Philip Hosking (Cornwall, The Cornish Democrat): You may have noticed the recent Scotsman article on the new citizenship test that people wishing to gain UK citizenship must take. Designed to improve integration and assimilation of new immigrants it purports to be a sort of cultural primer – a test based on knowledge of the officially sanctioned book "Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship". This book is a fascinating insight into how New Labour imagines life in our country today. And what it leaves out is as significant as what it puts in.
The results from the 2001 UK population census show over 37,000 people hold a Cornish identity instead of English or British. On this census, to claim to be Cornish, you had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option and then writing Cornish in the "others" box. This does not represent a mere clerical error or poorly thought through wording. This represents a denial of the right of the Cornish to describe themselves in terms of their identity. It might seem trite to complain about something that happened six years ago. But the 2001 census will remain relevant until the next one (in 2011). Life in the UK quotes the census heavily when describing the regions and ethnic diversity of the UK. The Cornish are not mentioned once.
The Cornish are a Celtic ethnic group and nation of the southwest of Great Britain. We have our own lesser used Celtic language, sports, festivals, cuisine, music, dance, history and identity. Cornwall also has a distinct constitutional history as a Duchy with an autonomous Stannary Parliament. This Celtic Cornish identity was recognised and described in the April 2006 edition of National Geographic.
Cornwall Council's Feb 2003 MORI Poll showed 55% in favour of a democratically-elected, fully-devolved regional assembly for Cornwall, (this was an increase from 46% in favour in a 2002 poll). The Cornish Assembly petition was signed by 50,000 people, which is the largest expression of popular support for devolved power in the whole of the United Kingdom and possibly Europe.
How many more people would have described themselves as Cornish if they did not have to deny being British or if there had been a Cornish tick box? How many people knew that writing 'Cornish' in the "Other" box was an option? (this was extremely poorly publicised). How many ticked British but feel themselves to be Cornish British? This officially sanctioned silence on the existence of a Cornish identity must stop.
Comments
Following the recent stories of Cornish nationalist extremists in the UK that have set countless journalists scuttling down to our Duchy I would like to pass on to you this press release from the civil rights pressure group the Cornish Stannary Parliament: http://www.cornishstannaryparliament.co.uk/
On the strength of the manipulation of the evidence taken from an impressionable Cornish teenager, the press appears to be attempting to condemn as nationalist anyone claiming to be Cornish. Nationalist is not applied to anyone claiming to be English. We are all British with only British passports so, any sub-division of British is equally nationalist. If British is the legally correct nationality, then, the use of English, for the state funded English Heritage Co. Ltd., would be an example of cultural nationalism.
Are we Cornish really the guilty nationalists as charged by those self-appointed judges, the barons of the English press?
The press appears to have been given the task of covering up centuries of economic nationalism in Cornwall retained, with Crown immunity and inalienable rights, for Duchy profit authorised by the permanent English majority at Westminster. This feudal legacy is ripe for exposure as incompatible with the modern principle of equality before the law. In a state where the public are being deprived of the other side of the story, the suspicion is aroused of the presence of journalistic nationalism.
Recently, the United Kingdom became the only one of 27 member states of the European Union to have “won” the right to exclude Fundamental rights from its legal system. This apparent assertion of racial supremacy is similarly suspected in the exclusion from the Human Rights Act 1998 of Article 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights: “the right to an effective remedy for violations by persons acting in an official capacity”. In addition, politicians do not appear prepared to legislate for a guarantee of: “The right to equality before the law for all persons” currently unavailable in the English legal system. Such a basic international right is available in a written constitutional form for all the citizens of the Monarchy of Sweden, the United States of America, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland to name but a few governments who have created universal inalienable rights for their citizens. They have rejected legislative nationalism by accepting that the individual has the right, in every case of the alleged abuse of power, institutional bias and official racial discrimination, to enforce accountability upon persons acting in an official capacity.
To avoid the possibility of a charge of academic nationalism, we challenge English universities to write down the British Constitution as it stands today showing proof of any inalienable rights available to the individual to challenge any alleged failure to comply with the Oath of Allegiance taken by persons acting in an official capacity.
The Human Rights Act includes Article 10 of the European Convention: “Freedom of expression”. This gives Cornish people the right to declare their membership of the Cornish national minority, (Article 14): “without interference by public authority”. The Police do not record declarations of “Cornish” on their forms. Is this a case of interference with freedom of expression encouraged by the Duke of Cornwall’s attack on human rights? (The Times, 2nd March 2006).
