8.1.16
5.1.16
Cornwall Young Left Coalition
Cornwall Young Left Coalition is a a bi-partisan network of people aged under 30 who identify as left-wing created to ensure that left issues are represented effectively and coherently in Cornwall.
We hope for this group to be a central hub for left-wing activity in Cornwall in order to effectively tackle tory policies which are destroying the county.
Our age group is most able to contribute to activism and hopefully we can apply all our many talents and skills to the cause.
Facebook page here: Cornwall Young Left Coalition.
28.12.15
For a BBC KERNOW | Sign the petition today!
Give Cornish language and culture the equal status, recognition, respect and prominence in public service broadcasting that it deserves.
We believe the Cornish should have equal status with the other indigenous languages and cultures of Britain.
We want BBC Kernow | Cornwall to sit in it's rightful place alongside BBC Cymru and BBC Alba on the iPlayer.
We want BBC Kernow | Cornwall to sit in it's rightful place alongside BBC Cymru and BBC Alba on the iPlayer.
We want appropriate commissioning and editorial processes to be established within the remit of the BBC Royal Charter from 2017 to develop and grow Cornish language and cultural programming.
Why is this important?
Every culture should have their own voice represented in the world's media, particularly in public service broadcasting.
In 2003 the Cornish language (Kernewek) received official recognition under the European Charter for the Protection of Regional or Minority Languages.
In 2014 the Cornish were granted protected national minority status under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
This means the Cornish have the same recognition as the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish.
Tweet #BBCKernow #yourBBC
Please sign this petition to pledge your support for the establishment of BBC Kernow.
How it will be delivered
This petition will be delivered in person to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Sign the petition here: BBC KERNOW
11.11.15
Devolution = Simplification = Less Politicians = Savings
I like this from our partners in Yorkshire First. Could we rustle up something similar for Cornwall? Although, I must say, I'd be tempted to replace the UK parliament with a Cornish one and stop there.
27.10.15
Thought for the day
A war-forged dynastic imperial state, which exists only as the remnant of a once-mighty empire, will tend towards a closed, oligarchic and increasingly paranoid form of government, and will pursue policies that favour the maintenance of existing hierarchies of wealth and privilege; being founded in conquest and in the subjugation of the peasantry, it will be bellicose towards others and remorseless in the harrying of its own poor citizens. On the other hand, a nation-state that is born of peace and compact, is founded upon common-right and justice, and is constituted on civic, democratic, principles, will usually pursue policies that promote the common good.
19.9.15
The New Cornish Shop
Cornish Language Partnership : Cornish Shop: Redruth Town Mayor opens new shop for all things Cornish.
13.9.15
#Corbyn on Cornwall
Congratulations to Jeremy Corbyn on his election to Labour leader. This is just a quick to post to remind everyone, and perhaps especially Mr Corbyn, of his past support for Cornish issues, and in particular the creation of a Cornish Assembly.
(notice the first name on the list of supporters)
Well before this I did receive an e-mail from him in which he expressed support for the recognition of the Cornish people and the creation of an assembly, but I can't for the life of me put my hands on it now. I'm pretty sure I posted it on the Cornwall 24 forum but I can't seem to find it any more. If anybody else has any luck I'd be most grateful.
For further comment on the election please read:
24.8.15
Cornish Devolution, Duchy and Republicanism
The above is part of the introduction from a paper called Cornwall - "A Category of its own?" produced by visiting research fellow at Plymouth University and Notary Public John Kirkhope. The paper in full can be found here and more of his work here.
Why do so many Cornish autonomists show a borderline pride in Cornwall's status as a Duchy when one would perhaps expect ardent republicans wanting rid of the English royals? British (mostly English in fact) republicans would argue that the Duchy, along with the rest of the Monarchy, should be abolished, whilst in the other Celtic nations exist far more open and vocal republicanisms. Why not in Cornwall? When you consider the long list of feudal undemocratic powers the Duchy has over Cornwall why the paradoxical royalism? One answer is that the Duchy is a marker of Cornish uniqueness - our specific accommodation within the UK - and a testament to our long lost independence. But to acknowledge the Duchy as a marker of distinctiveness is not to caution its existence and wish that it continue.
