Travelling Friends

One of the benefits of doing a RTW trip is that you make friends all over the place, and one such kindred spirit was Kaori Hama, whom I met in Istanbul. She was also doing a RTW, having lived in Brazil and Dominican Republic for a couple of years, and was on the home run back to Japan. We kept in touch, and last weekend she "popped over" to visit.



Fortunately for her (although she claimed credit for it) the weather has been marvellous, sunshine, hardly a cloud in the sky, and at most a gentle breeze (aside from a nippy spell one day), so was perfect for lots of walks and outdoor activities. She brought me some Yebisu The Hop, my favourite beer from Japan:



It's in the fridge.. waiting for an appropriate moment to be enjoyed. During her visit we managed to try Persian (Iranian) food on the Iranian New Year (by chance) at Kandoo in Edgware Road, and Ethiopian at Abyssinia in Cricklewood, both very nice. Kaori's specification was that she didn't particularly want to eat Japanese food, a slight shame as a new place, Maguro, has just opened just round the corner from me in Lanark Place!

Anyway, Kaori left this morning, flying back to Tokyo just as a cargo plane crashes at Narita. I think her flight has been diverted to Haneda (the other airport). Safe journey home!

Airport Development on St. Helena

The Jubilee Room, upstairs from Westminster Hall was the scene for an adjournment debate today called for by Meg Munn MP on the subject of Airport Development on St. Helena.



The debate was timely, given the international development secretary Douglas Alexander’s announcement yesterday that the project would remain on hold whilst a new consultation exercise was undertaken.

The debate was called to press the government for a decision to continue with the project, and Meg Munn opened with a speech covering the history of the project, its importance to the island, the alternatives and why they have been rejected, and the shameful tactics the government has adopted in stalling since last year.

She highlighted the difference in approach to the Falkland Islands, which has fewer residents yet receives far greater support. Indeed the St. Helena airport also provides an additional runway for the MOD’s air-link to the Falklands. Meg Munn called on the minister present (Michael Foster MP) to confirm the principle that overseas territories should always have first call on DfID development funds.

She then gave way to Anne Snelgrove, MP for Swindon, who highlighted the link in terms of friends and family with the UK, especially as a large number of those living in the UK from the island are in her constituency. In fact, one of the door keepers in the House of Commons is a Saint, as the islanders are known.


Meg Munn MP, Peter Allport (Snelco), and Anne Snelgrove MP

Meg then continued, noting that discussions regarding the airport have been on-going since 1947, but the current project has run for 9 years. The contracts had been signed, the company ready, teams in place on the island to start. Inward investment is ready and awaiting the runway, including £80-100m through Shelco, and the 6* hotel plans supported by the UN and two DfID enquiries. The key to the whole project is to reduce the dependency on the UK, and DfID’s own economists have confirmed that the airport is the best way to support this in developing a sustainable conomy.

Of course the airport contractor needs certainty – it would be extremely expensive to restart the whole tender process, and doubtful as to whether any companies would want to engage in the project given the history. It is also the people’s choice, with a referendum confirming 72% of islanders support the project. The island is in decline as its financial demands on the UK rise, this is therefore the time for the government to keep its longstanding promise, and the recession provides an additional reason to get on with it rather than another lame excuse for delay.

Meg then gave way to Bob Russell MP, the Chair of the St Helena Parliamentary Committee, who mentioned the demonstration and petition handed in to Downing Street last week.


Bob Russell MP

Speaking with passion and anger, he explained that he did not expect the shameful ministerial statement yesterday, published this morning, and feels a deep sense of betrayal. No government minister has ever visited the island. Royalty has, but never the government. He wondered whether it was DfID or the dead hand of the treasury behind this? It is absolute shameful betrayal when the contract was about to be let, and is inexcusable. Why are the Falklands and St. Helena treated so differently?

