Beach Ices at Praa Sands
Ice meeting the sand at the base of the low cliff behind Praa Sands Beach, West Cornwall. 6th January 2009....
Icicles at Trewellard Bottoms
Water seeping through a wall is turned to icicles, ate Trewellard Bottoms, where Geevor Mine meets the sea....
Winter Sunset at Levant
A late afternoon scene, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall. 7th January 2009....
Winter at Levant
The old electricity generator building, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall, during the recent cold snap. 7th Jnauary 2009....
Aside from any intended irony, which I can have a sense of humour about,
I don't have any issues with my place or integrity as a proper Cornishman living abroad. I'm not the first passionate Cornishman to leave my home, and I doubt I'll be the last. I doubt I'll have much influence over what people think, but defending Kernow will remain true to my heart/ideals for all the time I'm above ground - wherever I'm located, and regardless of who makes my location an issue that is supposed to somehow compromise my status as a born/bred Cornishman from families of born/bred Cornishmen.
I'm afraid the English Imperial State is like a unicorn. However much one may write about it or may talk about it, it still doesn't exist. It's 2006, it's Britain.
There is a difference between English people in 1549 and English people in 2006. No one alive today in England has any responsibility whatever for events in 1549.
England does not have a parliament. England has no power to "recognise" a separate Cornwall. Only the British parliament has the power to do that.
You may have a point, but neither 'evolvement' nor 'progression' negates responsibility to justice and truth - regardless of how contemporary the times are. Many different modern generations of many different cultures have to face up to, and act to rectify the wrongs of their ancestors. It is not necessarily a completely positive position to take - holding a modern generation of people directly responsible for the historical actions of their ancestors, but the responsibility to make amends remains theirs, nevertheless. Kernow demands action, and it's not simply a case of 'anyone will do' as far as finger-pointing goes. Can I ask you this? Are we to surrender our cause because contemporary times have made the geographical/political situation more complicated? If it suits a particular viewpoint, maybe it's more appropriate for us to talk about which nations of the British Isles DIDN'T significantly contribute towards the gross injustices conducted unto the Cornish. We can rule each nation out one at a time, and we will still be left with England. As to who can now speak for England, few of us can argue that it would have to be the British government, but while the St.George's flag can be held as proudly as the St.Piran's flag, and while Kernow remains politically/economically incapacitated, I doubt many Cornish people will split hairs. If the British government must answer for the wrongs against Kernow, then so be it.
Interesting that the wergild has come to scientific notice in the context of a form of apartheid. I came across a website [12/18 months ago] - which I have not been able to find since? - which suggests that it was used as a form of cultural genocide against the Brits to bring them to heel. This would go a long way to explaining why there is little genetic difference between Cornwall and its English neighbour. It does however also suggest, possibly, intermarriage or rape as much as apartheid. What is certain is that genetics have no implicit link to identity, culture or ideology.
Perhaps we need to revisit a past discussion on the British Myth and the identifiable existence of a virtual, if not real, EIS http://www.cornwall24.co.uk/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-87-postdays-0-postorder-asc-start-240.htm from, say, Sept 2005?
I would suggest that despite its name and legal standing since the Union, that the Westminster Parliament has always been a virtual, if not real, English Parliament with completely marginalised delegates from the regions of Greater England (sic)!
Personally, I do not blame the English people for anything because all people are simply pawns of the State. I do believe, however, that there must be a shared responsibility for righting wrongs!
I somewhat agree with you on this. Your perception of Westminster Parliament is similar to mine, as is your view on people being pawns for the State. However, I'd like to see more evidence of English people supporting our cause, and contributing to change in our particular favour. It remains difficult to see a nation of people as part of the solution if they make little attempt to stop being part of the problem; I'm speaking of taking a stand which challenges the ongoing rape of Cornwall by England. I'm also talking about taking us seriously when we talk about things like devolution and independence. Few English people appear interested in these issues from a Cornish perspective, yet they continue to contribute towards an economy which ensures fewer Cornishmen can afford to live and work in Kernow. The burden of righting wrongs doesn't only lie with the British (English) government, it lies with its people. A government can only be as powerful as its people allow it to be. A government can only be forced to change when its people demand a change. Perhaps we should spend more time educating the English, rather than condemning them, but how seriously do you think we'd we taken? I'm guessing - not very seriously. As I said, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
I disagree that people living in a country today have “the responsibility to make amends” for wrongs in the distant past.
