Don’t say a word against dogs, cats, or trees. (From Croydon Guardian)

Don’t say a word against dogs, cats, or trees.

10:51am Sunday 10th August 2008

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Long before the advent of today’s “politically correct culture” there were topics whose mention “society” frowned upon.

Our inevitable mortality still remains a topic our “society” prefers not to talk seriously about.

Any word against dogs or cats is still avoided.

It is known that the public response will be overwhelming and irrational, whatever is said, and no matter how justified the comment might be.

Now another topic has entered the same class.

Do not dare to say, or publish, a word against any tree.

Irrespective of what is said or how justified any comment might be or the “tree lover lobby” will be down on your head like a ton, or should it now be ‘tonne’, of bricks.

Encouraged by the insane policy of letting local planning authorities extort money from developers, under the guise of providing ‘benefits’ to the community, trees have been, and are being, planted and preserved in unsuitable locations.

Examples abound. Developments are approved with inadequate parking and trees planted where laybys are plainly needed. Vehicles of all sorts and sizes park half on the surrounding narrow grass verges. Low branches soon threaten the eye-sight of children and adults. No tree maintenance or prunning is ever carried out until branches protrude into the carrigeways and passing vehicles break them off.

But don’t you dare say or publish a single word against any single tree.

I recently wrote a letter to my Local Guardian drawing attention to the fact that there was evidence from a not so old local development in which fronting it by trees had clearly been a disaster.

The letter referred to a current development where it appeared the error was about to be repeated.

I should have known better. It did not get published.