G7 summit at Carbis Bay

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Vierwielen
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G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by Vierwielen »

Carbis Bay, close to St Ives, has been chosen to host the 2021 G7 summit. (See this report). This will be a first for the resort, but it is not without problems. Security is a problem at any G7 support, but unlike having such a summit in a city, the police do have the option of closing off the roads into the village to all apart from residents and accredited guests. Also, it is quite a hike for "rent-a-mob" - six hours by coach from London with nowhere to stay overnight.

There is of course a "circus" that accompanies any such summit. It appears that the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth is earmarked to play a leading role in the conference while Newquay Airport (41 km/26 miles) as the crow helicopter flies is likely to be the main way of getting to Cornwall. Of course, getting from Newquay to Carbis Bay presents its own set of problems. It is likely that the VIPs will travel by helicopter, but will the main part of the circus travel by coach or by hire car, and will they come by air or will they use the the train. Rail enthusiasts will of course be aware that the Paddington to Penzance route has a variety of signalling systems ranging from ERTMS on the section close to Paddington. As one travels westwards, one sees older and older types of signalling and after crossing the Tamar, semaphore signals are still to be seen.

In all, the transport logistics of this summit makes for an interesting read.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by KeithW »

Carbis Bay as a you say has railway station and there is a park and ride site at St Erth but it is indeed a long trip. I concur that os probable would be that the VIP's would be flown to Newquay airport (ex RAF St Mawgan) as it has a 2,700 m runway and shuttled from there to Carbis Bay by helicopter. British Airways has flights between Heathrow and Newquay so the press can also fly in to Newquay and hire a car. Newquay has had 747's land there before so Joe Biden could fly in on Air Force One and it should be adequate for Airbus aircraft too.

Being an ex RAF base it should also be relatively easy to secure and it has plenty of room to handle helicopters.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by B1040 »

It will be a good boost for parts of the local economy after a challenging year, although I fear there will be little "trickle down" for many of the local people.
I agree that the transport logistics will be interesting, but not insurmountable.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by KeithW »

B1040 wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 09:50 It will be a good boost for parts of the local economy after a challenging year, although I fear there will be little "trickle down" for many of the local people.
I agree that the transport logistics will be interesting, but not insurmountable.
I would imagine the extra trade for hotels, restaurants and bars would be pretty good for the local people many of whom work in those industries. It's happening in early June which is at the start of the main season. Knowing journalists alcohol sales should boom :)
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by B1040 »

You're right that the journalists and the like will benefit the catering industry.
I was thinking that the main show will probably remain fairly isolated, possibly with catering brought in from outside.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by avtur »

The 'circus' the follows, or more rightly, precedes Air Force One has to be seen to be believed. Typically they'll want to be as totally self-sufficient as possible, bringing their own helicopters and ground vehicles, even the fuel for Air Force One itself will probably be flown in fully loaded ground tankers. There will be a huge amount of activity carrying out background checks on anyone that works in any position that interacts with the venue, airport etc. I dealt with the Air Force One circus in the USA, even when it's on home soil the security is extraordinarily tight.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by roadtester »

I'd have thought one risk with this being a coastal location - although mainly of embarrassment rather than to security - would be of some sort of protest by Cornish fishermen having what might politely be called second thoughts about the desirability of Brexit.

Of course there will be a strict cordon, but the potential for bad visuals with Cod War style clashes between RN patrol vessels and angrily helmed trawlers must exist.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by WHBM »

avtur wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:27 I dealt with the Air Force One circus in the USA, even when it's on home soil the security is extraordinarily tight.
The hoopla I recall in San Francisco when just the President's wife (it was Michelle Obama) visited was extraordinary, half the city was shut down for it.

