Philip Hosking (Cornwall, The Cornish Democrat): It's 2008, and devolution and decentralisation still seem to be on people's minds - or at least that's the impression one gets from the OurKingdom blog. Recently, perhaps following Conservative noises about 'localism' (the word ‘devolution', associated as it is with New Labour, would burn in their mouths), OK has had two articles on the subject: Jonathan Bryant on Where localism should exist and Colin Baker's A vision of the localist revolution.
They are both worth a read. But even as they prove that decentralisation, localism and devolution are still hot topics (at least amongst a certain clique), they highlight again an extraodinary silence: when it comes to the natural and historic region (nation for some) of Cornwall, which has shown on its own initiative a stronger desire for more self government than any part of England, these proponents of bringing power down to the people are quiet.
Think tanks such as Charter 88, Direct Democracy and other advocates of decentralisation were truly underwhelming in their support for a Cornish call for bringing power closer to home. Even when a group of volunteers collected a petition of 50,000 signatures calling for a Cornish assembly, still the cold shoulder from the democratic reformers from around the UK. When it comes to discussions on decentralisation Cornwall seems to have completely vanished.
Why is this? Ignorance of the Cornish question perhaps? If so, perhaps I can suggest a couple of New Year cures. As OurKingdom has just launched its new reviews section, can I first recommend: ‘Cornwall' by Bernard W. Deacons:
Cornwall, one of Britain's most popular tourist destinations, is also one of the least well understood. In Cornwall today, there is a greater recognition of Cornish identity, and the close Celtic ties with Wales and Brittany, than ever before. But its Celtic history co-exists with a thousand years of political and cultural influence from England. Imagined as both Celtic country and English county, Cornwall is a land of contrasts. This book traces the creative tensions produced by its unique history, from an independent British kingdom through a culturally distinct medieval province and a prominent industrial region in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to its present location as a post-industrial paradox: nation, region and county all wrapped in one.
And, secondly, there is a new website for the Cornish Social and Economic Research Group (CoSERG), who have been trying to bring a Cornish perspective to policy made for Cornwall since 1986. Their latest piece of news reports on the following announcement from the Panel report into the Regional Spatial Strategy:
In visiting the locality, it seemed to us that there would be some merit in searching for a suitable location to provide an urban extension to Camborne/Pool/Redruth.
So said the members of the Panel, appointed by the Government to look at the comments aired at the Regional Spatial Strategy Examination in Public last year. A small select group who are neither accountable to the Cornish electorate nor to people in the locality. They decided it would be a ‘good' idea to add an additional 5,100 dwellings to the already inflated 6,000 proposed for Camborne-Redruth between 2006 and 2026.
So there you go, no excuses now, read up and when you are ready we'll still be here.
