Remembrance

I was immensely proud to be able to attend the Illogan RBL remembrance parade this afternoon. It was good to see the community turn out to remember our fallen heroes of military conflict.

Parish Plan

On Wednesday I attended a community meeting which approved the draft Parish Plan. The people of Illogan in partnership with the Parish Council have set out how they want their community to progress over the coming years.

The chairman, Cllr David Ekinsmyth, made a very good point. He intends that our parish plan should be the basis of Cornwall Cpouncil's planning for the parish. This is the way we need to look at things. We need to take control over our own affairs in Cornwall and let Cornwall Council and, through them, the Westminster parliament know that the people of Cornwall are the best suited, qulified and placed to direct Cornish affairs.

Keep Cornwall Whole

Along with approximately 500 hundred others, I attended the Keep Cornwall Whole rally at Saltash on October 10^th. The rally was hugely successful in achieving its aim of bringing people, from all walks of Cornish life, together in a common purpose - to send a strong message of solidarity to the Westminster government.

The mood of the rally reflected the growing recognition across Cornwall that Cornwall is not only a unique part of Great Britain, with its own distinctive culture, language and geography, but that it deserves the right to have those exceptional qualities recognised and protected. The speakers came from all sections of Cornish society. There were even two government MPs there. One MP had tabled an amendment to the government’s bill while the other promised to vote against the government if it became necessary.

While some people, who want to play down the solidarity and depth of feeling of all of those at the rally, bicker about whether there were less than 500 people there and attempt to portray the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign as a waste of time, Mebyon Kernow is in the vanguard of those who want to see a modern and democratic Cornwall take its rightful place as a fully paid up member of Britain and Europe.

The Party for Cornwall is proud to be associated with the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign and is working tirelessly in support of it. Mebyon Kernow calls on all of those people in Cornwall who believe that we need recognition for Cornwall. It is essential to start looking to the future to help us to stop this backward looking, stifling and encroaching philosophy that the Westminster way is the only way forward. We need to build on the growing momentum and appetite for promoting what is best for Cornwall – echoed so definitively by the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign - and to connect with the mounting belief that it is not too late to make a difference. Act now! Sign the Mebyon Kernow petition to say no to Devonwall seats and don’t be afraid to add your voice to those who want to take all the people of Cornwall into a confident and vibrant future which is anchored in the tradition and culture of two thousand years.

By-election Working Party to be Formed

When I was elected to the Illogan Parish Council in June there was some confusion as to why ballot cards had not been sent to the residents of Illogan. I promised to investigate the matter and to report back.

I have discovered that whether or not to send out ballot cards at bye-elections is entirely within the discretion of parish and town councils. In this instance Illogan Parish Council had decided not to have them sent.

Somewhat perplexingly I was told both that this ‘was a long standing policy of the council’ and that this ‘was a decision made before each by-election on an ad hoc basis’. The reason that ballot cards are not sent is because of the cost involved.

I am concerned that a price is being put on democracy – but I can also see that it might well be better to spend limited financial resources on items that better benefit the community as a whole.

The point is that Illogan Parish Council has not considered the issues of the causes of bye-elections, the costs involved and the possibility of co-opting members together in order to formulate a single coherent policy on the issue.

I am pleased to report that at the last full meeting of the council it was decided to pass a motion that I had placed on the agenda. A working party will be formed to examine all of the issues involved in bye-elections. The working party will be tasked to review the issues and to formulate a single policy which will be recommended to the full council before March 2011.

National Emergency

I have read with interest reports of a ‘National Emergency’ in Cornwall in the last week – it seems that there are sometimes queues of traffic in and around Cornwall.

We are told by the tourism bosses that such a state of affairs is likely to have dire consequences for the Cornish economy and that the only solution is to build new roads and to ‘improve’ those which already exist so that it will make it easier to increase the number of visitors to the Duchy.

As the owner of a business that benefits from the summer ‘tourist trade’ I think that such hyperbolic claims should be viewed with extreme caution.

Newer and bigger roads are not even a part of the solution to Cornwall’s economic problems – they would merely exacerbate them and further erode the distinctiveness of the Cornish environment. Cornwall is unique within the British Isles and needs unique and inventive solutions to address the economic needs of its people. Faster and bigger roads are not a solution they are part of the problem.

