Kernow - A Nation Once Again

The future of Europe is a patchwork of historic and (what Marxists used to call) 'non-historic' nations - England, Estonia, Montenegro, Germany, Flanders and Cornwall. The more nation states the greater democracy.

The more nation-states the greater we educate one another about different cultures and languages. Those who wish to see a Europe of a dozen or so large countries are the ones who belong to the past, or to the rectangular states of the American Mid-West. Europe's strength is its diversity.

In this new Europe we wish well to our English neighbours in their quest for independence, but ask them to respect the Cornish identity. An amazing blossoming has happened in this small corner of Europe.

A national consciousness re-born in the last few decades. With the re-launch of the Cornish Constitutional Convention, now is the time that we recognise its constitutional aspiration. Cornwall's population is onlyslightly less than Montenegro - who only a few weeks ago regained her independence.

The results from the 2001 UK census show that over thirty seven thousand people claimed Cornish identity instead of choosing English or British. On this census to claim Cornish identity you had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option, and then write Cornish in the others box. Additionally the decision to collect information on Cornish identity was extremely badly publicised.

How many more would have described themselves as Cornish if there had been a Cornish tick box? How many people knew that it was an option? How many ticked British but feel themselves Cornish British? Cornwall Council's Feb 2003 MORI Poll showed 55% in favour of a democratically elected, fully devolved regional assembly for Cornwall, (this was an increase from 46% in favour in a 2002 poll).

Labour's typical Brit Nat response has been to ignore the overwhelming public support for a Cornish Assembly. Instead, it has constructed a network of bogus unelected and unaccountable bodies such as the South West Regional Assembly and the South West Regional Development Agency, which have taken control over areas such as economic development, housing and strategic planning, further and further away from the communities of Cornwall. It's about time the Brit Nat Labour government organised a referendum in Cornwall for a devolved Cornish assembly and stopped pushing the South West boil-in-the-bag region on the Cornish.

All right-minded nationalists should sign this petition calling on the UK Government to hold a referendum in Cornwall on the question of establishing a Cornish Assembly.