Is this a runway to nowhere?
THE extension of the airport runway, as we have previously said, polarises opinion. It has placed Economic Development in a corner which, despite the often-aggressive nature of its president’s politics, it is unable to punch its way out of.
To one side it has failed by refusing to propose the runway extension.
To the others it has failed the community, ‘wasting’ some £300,000, to commission an experts’ report when it should have simply dismissed the matter out of hand at an earlier stage.
And then others believe the committee has failed by refusing to make a firm decision, in favour of kicking this issue down the road for a political lifetime, and shifting the responsibility altogether to another committee.
You can’t please all of the people all of the time – or for deputies, seemingly any of the people any of the time. Maybe the airport runway, in its own way, is even more difficult an issue for them than the ever-unpopular goods and services tax.
Their problem is that there may be benefit in the proposal. But there’s a lot of negativity in the project as well, not least its hefty price tag, which currently offers the ultimate ‘get out of jail’ card for dithering politicians. Deputy Simon Vermeulen’s promised amendment to keep the extension on the table arguably doesn’t really help either. Despite all efforts, this isn’t going away.