The denial of basic Human rights, Fundamental rights and equality before the law is an agenda for a police state with Crown immunity. Every attempt to grab absolute power must be resisted by rejecting all forms of aggressive nationalism, whether Cornish or English, and demanding the right to be condemned only by an impartial and independent Court of law free from judicial nationalism.
Gavin Ayling,
I quite agree and I wish English nationalists were more respectful of the Cornish question therefore enabeling both movements to work together, but this is just not the case.
Gareth did you go and get your big sister?
No, my sister died. Sarah's opinions are her own, not mine.
Some links for those interested to follow up:
Cornwall 24: http://www.cornwall24.co.uk/
An independent Cornish news and community website.
Mebyon Kernow: http://www.mebyonkernow.org/Public/Stories/89-1.shtml
Left of centre, green, decentralist civic Cornish nationalist party. A member of the European Free Alliance along with the SNP and Plied (I am a member). The Mebyon Kernow party leaders blog: http://mebyonkernow.blogspot.com/
The Cornish Stannary Parliament: http://www.cornishstannaryparliament.co.uk/
The Cornish civil rights activists. They have some great info on the Duchy of Cornwall and a couple of court actions coming up in the ECHR.
The Cornish Constitutional Convention: http://www.cornishassembly.org/
The Cornish Constitutional Convention was formed in November 2000 with the objective of establishing a devolved Assembly for Cornwall (Senedh Kernow). The Convention is a cross-party, cross-sector association with a strong consensus of support both in Cornwall and elsewhere. It is not campaigning for any form of separatism or independence.The aim of the Convention is to establish a form of modern governance which strengthens Cornwall, her role in the affairs of the country, and positively addresses the problems that have arisen from more than a century of growing isolation and loss of confidence.
CornishnotEnglish.com: http://www.cornishnotenglish.com/
A Cornish campaigning platform.
Tyr Gwyr Gweryn (land truth people): http://www.kernowtgg.co.uk/
A journey into the Cornish paradox of identity and constitution.
This is NOT England: http://thisisnotengland.co.uk/blog/
A blog and active debate forum on issues of Cornish autonomy.
I support a democratically elected fully-devolved Cornish parliament if that's what the Cornish want.
But like Tally I question what 'fully-devolved' means. I would interpret that as having equivalant powers to the Scottish parliament and I'm not sure that would be in the best interests of Cornwall - though having said that I don't think the present arrangement is in the best interests of Cornwall either.
"Cornwall Council’s Feb 2003 MORI Poll showed 55% in favour of a democratically-elected, fully-devolved regional assembly for Cornwall".
Does this include fiscal autonomy and is there to be a Tamar question as well as an Offas Dyke Question and West Lothian Question?
No Gareth but there is an EU and UK conspiracy to break up England and destroy the English isn’t their?
No, actually, I don't think there is an EU conspiracy. There are people that are in favour of a Europe of the Regions, and they see correctly see an English parliament inimical to their EU federalism, which it would be for various reasons. But these are home-grown politicians that are influenced by European thinking rather than directed by the EU. I don't think the EU (such as it is) cares less whether England has a parliament, just so long as there is a level of regional governance.
Thankfully the EU assemblies have been scrapped in England (this is good news for you Cornish nats too) so the Scottish Raj's argument that an English parliament AND regional assemblies represent 'too many layers of government' is kicked into the long grass.
I don't think anyone is setting out to destroy the English - not sure what you are talking about here - but there are people actively denying the English.
No Gareth but there is an EU and UK conspiracy to break up England and destroy the English isn't their?
1. Have all the Commonwealth countries rejected the English device of an unwritten constitution because it fails to control people in power? No answer.
2. Why has the human rights Article 13 (as in the European Convention of Human Rights) against violations by persons acting in an official capacity been excluded from the Human Rights Act 1998?
No answer.
3. Is there a law which authorises exclusive financial support for English culture and none for Cornish culture? No answer.
4. Why has the written promise of citizen's rights "for ever" in Magna Carta been scrapped? No answer.
5. Why has the written promise of rights and privileges "for ever" for the heir to the throne in the Duchy of Cornwall charters been accepted a permanent constitutional law? No answer.
