Keep Kernow Whole says the Grand Bard of Cornwall

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Keep Kernow Whole says the Grand Bard of Cornwall
4th September, 2016

“This is the parish that holds the spirit of Cornwall” said Grand Bard Merv Davey, Telynor an Weryn, in his address to fellow bards, visiting dignitaries and members of the public at Gorsedh Kernow’s annual bardic ceremony, held this year in a rain soaked St Keverne.

“It was from this parish some 500 years ago that Michael Joseph the Smith led the Cornish host to London in protest at the destruction of our way of life. Throughout the centuries the people of Cornwall have asserted their distinct identity and heritage.”

Thanking members of the local organising committee for all their hard work over many months and the Chairman of St Keverne Parish Council David Lambrick for such a warm welcome, Mr Davey stood alongside delegates from the Welsh and Breton Gorseddau and reminded the crowds who had managed to squeeze into St Keverne church of the importance of retaining the border between Cornwall and the rest of Britain.

“The spirit of Michael Joseph and St Keverne are seen in our success with the recognition of the Cornish Language, our National Minority Status and the Devolution Deal for Cornwall Council” said the Grand Bard, “but the time has come now to campaign to keep our land whole.”

Urging his audience to recognise Cornwall as a place apart with its own political history and cultural heritage the Grand Bard insisted that to place parts of Cornwall into Devon for the purpose of Parliamentary Constituencies would be a serious denial of history. He feared for the success of any Devolution Deal and called on Cornwall’s MPs to support Gorsedh Kernow’s call to ‘Keep Cornwall Whole.’

“Any recommendation that parts of Cornwall are placed within Devon constituencies would be a disaster for Cornish democracy, heritage, culture and our national identity.”

#KernowMatters requests full circulation of this important statement made by the Grand Bard, Dr Merv Davey and we give our full and unqualified support to this call.

Useful references:

Cornwall's  name was first recorded in a place-name, Durocornouio, "fortress of the Cornish", c.400 AD, nearly 500 years before the name England was first recorded (as Englaland)

Cornish is officially recognised as a minority language by the UK government under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, a status it has held since 2002
Cornish granted minority status within the UK and incorporated into The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities - official Westminster Government Press Release 
​https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cornish-granted-minority-status-within-the-uk
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities - Articles and Explanatory Report 
https://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/minorities/1_atglance/PDF_H(95)10_FCNM_ExplanReport_en.pdf

Tuesday, 17 May 2016

Cornwall Council voted overwhelmingly to support a proposal to lobby central government to amend the Parliamentary and Voting System Act 2011 to ensure that a cross-Tamar Devonwall parliamentary seat is not created through the present Boundary Review. 

The resolution agreed at the meeting was as follows:

(a) Under the current provisions of the Parliamentary and Voting System Act 2011 (“the Act”) it is inevitable that at least one parliamentary constituency will be created that cuts across Cornwall’s historic boundary;
(b) the Act was passed prior to the Government’s announcement on 24 April 2014 that the Cornish would be formally recognised as a national minority coming within the protective Articles of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; and
(c) It is inconsistent with the spirit and intent of the said Framework Convention and its application to the protection of the Cornish that the implementation of the current parliamentary constituency review in accordance with the provisions of the Act would lead to the territorial integrity of Cornwall and its historic boundary being compromised.

Council therefore resolves:

(1) to urge the Government to respect the spirit of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and take all necessary steps to amend the Act prior to completion of the said parliamentary constituency review to specifically protect the parliamentary constituencies of Cornwall so that they remain fully within the boundaries of Cornwall;
(2) to write to all the Members of Parliament for Cornwall to seek their urgent and active support for the proposed amendment as set out under paragraph (1) above; and
(3) that the Leader seek an urgent meeting with the Boundary Commission for England to raise the fundamental constitutional issue of the integrity of Cornwall’s boundary and the impact of the said Framework Convention that is critical to the effective implementation of the said parliamentary constituency review.