Flying Again

Now the planes are once again in the air, questions are being asked about whether they should have been grounded in the first place. I am not qualified to comment on the science. I do know that there was little experince of this type of ash cloud, but there was some. In the end test flights by the airlines and discussions with engine makers led to a re-assessment.

What this does reveal is the absolute impracticality of a health and safety regime in any walk of life or human activity predicated on the principle of zero risk. The authorities stoutly declared that they had ‘a zero tolerance of ash’. This is as barmy as a zero tolerance of rain. If these blanket organisations are to exist (I am not convinced they should) rather than the individual judgement of those engaged in whatever it is, a rational basis of assessing risk and measuring acceptability is a pre-requisite. As greater global interdependence develops, with events and responses having ever wider effect, a more measured approach is demanded. Sitting at a desk and taking the easy route to a nights sleep, while that decision leaves hundreds of thousands stranded in deprivation and difficulty across the world will not any longer do.

We need to know that there is no such thing as absolute safety in anything beyond sitting at home in a chair, nor is zero tolerence a phrase with coherent meaning about anything in a real world.