UK Government ignores Cornish Language

"1/ The French governent doesn't refuse to give Brittany a parliament : Brittany didn't ask.

2/ There is a Corsican assembly but there can't be anything like a parliament except the French parliament : France is a nation (see constitution), not a patchwork of nations (like in the UK). "

Ahh, I see. So the British are wrong not giving the Cornish a Parliament, even though the Cornish have never asked for it, but the French are RIGHT not giving a Parliament to Brittany because the Bretons never asked for it?

Brittany probably has almost the same status in France as Cornwall does in England, so your argument that "France isn't a patchwork of nations" is rubbish because, in most people's views, Brittany is a DIFFERENT nation than France but is just ruled by the French government.

Also, the Bretons HAVE asked for their own Parliament. There is even a Breton terrorist group that bombs French cities and demand their own Parliament. But there is no Cornish terrorists bombing British cities.

Corsica and Brittany are two different nations controlled by France in the same way that Scotland, Wales and England are three different nations controlled by Britain.

And it always makes me laugh when I hear foreigners say "Britain, give Cornwall its own Parliament!" or "Give independence to Scotland!", but when I say "Not until your country has given Brittany its own Parliament" or "Not until your country has given Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and California back to the Mexicans" and then it's a different tune.

<<< even though the Cornish have never asked for it >>>

The Cornish have asked for an Assembly but were refused !!

The Campaign For A Cornish Assembly - "Cornwall is the United Kingdom’s poorest region. Its peripheral position, declining traditional industries, low wages and high house prices have created a unique set of problems which call for a unique set of solutions. Cornwall is also a markedly distinct region, with its own language, culture and traditions. It has a unique constitutional position within the United Kingdom.

These factors led people from all walks of life and from all political parties to come together in 2000 to form the Cornish Constitutional Convention. The Convention has led the campaign to establish a directly elected Cornish Assembly with new powers to address Cornwall’s particular problems.

In 2001 the Convention handed a 50,000 signature petition to Tony Blair calling for a Cornish Assembly. This was, and remains, the largest expression of popular support for devolved power in the whole of the United Kingdom.

Support for a Cornish Assembly, or a referendum for a Cornish Assembly, has been given by Cornwall’s County, District, Town and Parish Councils, Friends of the Earth, the Cornish Branch of UNISON and the Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum (representing over 200 organisations).

In 2003, 55% of those polled in the MORI Your Region, Your Choice poll voted in favour of a Cornish Assembly. The Government has twice met with leading members of the Convention to discuss the issues, and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has repeatedly acknowledged the strength of the Cornish campaign.

Campaigners believe that a Cornish Assembly will be able to provide the sort of leadership that Cornwall has lacked over the past 40 years. By bringing the whole of the public services budget under the direction of a Cornish Assembly, the government of Cornwall would be cheaper and more streamlined, with reduced bureaucracy and fewer quangos.

A Cornish Assembly would allow Cornwall to speak with a single clear voice, to argue its case to central government and market its goods and services to Europe and the wider world.

A Cornish Assembly would be founded on the principal of equality for one and all living in Cornwall, regardless of their background. It would be not be an insular institution seeking to separate itself from the rest of the United Kingdom, but a means by which Cornwall could contribute to the economic prosperity of the country.

Whilst the programme to establish regional government in England may have faltered, following a ‘No’ vote in the North East Assembly campaign, Cornwall believes that it can provide a new future for devolution in the United Kingdom, setting the template for successful regional government."

http://www.senedhkernow.com

On the subject of Brittany:

You should be aware of the "regionalization" process that has been underway in France since the early Eighties, grouping départements into régions to create a new layer of government.

As a result, there is a "Région Bretagne." Go to its its website at www.region-bretagne.fr for more information.

"The Cornish have asked for an Assembly but were refused !!"

So have the English, 80% of the UK population. So the Cornish (who are English anyway) aren't the only ones, are they?

Someone suffering from "Celtic Victimhood Syndrome."

Most people assume that just because the people of the North east of England rejected a Parliament it means that England doesn't want autonomy.

