blue, of course). None of the candidates seemed put off by the relatively small size of audience and started off proceedings each with a five minute speech on the subject 'Is Manchester City Council taking the right action on Climate Change?' Graham seemed to not be able to make up his mind about whether the Manchester CCAP was a good thing but was convinced that the issue of the footprint of flights from the airport should have been included. Gayle almost damned the Council process (towards the CCAP) with faint praise, lambasted them for expanding the airport and then talked about green jobs. Cllr Cowell took a while to find his stride, but gave an account of how the CCAP had been arrived at and defended the Council's record on jobs. The event then moved on to written questions from the audience - which were of a pretty high standard. Many questions asked about improving the lot of cyclists and asking what the Council had 'actually done'.
The main points of friction were, unsurprisingly, the airport, where Cowell gave a spirited rendition of the jobs vs environment coda of Council policy, and over the Green Party's record when they had a Councillor. The event the chair had to call a halt to that latter line of discussion before if got too personal.
In summary, Lib Dems vague, Greens spirited, Lab defensive and spirited, and Conservatives silent.
Sir Fred Spong

MCFly 030- Manchester Conservatives in arrogant and/or incompetent shocker

The Manchester Conservatives (one Manchester councillor, who was elected as a Lib Dem) said they would send a speaker to the August 4th Manchester Climate Forum event "Climate Change: A Year from Now". No Tory showed, and no apology or explanation was forthcoming. Either they thought "why bother, climate change doesn't matter and there won't be any swing voters there" or else they couldn't organise themselves to send an email saying "sorry, none of us can make it." In either case, it makes you hope that the calibre of people who'll be running the country next year is higher than the muppets of Manchester.