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Plane Stupid's Day of Action

imcista | 05.11.2006 15:38 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | London | Sheffield

Co-ordinated actions under the banner of Plane Stupid - including the occupation of Easyjet's London headquarters - took place today as part of a national campaign against short haul flights. Conceived at this summer's highly successful Climate Camp and enabled by the formation of affinity groups in Sheffield, Cambridge, Manchester, Southampton and London, it follows on from the occupation of East Midlands Airport, dubbed Climate Camp 2 in September.

Travel agents closed: London and pictures | Bristol | Manchester | Cambridge | Reading
Other Actions : Easyjet HQ occupation | Leeds/Bradford airport protest | London Rising Tide invade CAA | Day of action in Manchester
Background Information : Climate Camps 1,2&3 | Plane Stupid website | Blair's speech at launch of Stern review



Today's actions were part of an ongoing and accelerating drive to force the government to stop talking and start acting. Encouragement for this came from George Monbiot, speaking at Saturday's Climate March where he called for an "everyday campaign of direct action, every day until the year 2030", until carbon emissions are cut by 90%.

45% of all flights within Europe are less than 500km in length: the distance from London to the Scottish border.

And since the aviation industry pays no tax on fuel or VAT on transactions it allows airline companies to sell tickets for one fifth of the equivalent peak rail fare - pushing people onto the planes when less destructive means of transport are available. Subsidies - that is free money given to the airlines by you and me - are now running at nine billion pounds a year.

Clearly this gives the lie to the Government's claim to be putting climate change at the very top of the agenda.

imcista

Additions

Short haul flights are a perk for the rich

07.11.2006 19:41

75% of flights in the UK are taken by people in social groups ABC. 11% of the population takes 50% of the flights, and the bottom 25% only take 6%.

The average income of a Stansted user is £47,000 - and that's a 'budget airport'!

Plane Stupid
mail e-mail: info@planestupid.com

Comments

Display the following 32 comments

  1. Stelios — FATW
  2. Very good...but — steffaction
  3. Class analysis of climate change? — not a number
  4. well — debater
  5. Class analysis? — Ground all flights
  6. Plane Stupid: how dumb can this lot get? — Courtney Hamilton
  7. err — fred
  8. easygroup and easyjet — FATW
  9. Plane Stupid is no alternative — Courtney Hamilton
  10. hey courtney... — confused...
  11. Courtney — fred
  12. Plane Stupid are plain stupid, here's why — Courtney Hamilton
  13. Wrong target, wrong tactics, wrong protest — ?
  14. Travel agents - 'awareness raising' not alienating — In-Frequent Flyer
  15. I just don't get it — ?
  16. Good action — Sim1
  17. This is good — greg
  18. Misguided Campaign — ?
  19. It's not the working class. — Bill
  20. Embarrassment — ?
  21. Read up on stuff before you comment — Becca Lush
  22. Plane Bloody Stupid — ?
  23. There is no excuse! — Jean
  24. How dare you! — Pompous Gainsayer
  25. Rail fares need targeting — Tim McGee
  26. Fuel Duty — DoubtingThomas
  27. Oi dont' be stupid this is not only a class issue ! — Tom
  28. Air traffic and lack there of in the past — Annette
  29. Plane Stupid Campaigners are Plane Stupid — Edward
  30. Disinformation alert — A Barnett
  31. courtney hamilton — A Barnett
  32. what on earth has it got to do with class? — brian