Sometimes even British "security" gets carried away. Friends lived in the 1980s-90s in Earls Court, across from where the Royal Military Tattoo took place each year. It was seen as an IRA target, although nothing ever happened. Initially their side street was closed, and their residents' parking permits were extended to be valid elsewhere in the borough, as no parking allowed. Next year no extension. Each year more and more streets were closed, then these streets started to be used for the Tattoo parking their own vehicles in the residents parking bays, which extended to BBC vans, everything, and finally the Tattoo started selling parking places in those very same residents parking slots, where those who lived there and had paid for them were rigorously excluded.

All in the name of "security".
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by FosseWay »

Surely to goodness the quadruple prongs of the communications revolution, the pandemic, climate change and the risk of Rent-a-mob turning up should have put paid to these jollies by now.

Note that I am not suggesting that world leaders shouldn't meet, and having now spent nearly a year conducting work business exclusively via Teams I am also aware of the benefits that face-to-face meetings have over video calls. So yes, it's fine for the G7 leaders, or the EU Council of Ministers or whoever to meet up once in a while.

But there is no justification that I can see for holding them in a place like St Ives. Hold them at a hotel and conference centre next to an airport, for heaven's sake. Such places are already often encompassed by elements of the increased security to be expected at an airport. Holding the meetings there keep the disruption away from the rest of us. The total time spent by the leaders and entourage in getting to and from the summit is reduced.

A couple of years ago the EU CoM summit was held in Gothenburg. OK, it's the country's second city, so it's not a tiny place like St Ives. But instead of holding it at the major international conference centre, or at the airport, they had to hold it in a converted shipyard building on the riverfront, which is surrounded by residential buildings. The authorities closed off the entire route from the airport to the city, plus both possible routes from the city centre to the venue, twice a day (in rush hour) for three days in a row because the dignitaries were staying at the airport. Moreover the people who had the misfortune to live nearby were prevented from coming and going as they wished and were even told not to stand at their windows or on their balconies.

This kind of thing isn't good enough. The whole concept of a Royal Progress where dyspeptic voluptuaries travelled around their domains descending on the local population like locusts went out of fashion centuries ago.

And I doubt very much if the G7 summit will do anything for the local economy. It didn't here: in addition to the extra police, traffic management, security and whatever directly associated with the event, the city essentially lost three days' work and retailers three days' income. There were fewer people around on the roads and public transport then than during lockdown.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by roadtester »

The jamboree approach, with host countries wanting to put on a big show to highlight a region of their country or some big project they have going on, is also completely contrary to the original concept of the G6 (as it then was), which was to get the leaders together in a less formal setting with far smaller entourages than than normal so they could discuss big problems more freely than at e.g. the UN.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_G6_summit
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by coneman »

KeithW wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:32
B1040 wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 09:50 It will be a good boost for parts of the local economy after a challenging year, although I fear there will be little "trickle down" for many of the local people.
I agree that the transport logistics will be interesting, but not insurmountable.
I would imagine the extra trade for hotels, restaurants and bars would be pretty good for the local people many of whom work in those industries. It's happening in early June which is at the start of the main season. Knowing journalists alcohol sales should boom :)
You are assuming of course that by June the Covid restrictions will be relaxed enough for the media circus and said journos to empty bars/restaurants of their stock of best Scottish falling down juice to be able to happen.
I honestly would like to be proved wrong, but I can still see the country being under restrictions of some sort even in 6 months time.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by M4 Cardiff »

FosseWay wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 13:42 Surely to goodness the quadruple prongs of the communications revolution, the pandemic, climate change and the risk of Rent-a-mob turning up should have put paid to these jollies by now.

Note that I am not suggesting that world leaders shouldn't meet, and having now spent nearly a year conducting work business exclusively via Teams I am also aware of the benefits that face-to-face meetings have over video calls. So yes, it's fine for the G7 leaders, or the EU Council of Ministers or whoever to meet up once in a while.

But there is no justification that I can see for holding them in a place like St Ives. Hold them at a hotel and conference centre next to an airport, for heaven's sake. Such places are already often encompassed by elements of the increased security to be expected at an airport. Holding the meetings there keep the disruption away from the rest of us. The total time spent by the leaders and entourage in getting to and from the summit is reduced.

