UK people - Make your voice heard regarding the sale of the national forests

I'm sure you've all heard by now that the current government (under the direction of David Cameron's Conservatives and supported by the Lib Dems) want to sell the majority of the UK's publically owned forests to private companies.

There is a public consultatin in progress at the moment. You can see the proposals and fill in a survey of your oppinions by following this link:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england-pfeconsultation
(document and survey links on the right of the page)

You can find out the date and time of your local public consultation by calling one of the numbers on this page:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-8dfgg2

Please speak out against these appalling plans. If we don't soon that land will no longer belong to all of us.

not that i know anything about it, but i thought it was leasing the land, not selling?

Sigh. When will people learn that immediate profits are future liabilities?

A combination of the two.

They want to sell 50% of the public forests and lease the rest (on 150yr leases - far longer than the lifespan of ANY company).

It is absolutely disgusting. It has taken over 100 years to acquire the land that makes up the national parks and forests and they want to wipe it out in the blink of an eye.

This is bullshit!

-edit-

As in, the plans to sell off the land, not Seye's claims.

Seriously man, wtf are they thinking?

Depressing. Happenning all over unfortunately.

And Seye, there are lots of companies that last longer than 150 years, especially banks. They change name, they might even change what they do, but their investments live on in some kind of corporate portfolio or another. I assume you've seen the movie / read the book "The Corporation" ?

I agree that its a very real threat. After all, corporations are completely Amoral, and live only to create profit. there is not as much profit in maintaining a beautiful environment as there is in wood chips Therefore a corporation will always choose to cut down a forest it owns, sooner or later (of course, a carbon economy could potentially support the preservation of forests, but it probly wont work out that way).

Pyro - Yes I have and I know ;-) I probably should have said 'The type of companies that are likely to take the leases and buy the land don't last 150 years.'

This will only result in the return of public land to a small number of wealthy families. The very situation that the people of this nation have spent the last 400 years resolving.

My major objection is not even about destruction of the forest or lack of access. It is more fundamental than that. Currently this land is owned by the state and by extension 'the people'. No-one has the right to sell off assets owned by the people without their permission and it is evident from people's oppinions that we do not give our permission.

Ironically I just spotted that it is UN 'Year of the Forests' http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8BZHSM - What a way to celebrate!

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Government-Is-To-Abandon-Plans-To-Sell-Off-Englands-Public-Forests-Sky-Sources-Say/Article/201102315933326?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_4&lid=ARTICLE_15933326_Government_Is_To_Abandon_Plans_To_Sell_Off_Englands_Public_Forests%2C_Sky_Sources_Say

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12488847

:-D

this made me wonder if the government was capable of suggesting a policy doomed to fail so everybody would feel like efficient little protesters for a bit, believing the goverment had listened to them and not get the same ideas as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain . . .

But then I realised it probably was just hopeless incompetence.

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campa...d=fc-great-news

so it looks like the govement have thank fully u turn on this plan. how ever we have some seriuosly beautiful forests which must be protected