So how about the following as the starting point for a Cornish republican conversation? We demand a full public inquiry into the Duchy and its relationship to the territory of Cornwall and UK. We request that the Duchy be liquidated and its financial assets invested for the benefit of Cornwall whilst any of its unique rights, powers and privileges be vested in a democratically elected Cornish body of governance.
As I've been tapping this blog post Republic have launched their new campaign - Take back the Duchy. They write:
For certain Cornish autonomists and cultural admirers, the Duchy of Cornwall’s peculiar constitutional status gives Cornwall a degree of autonomy which it would otherwise lose. The argument goes that to attack the distinctiveness of the Duchy of Cornwall throws out the baby with the bathwater.
There’s actually some merit in this. Cornwall is constitutionally distinct from the rest of the UK. Cornwall, as a region, has a language, culture, religious tradition, climate and economy alien to the rest of the UK. Whatever its faults, the Duchy gives recognition to this.
But there are other ways in which Cornwall could express its distinctive culture in ways which are modern, democratic, and far less intrusive- the recognition in 2014 of Cornwall as having protected minority status is one.
Another concern is that if the Duchy were absorbed into the Crown Estate, it is unlikely that money generated would be re-invested in Cornwall. Cornwall, being generally less wealthy than other parts of the UK, is in greater need of this money. But actually very little of the Duchy’s revenue goes to Cornwall now. There is much to be said for earmarking revenues generated in Cornwall for expenditure in Cornwall- but this could be achieved by a separate department within the Crown Estate or by passing the funds to an independent trust. The Duchy as it currently exists is very poorly qualified to handle this kind of enterprise.
It should be stressed that Republic is proposing an end to the organisation of the Duchy, the operation that currently pays a multi-million pound profit to Prince Charles. We do not dispute Cornwall's unique status but would argue that along with the rest of the UK Cornwall deserves a more democratic and accountable settlement.
You can read what they have to say about Cornish distinctiveness and the Duchy here: Doesn’t this Undermine Cornwall’s Autonomy?
13.8.15
Dr Benjamin Zephaniah on Cornish and Welsh
"I am a multiculturalist. In England, on the whole, when we talk about multiculturalism, we tend to talk about black people, Asian people and people who have brought their cultures here, and sometimes we forget that there are local cultures which are very different to English mainstream culture and literature. So when I come to Wales, I treat Wales like a different country with a culture and language of its own. And if Wales is a part of Britain, then that culture is an important part of Britain - as important as Jamaican culture, Trinidadian culture or Indian culture for example.
That's why I've always said that the Welsh language should be taught in schools in England. Hindi, Chinese and French are taught, so why not Welsh? And why not Cornish? They're part of our culture, and I know of people in England who don't know that people in Wales speak Welsh, or that there's a Scottish language." - Dr Benjamin Zephaniah
"Dwi'n berson aml-ddiwylliannol. Yn Lloegr, yn gyffredinol, pan rydan ni'n trafod amlddiwylliannaeth rydan ni'n cyfeirio at bobl du, pobl Asiaidd a phobl eraill sydd wedi dod â'u diwylliannau yma, a rydan ni'n anghofio weithiau bod 'na ddiwylliannau lleol sydd yn wahanol iawn i ddiwylliant a llenyddiaeth prif ffrwd Saesneg. Felly pan dwi'n dod i Gymru, dwi'n trin Cymru fel gwlad wahanol gyda'i hiaith a'i diwylliant ei hun. Ac os yw Cymru yn rhan o Brydain, yna mae'i diwylliant yn rhan bwysig o Brydain hefyd - yr un mor bwysig â diwylliant Jamaica, Trinidad neu India er enghraifft.
Dyna'r rheswm dwi'n dweud y dylai'r iaith Gymraeg gael ei dysgu mewn ysgolion yn Lloegr. Mae Hindi, Tsieinëeg a Ffrangeg yn cael eu dysgu, felly pam ddim Cymraeg? A pham ddim Cernyweg? Maen nhw'n rhan o'n diwylliant, a dwi'n gwybod am bobl yn Lloegr sydd ddim hyd yn oed yn gwybod bod pobl yng Nghymru yn siarad Cymraeg, neu fod 'na iaith Gaeleg yn yr Alban." - Dr Benjamin Zephaniah
The full article in Welsh and English can be found here: What the English could learn from the Eisteddfod - BBC Cymru Fyw
Fine sentiments from Dr Zephaniah and I can only hope the BBC in Cornwall, who at times appear rabidly anti-Cornish, take note. But as long as unhealthy relations abound between LibLabCon politicians and BBC journalists I won't hold my breath.
