To Cornish nationalists, or more precisely, so far as Cornwall’s left of centre Mebyon Kernow and it’s leader Dick Cole are concerned, it’s clear-cut: Virtual autonomy within the UK, starting with a fully devolved, Wales-style, settlement, a view in vogue far beyond the party’s usual supporter base. Meanwhile Cornish LibDems seem surprisingly luke-warm, except for its big-beasts, such as Andrew George and Dan Rogerson, whereas Labour and the Conservatives seem on-board to some extent, although they seem keen for Cornwall to absorb specific powers that align more closely with their traditional interests. So, for George Eustice, for example, it needs to be firmly rooted in value for money, further devolution to towns, transport and heritage devolution. At the more nitty-gritty end, there is commentary by community activitists, such as, County, Duchy or Country? by the Late Craig Weatherhill, and Should Cornwall have its own police force? by Graham Smith.
The consensus seems to be self-evident that Cornwall needs some form of devolved settlement beyond city-state ‘localism’, based on Cornwall’s unique cultural identity, as summed up by Cornish Story, Democratic Audit, the Daily Telegraph or The Guardian are concerned, and even the Daily Express seemed to be astonished when May’s government cut Cornish language funding. However, there are as many blueprints for Cornish devolution, and the debate as to what form this should take seems to be warming up.
Andrew Climo
Andrew Climo is a Cornish Democracy researcher, historian, analyst, community facilitator and Higher Education consultant.