Campaign for English Parliament - Kernow Matters Responds

Response from the campaign group 'Kernow Matters'

We note with some wry amusement the comments made by the organisation 'Campaign for an English Parliament'

Comment here: http://thecep.org.uk/c-e-p-news/bbc-survey-shows-cornish-nationalism-is-dead-in-the-water-calls-for-mebyon-kernow-to-disband/

Their comments are based on a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the BBC which actually consulted with around 20,080 people out of some 50 millions in 'England'.

We can therefore extrapolate that around 200 people were consulted in Cornwall with it's current population standing at around 535,000.

This is hardly a representative sample and is entirely misleading. The question asked actually determines that 62% of Cornwall's population are proud to be associated with Cornwall.

We prefer more substantive facts and not the imperialistic and arrogant agenda of many organisations based up in England.

The facts of the matter are that the Cornish language was officially recognised in 2002, the Cornish National Minority officially recognised in 2014 as a distinctive and non English minority, that there is a rich and vibrant Cornish culture and that in recent PLASC surveys, around 50% of school pupils identify as Cornish and indeed, many of them joined by their parents participated in the annual Piran celebrations and proudly waved our unsullied and unwarlike inclusive national flag of Piran.

In 2011 a total of 83,966 people in Britain ticked 'other' and physically wrote in 'Cornish' as their national identity. Within Cornwall the total was 73,220.

Additionally, people were permitted by the authorities to record Cornwall as their COUNTRY of birth and a large number did so.

Furthermore, it is worth adding that despite threats of prosecution, many Cornish people bravely refused point blank to participate in the 2011 Census due to the refusal of the ONS to include a 'Cornish' tick box. None were prosecuted though.

The ONS are now under great pressure to include a Cornish tick box and we are certain that more will identify as 'Cornish'.

History shows that the Cornish and their kith and kin existed on this island long before the creation of England by the English who arrived many years later from Germany.

The border between England and Cornwall was set in 936 by Athelstan and no record exists of England subsuming Cornwall.

Despite the best and sometimes violent efforts of the English establishment, the Cornish (and indeed our close relatives the Welsh and Scots) continue to exist on this island of Britain and whilst one of us remains, they will have failed to assimilate us.

In Cornwall, we have our own ambitions which include autonomy and perhaps federalism though probably not full independence. If the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands can exist autonomously and Wales and Scotland (and London) self rule, then so can we in Cornwall.

The population of Cornwall is far larger than many fully independent countries including Iceland, and they have a successful football team, unlike some!

We wish England and her English and other peoples well. They are our neighbours and many now live in Cornwall. However, this is Cornwall and remains so.

Kernow bys vyken!

Tony, Mark & Mike for the Steering Group
Kernow Matters.