Fine sentiments from Dr Zephaniah and I can only hope the BBC in Cornwall, who at times appear rabidly anti-Cornish, take note. But as long as unhealthy relations abound between LibLabCon politicians and BBC journalists I won't hold my breath.
11.8.15
Cornish not English - time to tell Census 2021
"Cornwall and Yorkshire show regional identities run deep in England, too" - an article which perhaps kind of misses the point that for many Cornish people Cornwall isn't in or part of England. In Cornwall exists a national identity distinct from English and/or British, and whilst I doubt you'll find many ready to claim Yorkshire isn't England, in Cornwall its a different story.
Today, as a fully recognised national minority alongside the Scottish, Welsh and Irish, it's only proper that the Cornish be provided with a tick-box option on the 2021 UK census. I'll be writing to the Census people and I strongly advise all those concerned to do likewise. You can find their website with contact details here - Census 2021 consultation. Please do take the time to contact them.
For some inspiration on what to write then visit these three excellent websites:
For some inspiration on what to write then visit these three excellent websites:
21.6.15
Atlantic.EFA
The European Free Alliance now has a Facebook page for its members in the Atlantic West of Europe: Atlantic.EFA For us to make the most of it.
The EFA members from the UK are Mebyon Kernow, Yorkshire First, Plaid Cymru and the SNP. From the other Celtic nations, Brittany's Union Démocratique Bretonne is equally a member. In the European Parliament the EFA form a parliamentary group together with the European Greens.
7.6.15
The seed of protest and fight back has been planted
A highly successful rally occurred in Truro during Saturday 6th June,
2015 bringing together people from all parts of the community who share a
common concern, notably the horrific effects the Tory Government’s
cutbacks are having on our community here in Cornwall.
Assembled
in Hendra Park, speaker after speaker, many with employment in the
health, education and other essential public services took to the stage
and spoke out publicly about their concerns. Doctors, nurses, teachers,
youth workers, college lecturers, Council employees and many Councillors
themselves expressed real fears for the future.
Although not
organised by the Kernow Branch of the Celtic League, it was heartening
to see so many Branch members there and all playing a key role in the
organisation of the event which was attended by several hundred people.
Cornwall is being hit extremely hard by the austerity measures being
utilised by the Westminster Government in order to attempt to pay for
the massive mismanagement of the world’s various economies by the
bankers. Sharing the invidious title of the poorest part of Britain
along with our brother and sisters in the Welsh valleys, Cornwall
continues to be one of the most impoverished parts of Europe despite
decades of false promises of wealth supposedly to be generated by the
false hope tourism.
The words of the late and much missed David
Penhaligon, possibly one of Cornwall’s greatest MPs come to mind: ‘You
need more in an economy than just tourism, ice cream and deckchairs. Our
mining industry is not a figment of the last decade or the last two
decades. It has occupied Cornishmen and it has produced wealth for this
century, the previous century and probably the last two thousand years;
and what we’re asking the government to do is to recognise the great
contribution we have made for the wealth of Britain, and in this time of
great trial and tribulation to come to our assistance - that’s what
we’re asking our government to do.’
Taxes and money paid and
created in the Duchy is quite simply haemorrhaging across the Tamar and
back towards London and the so called ‘Home counties’.
Cornwall
receives back far less than it pays out. Now, we have the second highest
rate of homelessness in Britain and the people of Cornwall, an area
where basic pay and zero hour contracts flourish even amongst health
professionals, receive considerably less in public service expenditure
such as health and education than elsewhere.
Members of the
Kernow Branch have been at the forefront of a campaign calling for the
people of Cornwall to be treated less as second class citizens and more
equally with people living elsewhere.
The Convener of the Branch has today written to Cornwall’s MPs and MEPs with the following message following the Truro rally:
‘During this time when MPs have seen fit to award themselves a 10% pay
rise, that rise more than some people in Cornwall earn, when the Royal
Household receives 15% of the profits of the £9.9 billion Crown Estate
which is managed on behalf of the monarch resulting in the Sovereign
Grant rising from £31 million in 2012-13 to £40 million in the current
financial year -an increase of 29% in three years, we are heartily
sickened with living on the crumbs cast from the Westminster table. We
demand a seat at the table.Scrape away the wealthy and second holiday
home owners whose votes skew those of the indigenous populations and
witness the reality of food bank Cornwall. Your heads should hang in
shame.’
