As the TUC's ToUChstone blog reports:

The Telegraph reports that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has given up plans (first leaked in August) to sellNatural England’s stake in the National Nature Reserves. The Department has been in discussion with large conservation groups, such as the Woodland Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which have been asked to take over the Reserves. The charities have said from the start that this would be difficult without specific funding as their income from membership and other grants is falling.

I will welcome each U turn as it happens.

In this case the reality is that there is no buyer for these reserves. At best management can be outsourced - but grants will need to be given to the organisations doing it.

The reality is a very simple one - the common good is all too often best promoted by the state from taxpayer funds.

And that is what people want.

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