6. Why is Devon county claiming to be Celtic when the English King Athelstan expelled the Cornish from Devon county in 936 and gave their confiscated land to English people? No answer.
7. Why is Stonehenge presented to the world by the state funded English Heritage as if it were English heritage when it was in Britain centuries before the English invasions? No answer.
8. Why is there no state funded British Heritage in Britain. No answer.
9. Why was the "Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England" able to ignore Parliament and change its name to "English Heritage"? No answer.
10. Why is Cornwall given the title of "county" by the English majority of Britain when the Constitutional Commission of 1970 recognised Cornwall as a Duchy? No answer.
11. Does the Duchy of Cornwall claim "the stannaries" as the personal property of the heir to the throne in order to extend the territorial possessions of the Duchy to cover the whole of Cornwall? No answer.
12. Why does the Tamar Bridge Act 1998 confirm "rights, powers, privileges and the general law of the Duchy of Cornwall." No answer.
13. Why is the Duchy of Cornwall in receipt of Objective One funding when its land is exempt from planning controls and compulsory purchase by Act of Parliament? No comment.
14. Why are there Acts of Parliament to give the heir to the throne, as Duke of Cornwall, the foreshore of Cornwall, treasure trove in Cornwall, back date claims to property in Cornwall, the pre-emption of tin, ownership of all minerals in Cornwall and intestate estates (The property of people dying without a will) in Cornwall? No answer.
15. Why are there injunctions in the House of Commons and the House of Lords to prevent questions regarding the Duchy of Cornwall? No Answer.
16. Why is the Duchy of Cornwall promoted as a "private estate" when many acts of parliament refer to it as "the appropriate authority"? No answer.
17. Why does the government threaten to withdraw the Cornish Mining World Heritage bid to UNESCO if Acts of Parliament relevant to the constitutional relationship between Cornish mining and the heir to the throne are included? No answer.
18. When will the English state religion be disestablished and its Cornish properties returned to the people of Cornwall who helped to convert English people to Christianity? No answer.
19. Bearing mind that the Catholic Church has apologised for its sins of the past, when will the Church of England make amends for the slaughter of Cornish people in 1549? No answer.
20. Why do schools begin history lessons with "Romans" and "Anglo-Saxons" and ignore the original Celtic population of Britain? No answer.
21. Why are officials told to suppress the Cornish Celtic identity by excluding "Cornish" and offering only "English" as an option on official forms contrary Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights? No answer.
22. How can "English" be a separate official nationality when there are only British passports available to British subjects? No answer.
23. Why is there no guarantee of equality before the law in English law? No answer.
24. How can the Crown Court and the Crown Prosecution Service be "independent and impartial", as required by Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, in matters concerning the "Crown" or the "Duchy". No answer.
25. Why did the Crown prosecution issue a Public Interest Immunity Certificate in the case of the removal of 18 English Heritage signs from Cornish heritage sites by three stannators who were found not guilty? No answer.
26. Why are millions of pounds spent annually to teach English people to speak English while nothing is spent to teach Cornish people to speak Cornish? No answer.
27. Why have the Cornish been excluded from the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities? No answer.
28. Why has the constitutional position of the Stannaries and the Duchy of Cornwall been gerrymandered and suppressed? No answer.
29. Are too many English people hiding their nationalism when they claim to be modern and tolerant and yet carry on exploiting the unwritten constitution to impose English cultural conformity on the original British people of Cornwall? No answer.
30. Why is the media in Cornwall not interested in these questions? No answer.
For more on this subject read England rejects "Equality": http://cornishstannaryparliament.co.uk/resources/article.php?story=20061026014153525
I think there is a conspiracy to break-up Great Britain/United Kingdom by the EU and all of you are unfortunately helping it whether by accident or design.
" but heaven forbid somebody not wanting to be English."
heaven forbid someone wanting to, but that of course in typical 'celt' nat fashion is deemed acceptable.
"but there is an EU and UK conspiracy to break up England and destroy the English isn’t their?"
If you say so.
Lets try some of the questions.
1. Have all the Commonwealth countries rejected the English device of an unwritten constitution because it fails to control people in power?
It's the British constitution that is unwritten. Of course we're being negative so it's okay to have British = English. What do you mean all? Literally all? If we're talking about Canada, Aus, New Zealand these constitutions we're originally set up by the British were they not? Or using your terminology, the English.