A couple of years ago the EU CoM summit was held in Gothenburg. OK, it's the country's second city, so it's not a tiny place like St Ives. But instead of holding it at the major international conference centre, or at the airport, they had to hold it in a converted shipyard building on the riverfront, which is surrounded by residential buildings. The authorities closed off the entire route from the airport to the city, plus both possible routes from the city centre to the venue, twice a day (in rush hour) for three days in a row because the dignitaries were staying at the airport. Moreover the people who had the misfortune to live nearby were prevented from coming and going as they wished and were even told not to stand at their windows or on their balconies.

This kind of thing isn't good enough. The whole concept of a Royal Progress where dyspeptic voluptuaries travelled around their domains descending on the local population like locusts went out of fashion centuries ago.

And I doubt very much if the G7 summit will do anything for the local economy. It didn't here: in addition to the extra police, traffic management, security and whatever directly associated with the event, the city essentially lost three days' work and retailers three days' income. There were fewer people around on the roads and public transport then than during lockdown.
And I bet no compensation for the affected residents either. I can understand that sort of behaviour from a dictatorship government, but not a 'liberal democracy'.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by Al__S »

regarding POTUS, they might fly into Newquay, but more likely they'll use Stansted (the normal airport for UK visits) and transfer by helicopter
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by Ruperts Trooper »

Al__S wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 22:15 regarding POTUS, they might fly into Newquay, but more likely they'll use Stansted (the normal airport for UK visits) and transfer by helicopter
Pity we won't see the Beasts, the two Cadillac presidential limousines.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by KeithW »

M4 Cardiff wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 19:09 And I bet no compensation for the affected residents either. I can understand that sort of behaviour from a dictatorship government, but not a 'liberal democracy'.
Given that governments in democracies really on winning what are in effect popularity contests every few years a degree of showmanship is rather more likely to happen. I doubt Vladimir Putin sees much need to placate the opposition, his usual method to silence criticism starts with arrests. As for compensation the local authorities in Cornwall did not demand any, in fact they welcomed the expected boost for local businesses. This is Cornwall not Cheltenham.

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... 21-4897400

As I recall the last G7 summit was held at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by KeithW »

Al__S wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 22:15 regarding POTUS, they might fly into Newquay, but more likely they'll use Stansted (the normal airport for UK visits) and transfer by helicopter
I beg to differ, its a pretty long helicopter flight from Stansted to Cornwall (250 miles) with a flight time of over 1.5 hours and it makes securing the flight path against shoulder launched surface to air missiles pretty tricky as well as crossing a lot of air lanes, military and civilian. Flying in to Cornwall avoids most of this.

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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by BF2142 »

For G7 leaders, direct flight to Newquay then heli to Carbis Bay. Penzance Heliport is <10 miles away and could be used as a backup waiting area. Everyone else, fly to Newquay then hire a car. Good luck parking around there in the summer :lol: Logistically I think this is an easy trip and I don't see much in the way of problems. It'll give West Cornwall some nice publicity and hopefully bring some investment attention to the planned launch facility at Newquay Airport too.
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by A303Chris »

Land at Newquay, travel by coach via A3059, A39, A30 and A3074 to Carbis Bay.

Then all the G7 and invited guests can see the Carland Cross to Chiverton Improvements and ask what's going on here. Boris can say it's a new road to finish the expressway to the far south west. Been on the books 30 years, took 3 years to go through planning and will take 3 years to build.

At which point Merkel goes really, in Germany we would do it all in three years :D
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by Al__S »

A303Chris wrote: Mon Jan 25, 2021 13:43
At which point Merkel goes really, in Germany we would do it all in three years :D
As her how long it takes to build an airport?
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Re: G7 summit at Carbis Bay

Post by exiled »

In terms of location, it is a good one for security reasons, being at the far end of Cornwall and so can be sealed off. Notable that they have been avoiding big cities for years after Genoa. It has also been used for tourism situation.

Doesn't stop the protests though.
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