Michael Foster MP, minister from DfID, thanked Meg Munn and noted that the debate was timely, though he wanted to use it more widely and elaborate on the government’s policy in general. He acknowledged that there was no getting away from the issue of St. Helena, and claimed that at root, the government shares Bob Russell and Meg Munn’s support for the island. However, they have to take stock as circumstances have changed, hence the consultation that is being launched so that all views can be heard. The pause is necessary because of the changed economic circumstances, which are very different to 2005 and 7. The government has to be sure that the possible levels of expenditure remain appropriate.

He noted that the company has offered to maintain the bid until April – it was up to them as to what they decided to do after the latest announcement yesterday.

Overseas territories do occupy a special place in their plans, however they do not have first call on DfID funds. It is first call on reasonable aid. Other territories were also suffering. He then started going into the general worsening situation in developing countries across the world, quoting examples such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia, that export markets were reducing and that British overseas aid funds were not stretching as far.

Bob Russell then interrupted to ask the simple question: Will the minister accept that the people on this island are British?

Foster continued, saying this was already clear, then went back to his developing nations speech. Ethiopia has apparently received 15 million from DfID for a particular project etc.

Meg Munn then interrupted, saying that she understands completely the concerns regarding the developing world. But the point is that the cost of not building the airport will be more than building – we as a group and Island want to save money – yielding more to be used elsewhere.


Michael Foster

Michael Foster then suggested that a pause and review is good fiscal management, and that the DfID wants to remain flexible. The projected cost of the airport is of a level that makes it significant in the department’s priorities. He couldn’t go into the tender estimates, but the estimated cost had tripled since 2005, and was more than the 100million being quoted in the press.

Snellgrove interrupted to ask how much the ship would cost to keep going and replace, surely these other costs are also escalating over time?

Foster said that early next month there would be a consultation paper, and he couldn’t go into details today. It would look in more detail at the factors surrounding any decision, and some options for access, including the airport and one or more ship options. He invited contributions from all and it would include a visit to the island. What would this tell us that we don’t know today, he posed the obvious question? It was not for him to pre-judge!

Bob Russell rose to ask: What exactly is new about this consultation? As we fail to build the airport, the economy continues to decline.

Foster replied that things have changed – the world’s economic conditions, and it is only prudent that we reflect on this. He was aware of frustrations but these were exceptional times. St Helena is remote but the islanders are aware of the global challenges. He hoped that there would be strong participation in consultation.

Time was then up, the debates having a strict half an hour to proceed before the next one started immediately. The almost full crowd gallery (20 people or so) all emptied as a young MP started talking about car parking in Richmond!

In the hall afterwards, I asked Meg Munn whether she thought anything had been achieved. Not much, but it is important to keep up the pressure on the government, she replied. Your reporters own thoughts on the debate are that it was helpful in continuing to highlight the deplorable way the government is behaving, but there was certainly no signs of them yielding, and I thought Michael Foster padding his speech out with waffle about developing nations was disgraceful. No clear reason has been given for the suspension, no clear reason for the delay, no clear reason for the new consultation. Bob Russell had it spot on when he asked what exactly was new about this latest consultation. I wondered whether this was a ploy to push the airport contractors into reducing their bid, but Meg Munn thought not. The inexplicable behaviour of a paranoid and vindictive government continues to baffle…

Update: Link to Hansard record of debate here (starts half way down) and continues in the next section).

One Ship is Not Enough!

Saint Helena is a British protectorate island in the South Atlantic, small in size but huge in significance to the UK and her history: this was the island that Napoleon was held on after being captured; here ships stopped in on the way to and from Africa and Asia, building the Empire; the Saints as the islanders are known are an eclectic racial mix famed for their hospitality as much as the island they inhabit.


View Larger Map

The only way of reaching the island currently is by boat, either your own or via a single Royal Mail Ship which is reaching end of life and operates an infrequent and expensive service. Thus it has been proposed to build an airport on the island, a project that was about to commence until the Treasury put an unexplained hold on it.

The project is an essential lifeline for the island - this is not about building an extra runway on a busy hub, this is about a single crucial link to an otherwise isolated island, which will benefit residents and enable tourism as a source of income. Given that the island currently is subsidised by the Government, this project will end up paying for itself. Why the hold-up?