4. Why has the written promise of citizen’s rights “for ever” in Magna Carta been scrapped?
Your point? Don't tell me despite the fact that there is a British government and it has a large number of non-english in it it's all the fault of the English.
6. Why is Devon county claiming to be Celtic when the English King Athelstan expelled the Cornish from Devon county in 936 and gave their confiscated land to English people?
Cultural mixing and mixed marriages perhaps. Most of the current population of the UK being descended from the original inhabitants of Britain perhaps. Why do the Scots, Welsh, Cornish and Irish insist they are celtic when the historical accuracy of the term is debatable? Why do some Cornish nats get in such a flap over suggestions that Devon might be a bit celtic? Why do some seem to want some kind of racial and cultural purity that would make Hitler proud even though large proportions of the population of Cornwall were born elsewhere?
7. Why is Stonehenge presented to the world by the state funded English Heritage as if it were English heritage when it was in Britain centuries before the English invasions?
Why do the so called 'celts' who complain about such things seem to have no problem going about their ancient celtic heritage when 'the celts' were invaders and many ancient monuments predate that?
8. Why is there no state funded British Heritage in Britain.
Wouldn't cover Scotland perhaps.
9. Why was the “Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England” able to ignore Parliament and change its name to “English Heritage”?
Why does it matter?
20. Why do schools begin history lessons with “Romans” and “Anglo-Saxons” and ignore the original Celtic population of Britain?
Lack of written information perhaps. Poor syllabus. And the celts weren't the original population of Britain much as some try to pretend otherwise.
21. Why are officials told to suppress the Cornish Celtic identity by excluding “Cornish” and offering only “English” as an option on official forms contrary Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights?
I've seen no forms that I can recall with English on. It's usually British or other or European.
22. How can “English” be a separate official nationality when there are only British passports available to British subjects?
How can Scots & Welsh? Because you don't have a chip on your shoulder about them perhaps.
26. Why are millions of pounds spent annually to teach English people to speak English while nothing is spent to teach Cornish people to speak Cornish?
Because Cornish died out. Being used in some hymns or what not and having cornish words in English dialects in the area does not equal living breathing language. Expecting funding for a resurrected language (or one of 3 versions of a resurrected language) is not the same as expecting funding for teaching a continuously used community language such as English or Welsh.
29. Are too many English people hiding their nationalism when they claim to be modern and tolerant and yet carry on exploiting the unwritten constitution to impose English cultural conformity on the original British people of Cornwall?
Insisting that the Cornish aren't English despite many feeling they are is okay as a form of cultural conformity though. What are Cornish nationalists trying to hide?
30. Why is the media in Cornwall not interested in these questions?
The media in Cornwall and indeed nationwide has shown more interest in these are certain times than in English identity and nationalism. The desire of Cornwall not to be in the South-west region during Prescott's regionalisation plans was quite well reported, certainly better than any suggestion there should be an English parliament. Some libdem MPs have been happy enough to support the idea of some kind of Cornish assembly. Whilst attacks on those with the temerity to wave an English flag in Cornwall have been pretty much excused in one article.
Why were Plaid Cymru supportive of plans to regionalise England? Why have I seen a fair few Cornish Nationalists behind the idea? Why did the 4IM group, a supposed supporter of independence for Cornwall, England, Scotland and Wales made up allegidly of Mebyon Kernow, Plaid and some Scottish nationalist party (I forget which), though it seemed largely to be the baby of MK supporters, have as a requirement that any English party joining should accept having the others dictate to it that England should be regionalised even though that wasn't part of their own independence policy?
If celtic nationlists were half as superior as many of them like to think they are, they'd be the most wonderful folk in the world.
Phil, I'm not party to what the English establishment do and think but I'd be mighty surprised if there was an English conspiracy to destroy Cornish national identity.
Unless you are talking about centuries ago, in which case it's time to move on mate.
Hmmm...'Cornish not English' and 'This is not England'.
Gareth did you go and get your big sister? Sarah the English nationalist wrote:
"It’s the British constitution that is unwritten. Of course we’re being negative so it’s okay to have British = English. What do you mean all? Literally all? If we’re talking about Canada, Aus, New Zealand these constitutions we’re originally set up by the British were they not? Or using your terminology, the English"
Well seeing as the UK started with English imperialism and the MC does not seem to apply to Cornish identity and culture.
