Can't see the wood?

That's because the Government are happy to see all the trees cut down. Or, more typically for the Tories, offloading them so other people can save them the bother of having to do it themselves:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12314781

The comment from their so-called Environment Secretary is particularly laughable. Exactly how taking something that belongs to the nation, if nature can belong to anybody, selling it off and just assuming the new owners will have the best interests of the environment at heart (or, worse, simply not caring if they do or not) constitutes an environmental protection brief is completely lost on me.

But this is, again, a move driven by dogma. There is no resource, no asset, nothing that the Tories can't see as an opportunity to flog off to make money. Their idealogical zeal cares for the pounds first and absolutely everything else some distant second. I genuinely think this one has shocked some people, as at time of writing this almost 300,000 had signed a petition against the plans here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

But, though it shouldn't shock people because it's what the Tories always do, I think that voters have simply forgotten what it is they put in power when they vote for this lot. The very best possible scenario that can come out of this is that, assuming the new owners do not want to actually level the bloody forests, they protect their 'property' and fence it off, restricting access to everybody else. The worst case scenario doesn't bear thinking about. Remember that the Government are also 'giving local planning back to the people' (ie divesting themselves of that responsibility as well) so the protection afforded forestry by planning decisions made at a national level could disappear if a community sees an application to 'develop' a forest as essential for the local economy, regardless of how short-sighted it may be.

Where the hell are the Lib-Dems in this? I haven't heard a single dissenting voice from them. Is the outward unity of the coalition really more imporant to them than safeguarding our national forests? They really have sold their souls if it is.