Boris Johnson has been convincing Conservatives. He also had a meal with Justine Greening MP on her appoitnment to her position as Transport Secretary. Coincidence?
George Osborne the Chancellor of Exchequer is said to have changed his mind on Estuary Airport
The spin from our Medway MPs that the government has 'no plans' for an airport now stands in absolute tatters this weekend as article after article come out in favour of a Number 10 move on the Estuary Airport proposal.
Three major broad-sheets have covered the news that George Osborne and Steve Hilton - key power-players in Westminster - are now baking the scheme. The airport may even feature in the November financial statement should George Osborne wish to discuss infrastructure investments.
Conservative Party, Boris Johnson who has been the major cheer-leader for the bulldozing of the Peninsula is due to speak tomorrow, citing that the Estuary airport is a serious plan and is not a 'pie-in-the-sky'
This is a direct snub to Medway residents and highlights once and for all the utter failure of the Medway Conservative 'pie-in-the-sky' campaign. Time and time and time again they have been told to stop treating this issue as a 'pie-in-the-sky' joke and run a proper, funded and visual campaign.
Such a campaign was run against Cliffe in 2002/2003 and resulted in a win for the community.
This is not a new issue; it has been ongoing for three / four years and at every time the goal-posts have slipped a notch. From a Boris Island, to Cliffe and now to Grain; we see a constant notch movement by Conservatives, and it is Conservatives make no mistake, to effectively engage the public in a debate on an issue.
The accusation is that the Conservatives are trying to soften up the public appetite by having a proxy-debate on the airport to ascertain local opposition. This is why a funded campaign locally is so important.
This is also the failure of Mark Reckless, Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chisthi. They have all been too easily duped by the 'no plans' argument as a quick win to shut down local debate. As this blog has consistently stated; a time-limited 'plans' response allows significant lee-way for future movement.
Those that have wanted to campaign have been rebuffed as crying 'wolf' as 'spinning' and trying to manufacture an issue; but when every Sunday newspaper publishes the same story and you are aware of active lobbying behind closed doors, what more can the opposition do then moan loudly which have done for years..
People are now asking how local MPs have called it so wrong, and rest assured the people of the Peninsula will have their day at the ballot box in 2015; but it is time now, finally, for Conservatives to put the community first.
They need to accept that the community on the Peninsula needs a properly funded and visual campaign to oppose this airport plan and they need it now.
Time for talk is over; get your boots on, get the lamp-post signs up and fight the government as hard as you can.
The Peninsula faces an existential threat; it will cease to be a place if Boris, Hilton and George Osborne get their way; only the ruling Conservative group has the ability and resources to run a proper campaign and work the leavers of influence in Gun Wharf.
They need to do so now.
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