People power does work!

[TaoPath]

Received this in my email. The UK government wanted to sell off our forests. Erm...how about NO!

WE'VE WON! The government has just confirmed they're totally scrapping the forest sell-off. The phoney consultation has been cancelled. The sinister legal changes to pave the way for privatisation have been dropped.

We did this together. Next time someone tries to tell any of us that signing petitions or emailing our MPs doesn’t work, we’ll know exactly what to say: “People power does work. Just look at the Save Our Forests campaign”.

Over half a million of us can feel very proud of what we've achieved together today.

On the 38 Degrees Facebook page, members are celebrating. Fiona, for example, says "Fantastic news! And great for letting people see that actually there IS something they can do when they don't like what the government does, and their protest can make a difference!" Even Sky News seems to agree: "This is a great example of people power". [1]

38 Degrees members voted to start this campaign. We knew that making forests safe for future generations was something worth fighting for. So we signed the petition, emailed our MPs, put up posters in our local woodlands, organised local events, and chipped in for a people-powered opinion poll and national newspaper ads.

Local groups joined in, as did national organisations like the National Trust, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace, and celebrities who spoke out in the press. Together we stopped the sell-off plans. [2]

We need to keep an eye on what happens next, but we've shown that if forests are under threat, people power can come to the rescue. Right now, let's celebrate that we forced the government to back down from plans to sell up to 100% of our woodlands!

Hundreds of 38 Degrees members are celebrating now on our Facebook page and the website. You can click here to join in: 38 Degrees | Facebook and 38 Degrees | Blog | Victory! Government to scrap plans to sell our forests

And if you know someone who thinks writing to MPs or signing a petition is a waste of time, maybe you should forward them this email!


Thanks for everything you did to save our forests,

David, Hannah, Johnny and the 38 Degrees team


PS - 38 Degrees isn't funded by big business, government or political parties - winning campaigns relies on thousands of us chipping in. To help keep us campaigning on the issues that matter to you, you can chip in by making a:
Direct Debit donation:http://www.38degrees.org.uk/Direct-Debit
One-off donation: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/we-saved-our-forests

PPS - Here's what other 38 Degrees members are saying on the Facebook page now:
Fiona - "Fantastic news! And great for letting people see that actually there IS something they can do when they don't like what the gov does, and their protest can make a difference! Good work 38 Degrees getting this going."
Phil -"Well done! Now to tackle the planned dismantling of the NHS. God knows there are major problems - this will do absolutely nothing to solve them - we aint seen nothing yet!
Julie -"People power can work !!"
Dave - "It's a seriously well done, pat on the back to all involved, from the 38 Degrees Team and us members to the public that got behind it. It goes to show that WE THE PEOPLE rule! Now to get the same response to the NHS campaign, the TAX dodgers and The Robin Hood TAX! And away we go! Woo-Hoo!"
Anne - "Fantastic. This would never have happened without the power of the Internet and social networking. Let's hope the same can be achieved with the NHS."

You can join in at: 38 Degrees | Facebook

Notes:
[1] Forest Sell-Off Forest Sell-Off | forest | david_cameron | forestry_commission | Boulton & Co. | Sky News Blogs
Sky News: "Forest Sell-Off Plans 'To Be Axed" Government Is To Abandon Plans To Sell Off England's Public Forests, Sky Sources Say | Politics | Sky News
Independent: "Forest farce: Cameron to axe sell-off policy" Forest farce: Cameron to axe sell-off policy - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

[2] Dozens of groups across the country organised Save Our Forests rallies and meetings. The campaigning also took place on a national scale, with great work by organisations like Woodland Trust, Save Our Forests, Save Our Woods, Save Britain’s Forests,Greenpeace, WWF, National Trust, Ramblers and The British Horse Society. All the groups involved are listed here: 38 Degrees | Blog | Victory! Government to scrap plans to sell our forests

[Justin Mazza]

Nobody can do something we don't want without our permission. Good Job!!!