Down but not out
The Keep Cornwall Whole campaign is very disappointed that the House of Lords rejected the amendment to protect Cornwall by 29 votes last Wednesday. This makes it very likely that for the next election there will be at least one MPs seat crossing our historic border.
However that is not the end of the story – we are exploring legal and political options, but also looking to the future. By using the raised awareness of Cornish issues in the corridors of power, which may well be short lived but is currently high, we are looking to increase our chances of winning the argument next time; as well as securing some other benefits for Cornwall. That is not to say that we accept the result in any way – we do not, and those who voted for it should be ashamed, and will in the long run be proved wrong.
We also need to emphasise that if in the next 5 years we can get enough Cornish voters to register, then we may be able to get 6 whole seats back again for the election after next.
Kernow bys vyken
Adam,
Do like i have done and leave the lib deems. our leader nick clegg did nothing to help our cause how can you stand in that party any longer is beyond me.
I am not convinced that we will somehow get the border of Cornwall respected again in five years. This whole exercise of re-drawing the constituencies is costing millions at a time of otherwise massive cuts. Any government will not necessarily be spending this kind of money regularly. More immediately there are practical steps like opposing AV and voting ‘no’ in the referendum. Do onto Liberal Democrats as they do onto us!
Andrew: if you re:read the post it says:
i) We are exploring legal and political options,
ii) We are also looking to the future, using the raised awareness of Cornish issues in the corridors of power to increase our chances of winning the argument next time;
iii) Addition to ii) also securing some other benefits for Cornwall.
iv) We are also looking at voter registration for next time
Having spent thousands of person hours on this campaigns the one thing I don’t think we can be accused of is passivity! You are correct that our tactics at the moment do not include marches or protests, although this does not stop anyone else oganising any if they feel strongly that they would be more effective than what we are focusing on.
Wait five years and ‘see what happens’? Not only is this a completely passive approach but it will fail since after five years people will have got used to it.
Basically the ‘campaign’ has admitted failure. I’m shocked and saddened.
What happened to marches, protests and stepping up the pressure?
I can only agree with Jim Pengelly and add that our options are running out. As Cornish people, what do we want and what are we prepared to tolerate? We need to think very carefully about these questions.
We need to remember who have been steadfast from start to finish and who have stabbed us in the back for the sack of career advancement this or that political party.
I would say our “legal and political options” options are quite clear. The parties and politicians who have imposed this on Kernow must be rejected, denounced and combated in all possible ways. The establishment, whether fronted by Lib, Lab or Con, needs to be confronted in ways it cannot ignore.
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The KCW Campaign Team should be congratulated on getting such a close result in the House of Lords and there is still much to play for, because this Bill shows up – probably more than any other, because it pretends to be based on democracy! – the absolute failure to sincerely defer to democratic principles, despite the palliatives regarding equal votes. The Democratic Deficit within the UK is nothing at all to do with equal votes it is about the systemic failure of politics and politicians to ‘represent’ the wishes of the people.
I sincerely hope that the Campaign will now continue forward with a legal challenge, because this is, imho, the only way that Cornwall and the Cornish people will ever achieve the justice that is long overdue. Cornwall is a Royal Duchy and this alone should protect our Border with England, in the same way as that of Wales and Scotland. If there is a need to equalise votes within the UK, which is the Parliament of the State that we live in, then that is the only way that national Borders should be breached, namely, within a United Kingdom process for a United Kingdom Parliament. If the constituent nations of the United Kingdom are to be separated, then the average should be consistent within those territories.
Cornwall is a disputed territory and only a public legal challenge will settle this matter for our Cornish Duchy and bring out into the open the lies and deception that wilfully deprive us of our rights, and allow the political system to be dismissive of our legitimate aspirations.