Proper airport security

I recall a letter which we received in September from a concerned passenger who stated that he had noticed that a piece of luggage had been left unattended at the airport and his calls for action fell on deaf ears.

Air travel is not cheap and airport taxes are high. Airports should ensure that security is tight and passenger flow should come in second place after effective security.

In this day and age with the technology which is now available it shouldn't be too difficult to have an almost fool-proof security system.
I understand that being searched and generally hassled by airport security is not a pleasant experience but it is needed and I am sure that most people will understand.

What we can't have is what we have at the moment, airport security which is allegedly tight but still people getting through the net.

Wins some, loses some

When Tony Blair is accused of arrogance and dictatorial tendencies within his government he can always point in defence to the freedom he allows Clare Short to speak her mind. As international development minister Ms Short can be thought of as the voice of the Third World and of the poor and hungry in the Cabinet and it is probable that the prime minister values the position she takes on those issues while also recognising that any attempt to silence her would be counter-productive. She does not get her way on everything, of course. Last week she and Gordon Brown lost the Cabinet battle to stop the sale of an expensive British air traffic control system to Tanzania after arguing that the cost would add to the country's debt problem and that in any case the money would be better spent on basic health and education. But British jobs took priority. Clare Short has also been out of step with her Cabinet colleagues on United States foreign policy. In an interview on the BBC World Service she said that the US needed to “try harder” to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and to help failed states such as Somalia and Congo to get back on their feet.

She criticised those in Washington who said openly that they were not interested in nation building. It has to be remembered that Ms Short was from the start a resolute supporter of the campaign against terrorism but at the same time she recognises that military victory alone will never solve the problems that lead to terrorism.