Letter to The Guardian

Written by Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP and published in The Guardian (3rd March 2007) on Mon 12th Feb 2007

Tony Blair will embark on a mission to save the world from global warming after leaving office, according to Jackie Ashley (Guardian, Feb 12th).

I wish him good luck, and agree that 'all that matters is the result'. But I cannot see how the cause is advanced through his present commitment to double UK air traffic and promote construction of hugely polluting second runways at Heathrow and Stansted to accommodate the vast increase.

This hypocrisy, of which countries like India and the US will be well aware, diminishes the prospect of success of his 'diplomatic crusade' (sic) to persuade them to sign up to Kyoto 2. When they ask 'what are you doing?', his reply 'doubling flights' is unlikely to impress.

Only a self-deluding fantasist would believe that his contradictory 'legacy' meets the test of New Labour's vaunted 'joined-up government'. Blair must either live in a parallel universe to the rest of us, or be simply incapable of recognising the facts and practising honesty and truth.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Ludford