Latest outrageous proposal by Westminster politician will see 'one and all' replaced by 'us and them'!

Further threat to democracy in Cornwall

'Here we go again' has been the exasperated comment expressed by many people in Cornwall on hearing the latest proposals of back bench Conservative MP for South West Devon, Gary Streeter, an individual who apparently has too much time on his hands and can afford to dabble in places outside his own constituency.

Post the discarded and discredited 'Devonwall' proposal, the possibility of a cross border Westminster constituency between Cornwall and Devon which caused a very public outcry in Cornwall with the chamber of Cornwall Council flooded with protestors, many speaking in Cornish, and open protest and road blocking at the border at Polson Bridge, Streeter has now proposed a 'South West Super Council'.

This MP has taken to the media to say, "I don't really think anyone envisages an independent Cornwall. We need to be bigger in our grouping and more ambitious in our vision than that" and then went on to express his hope that the Devolution White Paper will lead to a combined authority for Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall.

Alarmingly, he was joined by a Liberal Democrat politician on social media which surprised us as we thought the Liberal Democrats believed in an empowered assembly for Cornwall or at least, that was what we were told by them on the bridge at Polson when fighting off 'Devonwall'!

Once again, the contents of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities into which the Cornish were admitted as recently as 2014 and in particular articles 5 and 16 of that document appear to have been cast aside.

Streeter says he doesn't envisage 'an independent Cornwall'. Nor do we at this exact time, but we do envisage a legislative Cornish assembly like those in place in Wales and Scotland both of which have outperformed the distant and increasingly dysfunctional Westminster Parliament during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Town and Parish Councils should be further empowered.

If the truth be told, everything that Westminster dabbles in ends up a disaster be it law and order, the health service, education or whatever.

We have been heartened to see prominent Cornwall Councillors step up to the mark and speak out against this 'top down' imposition of an amorphous political creation on us here in Cornwall and can assure Streeter that unlike his outdated 'bigger is better' idea, something apparently much loved by the English establishment, we in Cornwall have amassed enough evidence to show that bigger has consistently failed us. We have plenty of Cornish ambitions and in the words of a recent Cornwall Council media circulation repeated subsequently, we need to 'keep it Cornish' - 'gwith e Kernewek'!

Cornwall Council may be far from perfect, but at least it is in Cornwall.

There is but one solution to the Cornish question and that lays right here in Cornwall, not in Devon, Dorset, Somerset or wherever else. We have seen too much taken from Cornwall as it is. We are not children nor are we incapable and have our own distinct ambitions.

As with 'Devonwall', we stand solidly against the inclusion of Cornwall in any South West structure whose staff are always employed outside of Cornwall, but paid for by Cornish taxes. Too much of our money is paid to decision makers in Exeter, Bristol, Swindon and London. They make bad decisions about us which removes any hint of 'democracy' from our lives.

Therefore, we firmly and unequivocally stand with any elected representative who opposes this silly, bloated 'regional' idea.

With the leadership of those politicians who we know are against it, we will campaign and obstruct it to the best of our abilities. With 'Devonwall' it took open protest, flooding the Cornwall Council Chamber with objectors and road blocks. This can be arranged again.Cooperation with others yes, assimilation by them no. It really is that simple.

Let not 'one and all' become 'us and them'!

Kernow bys vyken!

John, Teresa, Craig, Tony, Matt, Mike, Clive, Ronan, Alex, Rob & Maria

Elected Members of the KMTU Steering Group

Images below:

Gary Streeter MP

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