inel

This not-so-subtle cartoon is my choice to accompany yesterday’s story, Public ‘misled’ over Heathrow pollution, highlighting government deception on Heathrow air quality.
For more cartoons, do check out 21 competition entries, later:   

No words necessary: The cartoonists tackle climate change

Blind Date by Gamboni Italy Climate Change Cartoon Contest Runner Up 03 July 2008 (deliberate blur by me)

From The Sunday Times
July 6, 2008
Public ‘misled’ over Heathrow pollution
Jon Ungoed-Thomas

The government’s adviser on air quality has warned that ministers are “pulling the wool” over the public’s eyes to justify building a third runway at Heathrow.

Mike Pilling, who chairs the government’s expert group on air quality, said the public were being misled over claims that Heathrow’s expansion would not cause unlawful and dangerous levels of pollution.

His comments came as it emerged that Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary, has been forced by the scale of the public backlash to postpone her decision on expansion. It was due this summer, but sections of it are now likely to be rewritten.

This weekend the National Trust also came out in opposition to the expansion proposal and to plans by Nats, the air traffic service, to redraw flight routes across the country to ease congestion.

…

The full article is worth reading.

Extending the argument further:

• air quality is the immediate, visible thin end of the wedge
• climate change is the long-term, invisible thick end of that same wedge

Any government that practises deception on this scale on the easy day-to-day issues of air quality, is too dangerous to trust with lifetime challenges as serious and as urgent as climate change.  How can people sit back and ignore this?!  (Oh, sorry, I forgot.  You are busy watching sport …)

P.S.  Now listening on iTunes to this soulful song, thinking of the residents of Sipson who will have to be removed, and the rest of us who have been deceived, by this government if Heathrow expansion goes ahead:

Aretha Franklin Border Song (Holy Moses) Lyrics

Holy Moses, I have been removed, 
I have seen the spectre, he was been here too, 
Distant cousin from down the line 
Brand of people who ain’t my kind 
Holy Moses, I have been removed 

Holy Moses, I have been deceived
Now the wind has changed direction I think I’ll have to leave 
Won’t you please excuse my frankness but it’s not my cup of tea 
Holy Moses, I have been deceived

Yes I have! 

I’m going back to the border 
Where my affairs, my affairs ain’t been abused 
I can’t take any more bad water 
I’ve been poisoned from my head down to my shoes

Yes I have! 

Holy Moses, I have been removed

Holy Moses, can we live in peace?
Let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease 
There’s a man standing over there, 
What’s his colour? do you care? 
Holy Moses, can we live in peace?
Holy Moses, can we live in peace?
Holy Moses, can we live—
I wonder can we can we can we live—in peace?