No to Heathrow

Stop Heathrow Expansion

End-of-Consultation Rally

Central Hall, Westminster

corner of Tothill St and Storey’s Gate (Westminster and St James’s Park tube stations)
25th February 2008, 7pm

The rally to come to! It is a great chance to show the breadth of opposition there is to the expansion proposals. Bring yourself! No charge! Bring your friends!

Be part of the thousands of voices saying ‘No’!

A wide range of speakers! Live Music! Campaign videos!

We have now arranged for a Lobby of Parliament for the same day – see below

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will be speaking at the Rally

Speakers already confirmed include:

Mark Lynas, climate change specialist and author of three books on the subject

Peter Ainsworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment

Caroline Lucas MEP, Principal Speaker for the Green Party

John McDonnell MP, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington

Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor

Councillor Barbara Reid, Hounslow Council cabinet member, representing the 2M group of local authorities

Leo Murray, Plane Stupid

Geraldine Nicholson, Chair No Third Runway Action Group

John Stewart, Chair HACAN

Chair of the event: Baroness Jenny Tonge More details here



I thought I would flag up tonight's rally against Heathrow expansion, good to see the banner hangers flagging it up as well today...jets from Heathrow to Manchester are a product of inflated rail fares...we have no joined up policy for climate change, trade and leave to the market, this simply does not work.

Greenpeace report:

Four Greenpeace climate campaigners have just climbed on top of a Manchester to London plane after it parked at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal One. They are now covering the tailfin with a huge protest banner that reads “CLIMATE EMERGENCY – NO 3rd RUNWAY”.

The Greenpeace volunteers – two women and two men – waited until all the passengers had disembarked from the one hour flight before walking through double doors at Terminal One, crossing an area of tarmac and climbing stairs onto the fuselage of the British Airways flight.

This is from Green Party candidate and Green Left activist Ann Gray:

I oppose any further expansion at Heathrow.



1) The battle against climate change must logically lead to severe restrictions on air travel within a few years, whether by regulation, tax or pricing. So the investment will be wasted and many homes destroyed in vain



2) Public funds should be spent on a second Channel Tunnel, rail improvements and revival of ferry services to the continent instead



3) My home in Haringey is seriously affected by flight paths to both Heathrow and Stansted. Already I cannot sleep well during the peak tourist season (July-August) because of early morning aircraft. Two or three million people in west London are far,far worse affected and their health is destroyed by Heathrow as it is, with a huge incidence of lung disease in Hounslow, Staines etc. The noise and pollution of expanding air traffic are just not acceptable nor are they justified by the supposed benefits of air travel.



4) In continental countries even business executives accept long train journeys (3- 5 hours or overnight on sleepers) as a fact of life. Why can't British travellers do the same ?



5) The proposed Heathrow expansion anyway takes up far more space than it need do for FLIGHTS - it is designed as a shopping centre for the profit of airport operators, cross-subsidizing flights with rents from shops. This is a crazy way to plan an airport.



Anne Gray