Major roads not only blight the landscape but can actually have a detrimental effect on Cornish businesses. It is often argued that Cornwall is a remote part of the UK and that we need more and better roads to help us compete with upcountry enterprises. What is often forgotten is that it is just as easy to think of London and the Midlands as being remote from Cornwall. By ‘improving’ the road networks it gives the globally corporate concerns an even bigger advantage over local entrepreneurs by making their shops and outlets easier to supply - in short it becomes viable to set up in ‘remote’ Cornwall. Cornwall’s remoteness needs to be seen as an advantage to be embraced. We need to develop better sea ports and use the fact that Cornwall is surrounded by three sides by the sea. Cornish firms could export and distribute goods around the UK and develop markets throughout the rest of Europe and the world.

Of course, bigger and faster roads also mean that it is easier to reach all of those second homes for the odd weekend – so even more people from the South East can buy up Cornish houses, putting prices even further beyond the reach of local people. Naturally, these extra ‘second-homers’ will be buying their provisions at local Cornish shops and not stocking up from Waitrose before they arrive for their overnight visit.

What is a Cornish Nationalist?

Only since I came to Cornwall in 2008 have I developed a passion for politics. Living and working in the Duchy I am trying to offer what little I can to the cause of the Cornish nation. I have become a Cornish nationalist.

But what is a Cornish nationalist?

A Cornish nationalist is frequently subjected to ridicule, derision, hostility and often even hatred – for no other reason than believing that the people of Cornwall are a nation separate from England and deserve to be recognised as such. For believing that the Cornish nation should have the opportunity to rebuild its economy, infrastructure and social systems utilising the skills and experience of Cornish people based within Cornwall itself.

Why does holding an opinion such as this appear to generate such hostility from a highly vocal minority?

Often the reason that this minority gives is that to be a Cornish nationalist you must be an extremist and a violent extremist at that. This is an argument which becomes very pervasive in any debate concerning whether Cornwall is a proud historic nation or simply a rather poor county of England. It seems that any constructive debate leads inevitably to cries of violence and extremism.

If the cry is not of violence or extremism then it becomes one of ridicule and derision. How stupid are you nationalists to look back at a thousand years and more of history and claim that it has any bearing on the present day? How stupid are you to believe that Cornwall could set its own course without the paternal and benevolent decree of a far-off, London-centred, Westminster parliament.

I have come to believe that this fear mongering and mockery is simply a device. It is a device which masks the inability to hold a serious debate and it is a device to make people unwilling to be linked to Cornish nationalism for fear of being branded as violent or stupid.

That Cornwall is a nation is, in my opinion, beyond question. I acknowledge the right of others to disagree with my opinion. What I ask is that I, and anyone who agrees with my opinion, not automatically be labelled a mindless, stupid, violent extremist.

My First Meeting

Having arrived early in order to make my affirmation of acceptance of the duties and responsibilities of a councillor I sat down with some trepidation to await the start of my first Illogan Parish Council meeting.

It was a lively enough meeting - there was evidence of tensions between various groups of Councillors - a sign of things to come I suppose.

I had submitted two motions to be voted on. I had asked IPC to take the appropriate action to sort out a verge on one of the main roads into Ilogan. The embarassing state of this verge had been raised several times when I was knocking doors during my election campaign. The council agreed to take action to sort this out.

Another issue that had been raised by parishioners was the vegetation encroaching on a footpath along Bassett Road. The vegetation (as well as looking untidy) is becoming a health and safety issue as it was narrowing the footpath. I am pleased to report that appropriate action to sort this problem out was also agreed.

During the meeting the progress on the Illogan Parish Plan was discussed. I pointed out that the original questionnaire contained no references to the celebration of Cornish history or culture. It was stated that as it was the Illogan Parish Plan the intention had been to concentrate on what was happening in Illogan. I was pleased when it was confirmed that Illogan was at least in Cornwall and I was subsequently assured that the people of Illogan had brought up ideas around Cornish history and culture, during the recent roadshow, and that there would be scope for including events and activities around this important subject within the plan.

Over the last few weeks I have discovered the answer to the question that I was posed on numerous occaisons before the election. The reason that the people of Illogan were not sent ballot cards or informed about the election was because IPC had decided not to pay for this to happen.

On one hand I can understand the need for good housekeeping and keeping costs down. However, I think it is difficult to put a price on democracy and I will not vote in favour of this policy for future by-elections.

On a final positive note IPC has recently agreed to support an application to Cornwall Council to supply a street sign for Tregullan. For some strange reason there isn't one at the moment which causes residents all sorts of problems!