Hence the protest today.



The crowd assembled opposite Downing Street at midday. I would estimate that around 50 people had turned out, and several had placards, along with a large banner. "Save Saint Helena; Build the Airport Now" was the chant, as we were marshaled for various photographs.



People were very friendly, as were the large contingent of police out to supervise us, and I was asked several times (by attendees, not police!) about my connection with the island. It is simply that my old boss from Railtrack, Vince Thompson, has emigrated there with his wife April. Several people knew or knew of Vince, including Brian, Fred and Tracy Williams.



In fact I hoped to visit when in Cape Town, but the cost and frequency of the boat proved prohibitive. I would certainly like to visit some day though, whether on my own boat, on the new plane to the new airport, or perhaps by a charity swim from Namibia!

So, after some time a delegation from the group went to Downing Street to present the petition regarding the airport, and on their return we marched down Whitehall to Parliament Square, where more photos were taken with Big Ben as a backdrop, and the MP championing the island's cause, Bob Russell MP (Chair of the St Helena All Party Parliamentary Group) addressed the group, to applause and thanks from those assembled.

All in all a successful day, and the Gods are certainly smiling upon the demands, as shown by the "island weather" enjoyed by the protesters today! A Windhoek beer would surely complete the picture :)

More information about Saint Helena on Wikipedia here, or another island site here, the RMS ship which currently serves the island here, and their weekly newspaper is available for download here.

FYI: Here is the Private Eye report about the situation from a couple of issues ago:

ST HELENA AIRPORT
Eye 1227, 9 January – 22 Jan. 2009
Expect Delays
The announcement that there is to be a “pause” in plans for an airport on the remote south Atlantic island of St Helena is trying the patience of the Saints – as the islanders call themselves.

International development secretary Douglas Alexander told parliament that “in light of the changed economic climate” there would be a pause in negotiations to allow discussion on value for money options for access to the island.

The island (population 3,900) is currently reached by infrequent mail boat from Cape Town, but the RMS St Helena is due to reach the end of its working life next year. It was hoped that the airport would bring in tourism and replace the £16m-a-year subsidy the island currently gets from the Department for International Development (DfID) to supplement money earned through coffee, honey and fishing. If successful, the £100m airport would pay for itself.

Of course the airport plans wouldn’t be affected by the downturn if the project hadn’t been so dogged by delay. In 2006, after years of feasibility studies and modelling by consultants Atkins, all three bidders pulled out complaining about the lack of detailed site information and saying the project was too high risk (Eye 1167). A new shortlist of two bidders wasn’t ready until January 2008 and Italian firm Impreglio SpA was only selected as preferred bidder in October. With the contract apparently imminent, Impreglio staff visited in November to assess the local workforce and facilities.

Islanders fear the current pause could result in the scheme going tits up yet again. To lose one set of bidders was unfortunate, to botch it now would look like carelessness.

To contact the Eye team, email strobes@private-eye.co.uk

Update: The protest featured in a news item on BBC Oxfordshire, as many former Saints now live in Swindon. Unfortunately the report will have been removed by now.

I will report back when any new reports become available.

Bring on the computers

One feels moved to ask: What is the point?


Royal Oak Ticket Office Opening Hours

And the worse bit is that outside these hours, the staff are there, hidden away in their office drinking tea, they just don't bother manning the ticket window. Lazy sods.

Still, even though the service is awful, at least the art is interesting! Does this hollow loaf say something about what TfL offers?:



My vote would be beefing up river transport, let's have major ***and travelcard inclusive*** river services between Docklands and Greenwich, to town, and out West.



Incidentally if you're interested in sub-terranean London, check out this site here: http://www.sub-urban.com/ - these guys are crazy, getting access to and following the drains and tunnels that criss-cross London (and elsewhere), and recording photographically what they see.


1984 on National Express East Anglia

To read more about London and its transport development, I'd recommend London Reconnections, a fantastic blog which discusses the whole scene in fascinating detail.

Views of Randolph Avenue