Chocks away

Hurrah, after almost a week of being grounded, we are free to fly. The Icelandic ash had very little impact on my life but was clearly a miserable time for stranded air passengers and the airlines. And the Government knew that which is why the idea that it sat on its hands deliberately trying to being unhelpful during the middle of an election campaign is ridiculous. In the face of huge pressure, Andrew Adonis, Transport Secretary extraordinaire, took the advice of Civil Aviation Authority and, abiding by the regulations set by aircraft manufacturers themselves, put passenger safety above the commercial well-being of the airlines. Isn't that what we want and expect our politicians to do? Isn't that what they failed to do in the run up to the banking crisis? So why are opposition politicians now criticising Adonis and demanding an immediate inquiry? Would they have seriously overruled the regulator? Their response is an excellent example of why coalition government won't work in Westminster - too many politicians are incapable of resisting the urge to play petty politics when they should be thinking about the public interest.