Climate Camp: flood victims blockade government office in Leeds

Leeds blockade

Taken from Indymedia: Residents from flood stricken areas of Yorkshire and Humberside today blockaded the Government Office in Leeds to protest at its continued promotion of airport expansion. Inspired by last year’s camp for climate action at Heathrow, the protestors from Hull, South Yorkshire and the Calder Valley used pop-up tents to set up camp and blockade the main entrance.

The timing of the protest coincided with the final stages in the adoption of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) – the area’s fifteen year development plan which is currently on the desk of government minister Baroness Andrews, awaiting final approval. The plan allows for a threefold expansion of passenger flights from Yorkshire and Humberside.

House of Commons: Media round-up

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Wow. What a few days for Plane Stupid! Here’s a round-up of the some of my highlights of the coverage from the action at Parliament.

A personal favourite for me was the Sun expressing doubts about the third runway. The Sun said, "Beneath the antics on the Commons roof lies a serious issue that matters to millions. Airport noise and pollution blight many lives. Expanding Heathrow may benefit the economy — but at what price to the environment?"

Brown, protest and the case for action

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Gordon Brown's comment yesterday, upon hearing that five climate activists had taken to the roof of parliament to highlight collusion between BAA and the DfT over the Heathrow third runway 'consultation', could not have been more untrue.

In one sentence he highlighted just how disconnected with the concerns of the general public this government has become - not to mention how little the disenfranchisement of vast swathes of the population, especially the young, means to him. Hearing him say "decisions get made in the chamber of this house [not on the roof]" must have left those millions of Londoners with no means of objecting to a third runway, the great range of councillors and mayoral candidates whose views on the runway have been completely silenced, and the millions of British citizens deeply worried about climate change, screaming in true panto-style: "OHHH no they don't!".

Plane Stupid vs Parliament

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On Wednesday the 27th of February 2008, Plane Stupid went to Parliament. Watch the video to find out what happened next...

Climate campaigners hang 'NO 3rd RUNWAY' banner before PMQs

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27th February 2008 - Campaigners opposed to Heathrow expansion have scaled the roof of the Houses of Parliament and hung protest banners from the building before Prime Minister's Questions is due to begin.

The three men and two women from climate action group, Plane Stupid, opened an outside door before walking along the roof and dropping two banners. The non-violent direct action comes on the day a government consultation into Heathrow expansion ends. The protesters are making paper aeroplanes out of confidential Whitehall documents that reveal the process is fixed, and gliding the planes into the MPs' car park below.

Virgin update: sour grapes (and coconuts)

Branson Coconut

Oh dear. This weekend we ran a story about how Virgin had been 'freeped' - they'd posted a poll online to gather support for the third runway, only for 94% of people to vote against expansion.

Virgin promised that they would show the poll to the DfT, but news has reached us today that the poll has disapeared - although links to it still exist on their website. Yesterday afternoon it stood at 96% opposed - with over 700 votes against the third runway. Surely El Branson can't have pulled the plug just because people didn't agree with him? Maybe he's sulking, after everyone dismissed his fancy biofuel project as greenwash?