My MP wants to sell the forests

[jacey]

To Simon Reevell, MP

Dear Mr Reevell

I'm concerned to see that you voted to support the forest sell-off. I can't believe that any person with an interest in heritage and the countryside could possibly think that selling the future of the country is a great idea. It's so short-sighted. We may gain a few pounds now, but once it's gone it's gone.

I strongly urge you to vote to save our forests for the nation. Your children and grandchildren will thank you for it, and so will mine.

I hope that you can write back to me and explain your reasons for supporting the sell-off, and that you will seriously reconsider your position.

Kind regards,

[me]

So did your MP vote for the big sell-off, too?
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/Save_Our_Forests_-_Your_MP_voted_to_sell_our_forests?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d4c43020b420a33%2C0

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

My (Libdem)MP apparently sat firmly on the fence and voted for 'both'. *scratches head* How can you both approve and disapprove of the concept of stealing people's forests?

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I live in West Oxfordshire. My MP is *initiating* the whole mess, or if not that, at the very least figureheading it.

I feel even more disenfranchised than usual by politics.

[charlieallery.livejournal.com]

Yes, my MP (LibDem) voted against the Labour proposition, therefore for the Government's proposal. I sent him an e-mail on the Monday and yesterday I got a snail mail back, official HoC letterhead and all thanking me for my e-mail and saying he understood my concerns and had written to Caroline Spellman on the matter and would be in touch as soon as he received a response from her.

I believe he's very much toeing the line at the moment as I think they want him in a cabinet post asap. I suspect, however that he's had a lot of emails/letters about this and though it's a fairly safe seat I can't see him wanting to blatantly ignore what his constituents want. Given our rural location I'd guess there's a fair amount of concern around here. In addition he has a financial background and I'd hope he's having a very close look at the potential balance sheet here, because everything I hear says there's almost no short term gain to be made from this, let alone the long term losses.

In short, I'm hopeful that he will do the right thing and if that requires 'rebelling' in a final vote, I can see him doing that. I am, at least satisfied that my speaking up has been noted.

[charlieallery.livejournal.com]

I think he's going to have to take notice if the numbers getting involved keep rising. The petition is approaching half a million names and the National Trust with 3 million members has already spoken against the proposal. It can't be very reassuring to open the papers and find that your voters are upset enough to be taking out full-page ads in the national press telling you they don't want what you're proposing. ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Mine (Julian Huppert) voted against. He's beginning to impress me.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I didn't read the page properly the first time and was astonished to see that my MP had voted "yes". But reading it again, that meant that he voted "yes" to the demand for a rethink, or in other words he doesn't support the sell off.

Actually, I understand that the proposal doesn't affect Wales anyway. Thank heaven for devolved government! It would be disaster if forests like the Coed y Brenin were sold off because they are a big attraction and bring in mountain bikers from all over the country, if not the world. Why should a resource like that fall into private hands when they didn't create it in the first place?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

At times like this, I'm quite relieved to live in Scotland...