At around 11pm I read this Guardian article via Twitter 'Forests sell-off abandoned as Cameron orders u-turn.' Could this be true? What did it mean? There was a sudden prolonged flurry of Tweets as forest lovers read the article and pondered it's content. A mood of celebration and wonder grew, and although we were all cautious in assuming too much, there was an overflow and interchange of happiness and gratitude to all who have played a part in campaigning for our public forests.
This response on the Save Our Woods website gives a good analysis, with wise words from Lord Greaves.
I like the Guardian's statement 'In under 3 months the sell-off had united organizations and individuals across the political divide.' Love of our forests has created true, real 'big society' actions!
Outside, the moon shone over the silent trees and a stillness and sense of waiting could be felt in the woods. I was moved to create this little painting to celebrate our forests and our freedom.
14 comments:
I hope David Cameron is praised for abandoning an inappropriate idea rather than ridiculed for supporting it in the first place. The ability to change their minds should be valued in politicians - after all, if they are not prepared to backtrack, there would be no point in campaigning.
Esther
I agree, Esther. It's the same in all walks of life - to admit you were wrong and change course is good. It will be interesting to see what the next steps are.
I woke up to see this on the BBC news site and did a little jump for joy. In regards to what Esther said, it was saddening to see the political top dogs making claims that "this is no way to run a government" and ridiculing Cameron...oddly enough, both criticizing the offending idea and his backtracking all in one. Many people have found themselves at odds with some of the things Mr Cameron has done, but for this, I agree, we should praise him for listening to the people in this case!
I'm so happy that they won't now be selling off our forests, hopefully this now means they will be here for generations to come and will be there for us to enjoy the many benefits they provide for the rest of our lives :)
Rebecca, yes it's great and encouraging that the government has listened to us. I've just been watching Caroline Spelman's Forests announcement (and apology!) and following questions live, via Twitter. There is a great mood of celebration among all us campaigners, as well as commitment to making our voices heard even more as the Forests will be reviewed by a panel.
It's a little hard for me to understand every word but I understood that forests were in danger and the british governement finally decided not to destroy them?..It's a great news! i'm happy to read that!I could not understand why to decide to destroy trees! and your painting is a beautyful tribute to this victory!
Thank you Malyss!
It has been a threat of the publicly owned forests being up for sale, not actual destruction. We love all our forests and want to be able to continue visiting them and using them in all the ways we have done, and to see them continue to be looked after well by the Forestry Commission.
Great news ~ I am sure that the trees and creatures in our forests are dancing with joy too :)
Yes, Anna - I'm sure there are sylvan celebrations and dancing all night till dawn! :)
Your paintings definitely capture your love of the forests. I hope the government does listen to the voices of the people wanting to save the forests.
Thank you, Catherine.
The government does appear to be listening - let's hope this continues!
I can understand you feelings. Around here forests goes down as pylons go up.
It's always sad to see forests cut down, RuneE.
Ingrid, your painting would look great
pinned on someone's lapel - a sign of one's commitment to the environment.
You know, I'm not only worried about forests. I worry about our food supply and our seeds. There are those who want to genetically modify all crops. They say that it is to better feed the world. These claims have fallen far short of the mark. In fact, this science is (mal)employed to the benefit of the biotech industry's bottom line. With GM, the biotech industry can be the feudal lords they have always aspired to be, constantly extracting fees from farmers caught in the GM web.
Prospero, thank you. The painting is actually very small, and if reproduced to size would fit on a lapel!
Your point about our crops is very interesting and illuminating. It is a subject I know very little about, and I attended a seminar about synthetic biology a few days ago which was really my first informative introduction to genetic modification. It feels wrong.
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