But that's rubbish. The English are no different from other people when it comes to wanting national independence. The English don't want Parliaments for each region of England, which would mean having to spilt England up into 8 or 9 pieces, and that is NOT what the English want. What the English want is ONE parliament for ALL of England, and we WILL get it. The Government may be able to ignore the Cornish, but it definetely CANNOT ignore the English.

<<Someone suffering from "Celtic Victimhood Syndrome." >>

ADAM........will you soon suggest we sign up for counselling sessions?

<<< the Cornish (who are English anyway) >>>

That's a contradiction in itself !

I say vote for ONE parliament for ALL of England, (and of course an Assembly for little Cornwall as well, please !)

How's it a contradiction?

Is saying "the Californians (who are American anyway) a contradiction?

It's embarassing all these people saying the Cornish aren't English and isn't in England, when even the Cornish consider themselves English.

That's a contradiction.

I see ! - that must mean that the Welsh are really English as well ?

I think you will find that the Cornish regard themselves as - 1.Cornish 2.British 3.European (in other words not English !)

unless I need more counselling !

CVS

Adam : what would be the 8-9 pieces of England you referred to ?

The 8-9 pieces are the 8-9 regions that the EU has divided England in.

It has divided the UK into about 12 regions - Scotland is a region, Wales is a region, Northern Ireland is a region, and England is divided into about 8 regions - which means the EU and the UK government is trying to make England disappear.

Those regions would be the North West, the North East, the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, South East, East Anglia and London.

Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and even London have their own parliaments/assemblies, except 7 of the 8 English regions.

The North West parliament would have been in Manchester.

Most English people don't want a parliament for each region, but one for all of England.

"I see ! - that must mean that the Welsh are really English as well ?

I think you will find that the Cornish regard themselves as - 1.Cornish 2.British 3.European (in other words not English !) "

No. The Welsh are not English but, like the English, they are British.

The Cornish are English because Cornwall is an English COUNTY, which obviously makes the Cornish very much English.

Most Cornish people consider themselves English, apart from the the odd ones who believe in the romantic fairytale that Cornwall is a separate country.

The letter pictured is from Jonathan Shaw MP and it came winging its way to the CEP (Campaign for an English parliament) from a frustrated CEP member today.

It was a reply to the usual complaints:

Why should Scottish MPs be able to vote on English legislation?
Why can't England be given the same level of independence as Scotland?
Why should the Scots and Welsh be able to vote on things without interference from my MP?
They are simple questions, they require simple answers. Instead, in line with Government policy, the reply obfuscated and patronised. It is the kind of reply that many CEP members have received time and time again. We will refute it here and now for the benefit of other MPs that are considering sending their constituents similar feeble excuses.

"The British Parliament is based on the fundamental principle that every member is equal. All members can speak on all subjects."
"Having equality for all Members of Parliament at the centre is symbolic of our aspiration for all corners of the UK to be treated equally. It is an essential unifying part of our country. To say that one class of Member of Parliament must only vote on one class of issue is a slippery slope."


The Government broke the fundamental principle that every member should be equal when it gave devolved government to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and left England out of the equation. This created different classes of MP. For example English MPs can vote on English healthcare legislation but cannot vote on Scottish healthcare legislation, whereas Scottish MPs can vote on English healthcare legislation but cannot vote on Scottish healthcare legislation. It is a farcical situation.

Creating an English parliament would mean that MPs for an English Parliament could vote on English healthcare legislation but not on Scottish healthcare legislation, and it would mean that Scottish MSPs could vote on Scottish healthcare but not England's. It would create a system whereby all MPs are equal and it would not affect the legislation that the UK parliament passes for the UK as a whole. Short of scrapping the devolved parliaments it is the only equitable system and it would prevent Scottish MPs overturning the democratic wishes of the English people - as expressed through their representatives in Parliament - as was the case in the top-up fees bill and the foundation hospitals bill.

--- 21st October 2004

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Prescott flouts democratic rule

Heard the one about a Scotsman and two Welshmen illegally campaigning to break up England into EU regions?