"4. Why has the written promise of citizen’s rights “for ever” in Magna Carta been scrapped?
Your point? Don’t tell me despite the fact that there is a British government and it has a large number of non-english in it it’s all the fault of the English"
Oh poor little England that has a vast majority of the MP's; That has its capital as the capital of the UK; That has the vast majority of the wealth; That has a civil service and general establishment dominated by English people. You have an English parliament and English imperial parliament.
"Why do some Cornish nats get in such a flap over suggestions that Devon might be a bit celtic? Why do some seem to want some kind of racial and cultural purity that would make Hitler proud even though large proportions of the population of Cornwall were born elsewhere?"
Because the level of celtic culture in Devonshire is tiny and not unlike the fossilised celtic remains you can find in many parts of western europe. This tiny heritage is nothing compared to the living celtic identity found in Cornwall. However that has not stopped some using the celtic Devon nonsens to try a sell a Devonwall region and generally promote British nationalism. Your comments about Histler just make you look foolish and lacking in taste, considering I am half Irish and my partener is French you really have got the wrong guy.
"7. Why is Stonehenge presented to the world by the state funded English Heritage as if it were English heritage when it was in Britain centuries before the English invasions?
Why do the so called ‘celts’ who complain about such things seem to have no problem going about their ancient celtic heritage when ‘the celts’ were invaders and many ancient monuments predate that?"
Agreed so a name should be found that represents all the peoples of these Islands like for example 'Heritage' no need for the English tag.
"8. Why is there no state funded British Heritage in Britain.
Wouldn’t cover Scotland perhaps."
So the rest of the UK is England is it?
"9. Why was the “Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England” able to ignore Parliament and change its name to “English Heritage”?
Why does it matter?"
I don't suppose it does for an English supremacist!
"26. Why are millions of pounds spent annually to teach English people to speak English while nothing is spent to teach Cornish people to speak Cornish?
Because Cornish died out. Being used in some hymns or what not and having cornish words in English dialects in the area does not equal living breathing language. Expecting funding for a resurrected language (or one of 3 versions of a resurrected language) is not the same as expecting funding for teaching a continuously used community language such as English or Welsh"
Cornish is still very much a living part of our communities and yes there are now families that speak it as a first language. Your ignorance of the language does not qualify you to comment you know.
"Insisting that the Cornish aren’t English despite many feeling they are is okay as a form of cultural conformity though. What are Cornish nationalists trying to hide?"
Which came first?
"If celtic nationlists were half as superior as many of them like to think they are, they’d be the most wonderful folk in the world"
Yet again comming from an English nationalists this is the funniest! How comfortable is it shareing a bed with racists, white nationalists, xenophobes, europhobes and right wing nut jobs Sarah?
Hmm an English nationalist being a hypocrit yet again! What a suprise!
The fact that the English establishment has gone out of its way to destroy the Cornish national identity is of no importance for Gareth, but heaven forbid somebody not wanting to be English.
Peggy Combellack’s conundrum: locating the Cornish identity: http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/cornishcom/documents/conundrum.pdf
Ethnic Minorities: Concept and Meaning Philip Payton Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter ‘Inconvenient Peripheries: Ethnic Identity and the “United Kingdom Estate” – The cases of “Protestant Ulster” and Cornwall’: http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/1996/payt.pdf
I am quite confused by Philip Hosking's hostility to the English nationalists here.
Philip Hosking talks about the 'English' as if they have some form of self-government and are therefore able to affect Cornwall in a negative way. That is perverse in the extreme.
I don't personally have a problem with the Cornish having a referendum for independence and I don't think an independent Cornwall would cause more or less of a problem for the rest of England to win its independence.
Philip, our enemy is the same: the British government and its refusal to hold referenda.
One question, if Cornwall County Council has a poll showing 55% in favour of independence or devolution, why has it not held a formal poll that would be comparable to Scotland's forthcoming quasi-referendum?
PLASC Survey Ethnic Data 2006-07
Primary School
2007
Cornish 30%
British 64%
2006
Cornish 26%
British 66%
Secondary School
2007
Cornish 24%
British 70%
2006
Cornish 20%
British 72%
Special School
2007
Cornish 44%
British 54%
2006
Cornish 37%
British 59%
All Schools
2007
Cornish 27%
British 66%
2006
Cornish 24%
British 68%
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