Golly Gosh it's Manston Noise Monitoring

A golly-gosh-well-I-never moment as the P.2 Gazette article this Friday on Manston monitoring:

(article link)

Confirms that monitoring is “done by Infratil and provided to TDC”.

Cllr Green expresses surprise at this as do the other councillors.

As you would given the opportunity to fake the data or simply not provide it.

And hardly news given the repeated Airport Committee meetings and KIACC public meetings – supposedly about TDC and Infratil noise and air pollution monitoring for the last 5 years. What were they pretending to do?

Except of course they didn’t want to reveal that until now.

Far better to pretend that monitoring is being done properly. And when that’s found out sack Samuel and White and Latchford of the Gang of Four with payoffs to keep quiet.

The same article also has Charles Buchanan confirm Infratil are monitoring.

Both this, and how TDC are monitoring, is a surprise of course.

As the noise monitors were removed in 2006 and returned to Manchester University monitoring centre by Rowland Gun of Infratil.

From Clarendon School and a tower block.

So there are no noise monitors.

Certainly not by TDC and nor buy Infratil.

So why the pretence?

And in 2009 and the last attempt to expand the airport without controls the main air monitor – with repeated technical problems – was also going to be withdrawn by the Gang of Four and Berry.

Monitoring is required under the S106 operating agreement at the airport.

As you’d expect.

And fines for noisy planes etc as you’d expect.

No monitors. No fines.

The same article confirmed only £4,000 in fines over the last 2 years ie 4 planes fined in 2 years.

More concerning of course is that Manston was an airport slated for expansion – regular TDC meetings and KCC Board meetings – but no monito5rds means no fines.

And no pesky complaints process or evaluation of the health and environment risks.

And of course.

Increased cancer rates.

That makes it not a golly-gosh-well-I-never moment but corporate manslaughter: deliberately endangering the public – and in breach of all the regulations in place to protect the public.

Hence Thanet’s appalling mortality rates, noise form planes, overflights of the towns etc etc.

Corporate manslaughter.

And they’ve been found out now.

Not ideal for Charles Buchanan an experienced aviation director form City Airport in London – he can hardly claim to have not known of the problems. Although I’m sure he’ll try.

Same for Infratil’s Directors: Steve Fitzgerald, Matt Clarke and Lloyd Morrison and the NZ Board – although they’ll no doubt try.

Nor KCC and Paul Carter.

Nor TDC’s councillors.

Nor TDC’s civil servants.

Given KCC have walked away from Manston and the Manston Parkway all that’s left is the farce of TDC pretending that they knew nothing about the goings-on at the airport for years.

It’s another 12 months since the last farcical consultation on night flights and the like.

Silence on Pegwell Bay and aviation fuel from the airport.

And silence from the Environment Agency and Southern water on the merits of a runway on top of the aquifer.

And TDC bumble along.

The farce of election promises either for another night flights consultation or banning night flights after 11pm – as they already are.

And certainly not enforced given last week’s midnight and 3am landings.

Hayton and Harrison of the Airport Committee for the last 5 years.

Button and Berry and Sproates on monitoring for the last 5 years.

McGonigal on fines for the last 5 years – my guesstimate would be c.£2M in missing fines. Certainly far more than the TDC salaries involved.

But no monitoring done.

No fines.

And fake consultations, schtum payoffs, porkie-pies and soon the blame-game.

And silence from Gale and Sandys.

Where are they? What do they think? What have they thought for the last 5 years?

And silence on Thor mercury as to why that was banned in 19889 but still operating and polluting.

What shoddy scum and scoundrels we have elected and paid from the rates.

And so foolish they'd even endanger their own families and frienss - even themselves.

And continue to do so even now.

Direct rule from Westminster, P45’s, repaying of schtum-money, recharging back to Party head office and council tax strikes are relevant – with Police investigation and jail sentences.

No tax-jobs for poisoning your own citizens.

No votes for poisoning your own citizens.

And what if there’s a plane crash now?

Time for Change.