Who is to blame for the lack of recognition when it comes to Cornwall’s status as a Duchy and one of the Celtic nations that make up the UK?
Is it Westminster and the dastardly central government taking a lackadaisical approach to Cornish status? Or the media who refer to Cornwall as a part of England and use county where ever possible? Or is it Cornwall Council who make much of Cornish identity but never seem to push far enough? Or is the most likely culprit the people of Cornwall?
This may sound an unfair thing to say about a populace but why have we not moved forward?
Let’s be honest very few people outside of Cornwall know or care about Cornwall’s status we are just a place to go for a holiday or somewhere nice to move to.
Visit Cornwall for the benefit of our visitors could use the tag line ‘The Duchy that celebrates itself’.
There is very good work done on social media by groups and individuals promoting different aspects of Cornish history and culture but these are seen by their detractors as bubbles, talking to people who already support their ideals when government and media take notice not of small groups but of the collective voice and at the moment this is sorely lacking in Cornwall.
The elections this week are important, local elections are seen as lacking the glamour of a general election but local elections can send a message to Westminster and the rest of the UK that how ever hard our six MPs work a general election cannot do, the message that Cornwall demands its recognition.
If the rest of the UK are to hear us then we need representation at grassroots, it cannot come from the individual politician but from a party with a strong mandate and this will not be easy. The recent unprecedented movement of people relocating to Cornwall from other parts of the UK, who may feel that a stronger Cornish identity will leave them as outsiders will need to be won over.
Which party could do this? The candidates of the Westminster parties might wrap themselves in the St Piran’s flag and their talk of a proud Cornish identity may be true but where will their first allegiance lie, with Cornwall or their party’s national strategy?
Taking all of the above into account then Mebyon Kernow should be the default choice but the question has to be asked why has the party has not had the major break through?
It is strange that Mebyon Kernow does not have more councillors, the party has a long history, has good candidates standing at this election and interesting and original policies so maybe this will be their year.
The next week will tell us not just about the future of MK but the future of Cornwall.
KernowCalling 