Cornish Independence

[Cornishman]

Does the Pirate Party support the creation of a 'Cornish Assembly', giving Cornwall more autonomy? There are several reasons why an autonomous Cornwall would be beneficial to the Cornish and the rest of Britain.

1. Independence will reduce poverty in Cornwall:

Cornwall is one of the poorest regions in the UK, at one time eligible for 'Objective One' EU funding. Cornwall's economy is primarily agricultural and tourism based. The current economic environment is not conducive to prosperity in Cornwall – something which is desirable to both the Cornish and British as a prosperous Cornwall will contribute more to the UK. The only way to create a more productive economy in Cornwall is for the local people, who live in and understand the situation in Cornwall, to have more say in how things are run.

2. Independence will improve the management of Cornwall:

Cornwall is a long way from Westminster. Decisions made in Westminster do not consider the needs of Cornwall. Funding is misspent in Cornwall as those spending it don't live in the region. Society works best when people have self determination, those who live in a region are best suited to manage it.

3. Independence will allow Cornwall to retain its cultural identity:

Cornwall has a distinct culture to England. It has it's own language (albeit extinct), traditions and history. Currently this cultural identity is undermined by England (for example the flying of Cornwall's national flag is restricted) Devolution will allow the Cornish take pride in their identity.

I appreciate any input on the above subject, I feel it is one routinely overlooked by the non-Cornish and welcome any discussion.

[M2Ys4U]

PPUK has no position either way on the issue of devolution or independence in Cornwall although AFAIK we support the principle of self-determination for all peoples.

In my personal opinion, however, I can't say that I'm convinced by the need for independence.

1. Poverty. Cornwall is by no means the only area of the UK that has a high level of poverty. Areas such as the North East of England, for example, are also very hard-hit. I think that trying to shift the economic balance away from London and the South East to the rest of the country - Cornwall included - would be a better solution. Not to mention that there are non-trivial overheads for devolved areas.

2. Management. Cornwall is definitely not unique in being a long way from Westminster. The current government is pushing a localism agenda which will help put more power into the hands of the local authorities. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, for example, is one of the first cities to be given a huge chunk of its tax revenue back to spend in the area.I'm quite interested to see how this will work out, as an adopted Mancunian, and think that if the local governance is done right it could be a great thing. Perhaps a similar group of Cornish local authorities could negotiate a similar arrangement with the central government.

3. Identity. I'm not convinced that independence is necessary to retain a cultural identity. I don't think that a cultural identity can really be imposed on a population by a government to any overwhelming degree. If the locals wish to uphold their culture then they can. I have mixed feelings about the idea of official languages, e.g. in Wales, under the current devolution system. Then again, I am not Cornish (or Welsh), I'm a Berkshire lad who's adopted Manchester as his home.

Overall, I don't think that devolution or independence would be worth it, however I am a supporter of the right to self-determination so if the people of Cornwall were to vote for devolution or independence then who am I to say otherwise? Especially if there are detailed and reasoned arguments in favour.

[Razeth]

Surely, as Jack said, retaining your cultural identity doesn't involve breaking off from the rest of Britain. It's all in the eye of the beholder in the end.

I understand where you're coming from when you speak of a 'Cornish Assembly' but you have to remember that surely all of those areas covered should already be the jurasdiction of the Borough/County Councils? Cornwalls heritage is surely as an integral part of England so wouldn't splitting it off with seperate managerial posts splinter it in some way?

Many areas of the UK are poverty stricken and although as I said above it is down to the various local governing bodies to do what they can to improve the areas they govern, surely it's better for morale if we try to all pull through this together?


Obviously it's not my place to say 'NO, you guys cannot leave us', as Jack said, if as a collective Cornwall wants to govern itself that is it's choice as an area to make, but I cannot see what purpose the assembly could possibly hope to achieve where local councils have failed.

Why not instead suggest an easy to understand contact system for the locals of the area to contact their local councils/MP's to have their say as to how the area should be improved?

[FatalException]

I find Cornish independence an odd thing. I don't blame them at all for feeling disillusioned with how Westminster treats the rest of the UK, I suppose if I had any straw to grasp on to I would be grasping at it. At the same time I don't want to see the UK split in any way, but I do want a fairer deal for the whole of the UK and more power to all people.

Being a Northerner whenever there's talk of part of the UK wanting to split I can't help but think "Please don't leave us alone with these guys". I think the disillusioned need to stand together in order to stand any chance of making a difference.