From Christopher Booker's notebook:

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott (a Welshman) is so keen to secure a Yes vote in next month's referendum on an elected regional assembly for the North-East that, last week, he and two other ministers, Gordon Brown and Peter Hain, were out on the campaign trail. (As Mr Brown put it in Newcastle, "I believe that a Yes vote would be good for the people and the businesses in the North-East.")

[Peter Hain said: "Voters in the North-East should think big and bold about the future of a regional assembly and not worry about the few extra bob it will cost to run it."]

On Thursday Neil Herron of the North-East No campaign lodged an official complaint with the Electoral Commission. He pointed out that the politicians' visit was in clear breach of the Referendums Act 2000, which rules that Ministers of the Crown may not actively campaign to promote a specific result within 28 days of the start of polling in a referendum. At the same time he asked the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to explain why ministers appeared to be breaking the law.

He was told that they were not campaigning in their capacity as Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House, but simply as Labour MPs (although this was not how their presence in the North-East was reported). When Mr Herron asked whether they had used ministerial transport to travel to the North-East, no explanation was forthcoming.

Perhaps the Electoral Commission, which has a statutory duty to ensure that the law is observed, would like to investigate, with a view to possible prosecution.

--- 17th Oct 2004

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It is official, we have an English Parliament! (Not)

Don't break out the drink just yet though. Here is a reply from the House of Commons Information Office to a CEP member's enquiry as to "where is the English Parliament?"

"Thank you for your email.

The English Parliament sits in Westminster Palace (London) in the Chamber of Commons to conduct business. For more information you can look at the Parliamentary website: www.parliament.uk particularly at the factsheets online which give detailed information on the business conducted as well as the House of Commons itself. The direct link to the factsheets is: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publications_and_archives/factsheets.cfm

I hope this is useful.

Yours sincerely
Nathalie Hart
House of Commons Information Office "

Hopefully Nathalie Hart will do us the courtesy of telling all the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs that sit in the aforementioned 'English Parliament' to get the hell out and to go and conduct their politics in their own parliaments and assemblies. Either that or stop the propaganda and respond to future enquiries by stating categorically that there is no English Parliament.

--- 14th October 2004

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Shock News: England disadvantaged!

OK, so it's not a shock. Let's take a look at what the Welsh Government has achieved for Wales

1. free prescriptions for the under 25s, and reduced prescriptions for everybody else;
2. free eye tests for high risk groups;
3. free bus passes for pensioners and disabled people (which allow pass holders to travel from one end of Wales to the other);
4. free school milk for infants;

Just how do they manage this? Easy, under the Barnett formula each person in Wales receives £1026* per head per year in Government spending than a person in England.

In 2003 the Welsh Government pledged to:

1. extend free prescriptions to all;
2. end home care charges for the disabled;
3. introduce free breakfasts for all primary school pupils;
4. free entry to swimming pools for older people and school pupils during holidays;
5. an extension of the free bus travel scheme;
6. and a promise of no top up fees in Welsh universities for the duration of the next Assembly - top up fees were imposed upon English students by the votes of Scottish and Welsh MPs, English MPs voted against top-up fees.

Angry? You should be, there is no English government pledging to bring the same benefits to England.

* Source: HM Treasury; PESA 'Identifiable Expenditure' April 2004)

--- 12th Oct 2004


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Blair's Reshuffle Puts a Scotsman in an English Ministerial Post

John Reid MP, a Scotsman, has been put in charge of the ENGLISH Health system. As a Scottish MP he has no say in how the Scottish Health system is run due to the fact that health is a matter devolved to the Scottish Parliament. He is now in an ENGLISH ministerial post when he has NO mandate from the English voters - he was elected by his Scottish constituency. Effectively we now have two classes of voters in the UK, those that have a say in how their country is run and those that have MPs that are unaccountable to them running their country.

In the Scotsman a sharp eyed lady wrote in with this superb piece of investigative journalism:

'I was reading some political speeches and saw this gem from 1993. "Offering English voters a government which consists of a Scottish prime minister, a Scottish chancellor, a Scottish home secretary and a Scottish social security secretary would be politically disadvantageous. The political balance has got to be kept."