Many were shocked to see Cornwall ‘turn blue’ during the
recent Westminster General Election. That said, and as many speakers
pointed out at the Hendra rally, over 70% of people did not vote for
this current government.
And now, as has occurred many times in
Cornwall’s often hidden history, the fight for what is rightfully ours
has again started.
The Kernow Branch is encouraging as many
people as possible to take this fight, albeit a peaceful and dignified
one this time, to the heart of the Westminster Government and to support
the potentially huge rally in London on Saturday 20th June, 2015.
We encourage those attending to carry our much loved, unsullied and
peaceful National flag of St. Piran in a true demonstration of ‘one and
all’ and that as many as possible meet outside the Bank of England in
London at 12 noon that day.
This event is being supported by the
People’s Assembly, several Trades Unions and other staff associations,
NGOs, politicians, celebrities, campaign groups and many others.
Despite careful Westminster management of the news agenda, thus far,
social media is citizen driven and it is there where further details can
be found.
Details of transport arrangements from Cornwall to London may be found on the following Facebook sites:
or by telephoning Stuart Cullimore of the Cornwall Anti Cuts Alliance on 01209 719525.
Details of the London demonstration may be found here:
Kernow bys vyken!
5.6.15
31.5.15
The Cornovia blog
There have been, perhaps, one too many ephemeral and/or badly constructed Cornish blogs but Cornovia https://cornovia.wordpress.com seems to have bucked the trend so far. Well written and attractive - it's a site worth visiting and inviting others to do so.
I've been considering hanging up my Cornish blogging hat for a while now - lack of inspiration or desire, either which way the An Omsav and Breton Connection blogs have fallen almost silent - and seeing that our blogosphere is in such good hands I can feel a little less guilty perhaps.
13.4.15
11.4.15
It really is time for a change!
Two more telling graphics that, I hope, will make at least a few think twice before voting for a London based party in Cornwall. It really is time for a change!
30.3.15
Democracy locked by @votematch and @UnlockDemocracy
Sadly, it appears that 'Unlock Democracy' have decided to exclude Mebyon Kernow from their otherwise interesting Vote Match website that is designed to help people decide who to vote for.
I used Vote Match for Truro and Falmouth and was informed that of all the parties standing in this constituency the Greens came closest to my politics. No real surprise there but where was MK? Simply not included is the answer.
Who ever has developed Vote Match has decided to lock out Mebyon Kernow the party for Cornwall. So much for unlocking democracy.
23.2.15
Westminster has already been bought and sold. Vote local this May. @theSNP @Plaid_Cymru @MebyonKernow @YorkshireFirst @NorthEastNEP @WessexRegion
Westminster has already been bought and sold. Vote local this May:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe to the CRB
Posts
All Comments
50 things you didn't know about Kernow!
Popular Posts
-
Here is the soon-to-be-released map of European nations, peoples and regions. Notice that England and some English regions have now bee... -
For all those who wish to show their support for the Cornish nation. £7.99+ £2.00 postage and packing from MK Merchandise, 14 Pendarves... -
As reported here on the excellent Nationalia website the World Forum for the Collective Rights of Peoples has started in Girona, Catalonia... -
What a great idea. A Cornish language forum where all the interminable squabbling about orthographies is outlawed. Forum here: Keskowsva an ... -
Are the SNP ready to support the Tories over boundry change in 'England' for the option of devo max? Boundary changes for d... -
It didn't take long for the Kernow Defence League to reveal their true colours. Renamed to - EDL - English Defence League - Cornwall... -
This is the moment Andrew Ball carrying the Olympic torch had the Cornish flag taken from him just before he reached the Tamar. I'll... -
The Duchy is a sovereign land – not a private company The Venn Diagram above, borrowed from the the fascinating Grey's Blog , i... -
It seems the repaint of the Land's End visitors centre has cleansed the Cornish out of the picture. The St Pirans flag, Cornish emble... -
Unique identity of the Cornish has won official recognition at long last | West Briton : Amongst the outpouring of happiness and posit...