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Freedom to Defy
(The Democratic Process, That Is)

New Ground 65
Summer 2003

Is the aviation industry making policy decisions that should be taken by government? John Stewart fears that it is - or will be soon if we don’t stop it.

"What they're lobbying for is the privatisation of policy-making itself." So wrote the radical Indian author, Arundhati Roy, in 2001 in her book The Algebra of Infinite Justice. Roy was talking about the worldwide water industry. She could have been referring to the UK aviation industry. Far fetched? I think not. After several years lobbying on aviation, I am coming to the view that the industry wants to own the policy-making process. And there are signs that, with government connivance, it may get away with it.

I don't want to exaggerate this. Some industries have always been close to particular government departments. The roads lobby, for example, had a very cosy relationship with the old Department of Transport (DT) until that was blown apart by the 1990s revolt against roadbuilding.

But what is emerging now is something qualitatively different. The economic study on which the forthcoming Aviation White Paper will be based is effectively an industry study. The aviation industry commissioned consultants Oxford Economic Forecasting to carry out the work, and then asked the DT if it would like to support it. The study was then published by the department as if it had commissioned it!

Other examples of the industry's influence on policy-making are found in the recent consultation into airport expansion. The industry's analysis shaped the policy-making process: a lot of the apparently neutral information in the consultation was based on work carried out by the industry. The industry was then asked to analyse all the responses to the consultation! The job was given to Avia Solutions, whose directors have previously held senior posts with BAA and British Airways and who had helped BA during the consultation.

The industry plays a crucial role in shaping policy. Of course, the aviation industry is not having it all its own way. Key government departments, such as DEFRA, are fighting hard to ensure that aviation policy fits around the government's targets, not the industry's objectives.

Some trade unions have joined the industry pressure group Freedom to Fly. I understand the unions' desire to preserve jobs. But I believe they are making a mistake in aligning themselves so closely with the industry. For much of the industry, jobs are a side issue. What it wants is control of its own destiny so that it can expand at will. It wants to control whatever stands in its way: environmental and concerns; job creation; and, ultimately, policy making itself.

Shortly after stepping down from the job, Chris Mullin said: "During my 18 months as an aviation minister I learned two things about the aviation industry. One, that its demands are insatiable. Two, that successive governments always give way in the end." How long will making policy remain the preserve of government?

John Stewart is the Chair of Transport 2000 and a SERA member.