Who said this? None other than Dr John Reid, the new Health Secretary. I wonder if he still holds the same views?'

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http://www.thecep.org.uk/news.shtml

Scottish votes on English laws

Westminster - Scottish Labour MPs have voted in support of foundation hospitals in England to ward off an embarrassing defeat for the Labour party.

Pete Wishart, the chief whip of the SNP’s five-strong division in Westminster, said: "This is nothing whatsoever to do with Scotland, what makes it even more disgraceful is that the policy of foundation hospitals has been rejected by the Scottish Labour Party - yet the Scottish MPs will be voting in favour of it!"

Liam Fox, the shadow health secretary, said "It is clear that the government’s desperation to save the Prime Minister’s neck will mean using Scottish Labour MPs to force through a policy affecting England - while English Labour MPs have no ability to affect health issues in Scotland. This, it seems, is the acceptable face of Labour’s flawed devolution settlement." May 2003.

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Warwickshire gives a resounding 'no' to regional government

Warwickshire county concillors voted unanimously to tell the Government they do not favour the region having a referendum on the proposed West Midlands regional assembly. Feb 2003.

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SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat Leader backs Cornish assembly

While the LibDems continue to refuse to consider the idea of an English Parliament, the Scottish Liberal Democrat, Jim Wallace, is happy to lend his support to the idea of a Cornish national assembly.

The county's LibDems have backed the call for a Cornish assembly, but the Labour party there has decided AGAINST it.

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Differences in Education Within the UK

Devolution has allowed a schools outside of England to develop a national flavour, something that schools in England still controlled by the UK government have not. There is no shortage of teachers and many of banes of English teachers' lives do not exist in some or all of these countries. Ofsted, for instance, is only to be found in England, while Scotland has never implemented the National Curriculum. Scotland also has teacher pay levels that are the envy of their colleagues in England.

Devolution has also allowed the rest of the UK to distance themselves from flagship government reforms of the education system, such as specialist schools and literacy programmes. Despite the 'disadvantage' of not being offered these reforms which UK government ministers claim are responsible for better results in England, the other UK countries continue to see rising standards.

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What was the Score of that World Cup 2006 Qualifier? ENGLAND 2-0 Wales? No! It was - English Regions 2 - 0 Wales

Spotter's badge goes to John for bringing this Times' letter to our attention

"Sir, Mr Richard Caborn, our Minister for Sport, was moved to write to you (letter, October 6) to underline the tremendous support for London’s bid for the Olympics from “the English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.

Since he is undoubtedly a Times reader and may be having difficulty finding the score of last Saturday’s football match, could you please tell him that it was English Regions 2, Wales nil.

Yours sincerely,
ROY BOND"

Unsurprisingly there is precious little support for London's Olympic bid from Scotland. Polling for London 2012 showed support for a bid running at 73% UK-wide, but at a much lower level in Scotland. Mike Lee, communications director for London 2012, said: "The national figures would be much higher if you took out Scotland. The levels of support in Scotland are not great."

A separate survey of Britain's Olympians during the Athens Games in August revealed that the vast majority of them didn't feel loyalty to the Union flag. Only 18 of the 271-strong Team GB said they felt British, while the rest said they had a closer affinity with their home nation by birth. (England [or English Regions?!?!], Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)

--- 15th October 2004




http://www.thecep.org.uk/news.shtml

<<< because Cornwall is an English COUNTY >>>

That is legally debatable as the UK government has always refused to answer certain questions regarding Cornish history, in particular when were Duchy "possessions" transferred to a government department and under what conditions. Any queries are always refered back to the Duchy of Cornwall Estate who refuse to comment. In 1997 Lib-Dem MP Andrew George attempted to ask questions about the Duchy in parliament but was stopped by an injunction ! Very democratic !

It appears that much Cornish history is a state secret !

I would have thought that in a democracy the Cornish people would be permitted to decide for themselves, but they have been forced to refer the matter to the Council of Europe's Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.