For the numerous centuries that Kernow fought to defend its independent status against invaders, the greatest war is being fought today.... the great war of APATHY.
The facts are here. To anyone not understanding why many of us express the views we do, you should go to the links below. If you still don't care after learning the facts, maybe you'll at least have an understanding as to why some of us feel the way we do.
http://www.cornishworld.net/timeline.htm
http://www.shimbo.co.uk/history/timeline.htm
Some important years to draw attention to:
682 - The Cornish under their chieftain, Centwine,'drove the Britons as far as the sea' probably this was to the north-eastern part of Cornwall.This established the frontier around the Ottery-Tamar line
722 - The Cornish with their Danish allies defeat the 'english' at 'Hehil' possibly at the key area surrounding the Camel estuary
936 - The county boundary is set at the River Tamar by Athelstan and the 'english' practice genocide against the Cornish at Exeter (William of Malmesbury 'cleansed of its defilement by wiping out that filthy race')
1497 - An Gof ( of Lizard village) and Thomas Flamank leads 40,000 Cornish in rebellion against King Henry VII
1549 - The Prayer Book Rebellion. "Act of Uniformity" by British Parliament marks the forced decay of the Cornish language.
..Is it Apathy though? Apathy tends to suggest a laxity of thought, a 'matter do it' attitude..and I'm not sure that it IS apathy that leads to a lack of support for Cornish independance.
What if (horror of horrors!) Cornish people are educated, independant thinkers, who HAVE considered the issue and decided firmly that independance is NOT a good thing?
A referendum, or at least a very good poll with a large sample would answer the question...
A question I hear raised often when the subject is aired is "Who would be in charge?"...and the answer of course is that it would be our current and often reviled 'County' councillors who would stand, and probably be elected to any Cornish parliament or assembly..... Prime Minister Doris Ansari of Cornwall, anyone????????
Actually the UK is not an independent entity any more as European Law supercedes that of individual nation's. So if Scotland, Wales N.I. or Cornwall were to become independent, provided the EU accepted any newly independent nations of the former UK, we would all still be subject to EU law. We would not be able to reclaim our fishing grounds any more than the present UK can. So all this talk of being independent of England but still in the UK is pie in the sky, because as so many of you have pointed out the UK is run by the English Establishment anyway. And quite honestly Cornwall, unfortunately, can not stand on it's own financially.
And as one of the EU nations we would be able to take a full part in the negociations for the future of the EU as opposed to London doing it for us (or should i say London doing it for London).
Its the UK government that traded off our fishing industry against other benefits, an independent Cornwall probably would not do this because the fishing industry is much more important for Cornwall than it is for the UK.
So there is no possibility of reform?
What do you mean? Independent from England, like Wales, but in the UK; independent from the UK full stop but in the EU; or just fully independent from all?
But this raises an interesting point, one for a Cornwall 24 poll perhaps.
What do we want and how will it relate to the EU?
1) A totally independent Cornwall (No UK or EU)
2) A totally independent Cornwall but part of the EU.
3) A Cornwall independent from England, like Wales, but part of a reformed UK (and EU).
4) An autonomous Cornwall with assembly but still part of England.
5) An independent Cornwall in a Celtic union with the other nations if they would have us.
If you have chosen options 3 or 4 then you are looking at keeping the UK, does that mean you are, in part, a British Nationalist? How do you break this news to the SNP or other Scots and Welsh nationalists who want to wind up the UK and go for full independence?
Then there is the question of how we go about it.
A) Follow the Cornish Assembly path. This seems to have the support of most and it is an idea your average John Rowe in the street can get his head around, but government has said NO and presses ahead with the construction of South West regional bodies. The best some are aiming for now is a unitary authority. Why pursue the Assembly anyway when we have a mothballed Duchy and Stannary that could be kick started by a European court case.
B) The restoration of the Duchy and Stannary courts and parliaments. All the laws are there and some say all that it would take is a court case, but to be honest for John Rowe this looks like Pie in the sky. As soon as you start talking about constitutional positions, national minorities and the Council of Europe -BANG- the door closes in his mind and you are listed as a weirdo. This path at the outset will not have popular support.
And do you think we will have any real influence when even countries like Germany don't always get what they want.
True but it was our Govt, you know the UK govt that you still want to be a part of. And I know only too well how important fishing is to Cornwall, Newlyn is practically on my doorstep.
.[quote]
So there is no possibility of reform?
Well I suppose David did slay Goliath but that was a one off, and it's not just the English Establishment either, for the last 9 years we've had a Govt run mainly by the Scots with help from the Welsh.
[quote]
What do you mean? Independent from England, like Wales, but in the UK; independent from the UK full stop but in the EU; or just fully independent from all?
Wales and Scotland are not independent countries yet, yes they have some autonomy but they are still ruled overall from Westminster. And I mean that Cornwall could not finance itself if it was outside of the UK. And who is to say that if the UK split into individual countries that we would all remain in the EU, even England! Each country may have to re-apply and stand on their own merits.
And no I am not advocating that things stay as they are, I'm merely trying to point out that there are far bigger issues to think about when advocating independence that's all. Isn't that what debate is all about?
2) A totally independent Cornwall but part of the EU.
3) A Cornwall independent from England, like Wales, but part of a reformed UK (and EU).
4) An autonomous Cornwall with assembly but still part of England.
5) An independent Cornwall in a Celtic union with the other nations if they would have us.
If you have chosen options 3 or 4 then you are looking at keeping the UK, does that mean you are, in part, a British Nationalist? How do you break this news to the SNP or other Scots and Welsh nationalists who want to wind up the UK and go for full independence?
Then there is the question of how we go about it.
A) Follow the Cornish Assembly path. This seems to have the support of most and it is an idea your average John Rowe in the street can get his head around, but government has said NO and presses ahead with the construction of South West regional bodies. The best some are aiming for now is a unitary authority. Why pursue the Assembly anyway when we have a mothballed Duchy and Stannary that could be kick started by a European court case.
B) The restoration of the Duchy and Stannary courts and parliaments. All the laws are there and some say all that it would take is a court case, but to be honest for John Rowe this looks like Pie in the sky. As soon as you start talking about constitutional positions, national minorities and the Council of Europe -BANG- the door closes in his mind and you are listed as a weirdo. This path at the outset will not have popular support.
It is amost impossible to give a straight answer because we just don't know how the EU would react to the UK being split into separate countries. Would they welcome all with open arms? or would they say that the Treaty of Rome is only encompassing the UK as a whole and if separate do all have to reapply? I don't see that opting for your number 3 makes anyone a British Nationalist. I would have thought that it was a sensible option unless number two was a distict possibility. If it was a certainty then number two is the most promising.
Sorry fulub I did misunderstand. It's a shame that a bunch of racist thugs call themselves British Nationalists. I suppose I do, in the absence of an attractive alternative, support a British nation but only one that all constituent parts are equal and part of by choice and not conquest.
Well thats OK because Spain is made of lots of regions of a fairly large size, but imagin if Scotland seperates from the UK followed by Wales and NI. What do you want then, a UK of just England and Cornwall?
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