Aug 03 2007
Britain can’t cope with the popularity of travel
I have been on holiday whilst a colleague posted my thoughts on the UK’s crumbling infrastructure which I wrote before I went.
I discovered on my journey that apparently there is a serious?? risk of a terrorist??attack on small planes taking a handful of people to remote islands in the UK from regional airports. We were treated to the similar security checks as people flying on large jumbos across the Atlantic from Heathrow. One passenger who was unaware of the detail in the rules was sent back from the security area for showing the staff a tube of something (clearly small enough to be well under?? the 100 ml limit) without it being in a plastic bag, only to find she had to pay 20p for a plastic bag to put this item in for the split second it took the staff member to confirm it was fine! I was one of those selected?? to take my shoes off.
It is high time the government reviewed its rules for airports, and compiled some that try to match the risk to the severity of the inspection. It should also apply some commonsense to who is searched and how they are searched. The government has still failed to explain why there are so many different security procedures at airports and none that affect the passengers directly at tube stations.
It is not a crime or a sin for people to want to take a holiday. It takes some of the pleasure and good away from the hoiliday when people are treated so badly at our major airports, and subject to such long delays and procedures before being allowed on a plane. If we need lots of security, then BAA should increase the space and the staff available to do the searches so they can be done without waiting.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Why is it always the case that when a senior politican is suddenly subjected to the same level of bureaucracy as the general public put up with on a day to day basis (usually at airports) they come back ranting and raving about how ridiculous it is.
Could it be there is too much bureaucracy? You’ve probably never been made redundant and had to apply for jobseekers allowance. Ever tried to get a tax rebate of a few hundred quid or do you have an accountant? Being a VIP your mobile phone account will be held on a special list dealt with by highly trained people rather than undervalued and frustrated battery hens. When your office calls the local council or a civil service department to take something up on behalf of a constituent your enquiry will be flagged as ‘VIP’ and receive special attention.
Now I’m probably being a bit unfair, as I’m sure the Palace of Westminster is a highly bureacratic place, however all it (and the Cabinet) ever churns out these days is yet more bureacracy. When is someone going to introduce a bill, to sole purpose of which, is just to get rid of all the legislation we don’t need?
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