There is no way that meaningful amends can be made by anyone for the killing of people by others, say, five hundred years ago. They are long dead, their immediate families are long dead, and their killers are long dead. People alive today can lament past wars and injustices suffered by people in the past but that is all. The history of England and probably every country is full of killings of and injustices against ordinary people; it isn’t just people in Cornwall who experienced these things.
In any case, very few people in England can be sure that their ancestors had or had not anything to do with particular past events. Family history for ordinary people in England more or less runs out in the eighteenth century by which time it is only names and dates. Take 1549. The earliest ancestor I can surely trace is in the 1790s. My surname is common, my family moved around, I have no idea who they were or where they were or what they were doing in 1549. Additionally, many people in England today had ancestors who were certainly nowhere near England in 1549. My own known family history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, like most people’s in Britain, is a struggle against exploitation and poverty and a slow rise to the present.
In any case I disagree strongly with visiting the sins of the fathers...
On the status of Cornwall, I think we should accept that different people see matters differently. Clearly some people on – and presumably some off - this forum want an independent Cornwall as a country separate from England and with its own parliament. Others do not. I see Cornwall as a county of England. These are both legitimate views for people to hold and argue for.
My experience tells me that everyday life in Cornwall for ordinary people, while not as good as it could be, is improving. The improvements and the continuing and new difficulties are those experienced by people elsewhere in Britain. It’s never just Cornwall.
I believe people alive today can apply political pressure and partake in the cause; this can have more power than anything else. People do have power, they often just lack the motivation to use it or apply it. Why should they be motivated, you may ask? To turn against any and all injustices. All injustice is wrong, and it should be fought wherever and whenever encountered. The Cornish issue is naturally close to our hearts in this forum, so we are likely to talk about that the most.
This is why Kernow should be allowed to have a referendum on devolution. And how can we even think of ourselves as being treated fairly if we're not allowed that, at the very least. Which government fails to recognize our rights - the British government, who are responsible for recognizing atrocities and making amends on behalf of the English people.
'Dead' does not mean 'forgotten', and neither should it mean that - in my opinion. Forgiving and forgetting historical atrocities does not work for everyone. History teaches us much - even in present times. To ignore history, conveniently set it aside, and not recognize it as something which can impact the future for a positive good implies that all hope is lost. Only by accepting the past can positive changes be made for the future. Mankind lays history to sleep at its peril.
This may be true, but pressure from English people on the British government could help the Cornish cause. The issue is one of being recognized and taken seriously - fundamentally.
We all have a responsibility towards the past. We all must make sure that the truth is told and and mistakes not made again.
So perhaps you could tell me how many MP's come from English constituencies as opposed to those that come from Cornwall, Wales, NI and Scotland combined?
Then tell me in which of the home nations you find the Capital of the union plus most of the money.
Rise in county's road death toll
The number of people who have died on Cornwall's roads rises in the last year to 35, police say.
Film con man ordered to pay 100K
The man who swindled almost 2m in a film studio scam is ordered to forfeit 100,000 by a judge.
Triplets survive against the odds
A woman from Cornwall who gave birth to triplets 14 weeks early describes their survival as a "miracle".
Call for inquiry into fire centre
Fire chiefs demand a public inquiry into the delayed opening of the regional fire control centre.
Prison sentence for benefit cheat
A man who admitted swindling more than 51,000 in benefits over a six-year period is jailed for 18 months.
Divers face trial over shipwreck
Three Cornish divers accused of plundering a shipwreck off the coast of Spain are to be tried in a Spanish court.
RFA Argus docks for major refit
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus docks in Falmouth for a major refit which will take nearly a year to complete.
Workshops offer redundancy advice
Drop-in workshops at Truro College are offering people advice on how to deal with redundancy.
