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....
Well now, a poll in the 17 April Sunday Times reports that a large majority think that MPs for seats in Scotland should be barred from voting in the UK parliament on issues that affect not Scotland but only England. At present they can vote on England-only issues and do.
And an even larger majority think Scotland gets too big a share of Britain’s public spending - remember the Barnett Formula which gives Scotland (and Wales and N Ireland) more British tax money per head for public spending compared with England.
These views are probably an effect of Scottish devolution.
As you know demands for an English parliament are beginning to be made. It looks likely that Cornish political nationalism is going to have to address English political nationalism.
Let's see where political nationalists, MK, assembly-aficionados, and Conventionists in Cornwall stand:
Should MPs for seats in Scotland be barred from voting in the UK parliament on England-only issues and laws?
Should the Barnett Formula be be kept as it is, rejigged to be fairer to England, or replaced with a different way of redistributing British taxes for public spending around Britain?
And if Cornwall gets devolved government…
Should the present, unreformed Formula be applied to a devolved Cornwall too?
Should MPs for seats in a devolved Cornwall be barred from voting in the UK parliament on non-Cornwall, England-only issues?
I have no problem with England establishing a devolved assembly (or assemblies) as long as it doesn't include Cornwall.
In which case it would be perfectly fair for English AMs to vote only on English matters. I suggest the best place for an English parliament if you choose that path is Birmingham and then it won't get confused with the UK state parliament in Westminster.
Of course, if Scotland became independent they wouldn't send any MPs (or tax) to Westminster and your problems would be solved.
Perhaps England will never really be at ease with itself until it shakes off these tiresome celtic rumps, and itself becomes an independent state.
Only if Wales, Cornwall and Northern Ireland followed suit. I don't think there's much appetite for full independence in the first two, and there is positive hostility to the idea from the Unionist community in the latter.
No, because it is a UK parliament not an English Parliament. All constituent parts of the UK should have a say on issues discussed in the state Parliament. If you want to split off the 'English' only issues then you need a separate parliament/assembly from the State one. As I suggested try Birmingham!
No, scrap the centralised redistribution of money. I think more tax should be collected locally and spent locally cutting out the middleman in Westminster that wastes so much on admin.
If devolution occurs for Cornwall and the preferred route for funding can't be followed there would have to be a fair formula for redistribution from the centre. Remember Cornwall doesn't get fair funding now for Education, County Council Administration and Health Services in comparison to London and the South East. All these are currently managed by the devolved administrations in the UK.
See above answer re: Scots. The answer is to have either one English Parliament or regional govt. within England. Then there would be no need to discuss English only issues in the state parliament as is presently done.
Seems like you want it both ways. In one paragraph you say scrap centralised redistribution of money and in the next you ask for redistribution from the centre. Which is it to be?
Fancyabrew clearly is lacking in understanding the argument if he can't interpret the previous post. As mike says it is pretty obvious. I don't want to go cap in hand to anyone, Westminster or Brussels.
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.
‘NO’ TO NUCLEAR WASTE IN CORNWALL - MPs
Proposals to bring nuclear waste to Cornwall have been described as ‘absurd and irresponsible’ by Cornish MPs.
Route Partnership Plan for Penzance unnecessary
Their plan having been rejected by the public in the final exhibition in Septmber with 90% against the Route Partnership have decided to try again in mid January after a mailout and poster campaign.The Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront of this campaign.
