The coming of G7 to Cornwall

Most will have heard that Carbis Bay has been chosen as the venue for the G7 Summit to be held from 11th - 13th June 2021.

The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organization consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The heads of government of the member states, as well as the representatives of the European Union, meet at the annual G7 Summit.

Despite it being enthusiastically welcomed by the great and the good and the familiar too, a check of social media reveals a distinctly lukewarm reception by the people of Cornwall who have seen many such things come and go down the years.

Many expressed concerns that 'Cornishness' will once again be erased as occured during the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay which saw the Cornish language signs at Land's End painted over at the start and then a St Piran's flag being forcibly torn from the hands of torch carrier Andrew Ball by an Olympic security guard in Saltash at the end, and with many people in between being forcibly pushed in to the hedges between as well as late night visits by the authorities to others, sometimes elderly, to ensure compliance and behaviour.

Yet more jumped with joy when Will Coleman, creator of the iconic 'Man Engine' suggested on social media a reapparearance of that wonderful creation which said so much about Cornwall and the Cornish. Will Coleman certainly knows a thing or two about the Cornish.

Many wrote that they felt Cornwall had once again been lumbered with a 'white elephant' citing the Eden Project which has now become more like a 'tacky and subsidised theme park' apparently and remembering the millions of pounds on European money sent Cornwall's way which seems to have, well, 'disappeared with no visible benefit' filtered as it was 'through up country agencies'!

A retired Fire Chief Officer expressed his amazement that the event had been set to clash with the tourist season's reopening and would bring 'chaos to gridlocked roads'.

A substantial number expressed concerns at the cost which might have to be born by council tax payers already struggling with that particularly massive financial burden with some citing the experiences of Gleneagles in Scotland in 2005 and Biarritz in France in 2019.

Already Carbis Bay is being rebranded as a 'resort' rather than a 'village' - 'resort' sounds so much more sophisticated, doesn't it?

There are a couple of nice (and incredibly expensive) hotels there, the Tregenna Castle being one, the Carbis Bay being the other, which can be easily secured and we do hope that Covid has been brought under control by then.

The good news is that it will give 'Cornwall Live' (the online presence of the Cornish Guardian, West Briton and Cornishman newspapers - remember them?) something else to write about rather than the usual wall to wall coverage of Gordon Ramsay, the foul mouthed cook, and the best houses to buy in Cornwall that none of us can hope to afford.

All the big noises are now saying how much benefit this will bring to Cornwall. Time will tell as they say. Some of us remember the promises made back in the late 1960s regarding the incredible wealth massed tourism would bring us. 50 years on and the jury is still very much out on that one.

We're still waiting for the economic benefits promised following the Olympic Torch Relay which started in Cornwall in 2012. Remember that?

One thing for sure. There will be a level of security not witnessed by many before . The Covid restrictions will be as nothing compared the the security to be visited upon Carbis Bay and surrounds in the run up to and during the Summit. We guess heavily guarded convoys from Culdrose and St Mawgan in and out.

This will doubtless add to the coming chaos expected this year with the avalanche of tourists heading this way owing to the fact that overseas travel has become rather more 'complicated' since Brexit so it might be advisable for locals to enter early hibernation as we usually do.

Best watch out too for inflated claims put out by the private, members only, tourism promotion company 'Visit Cornwall' and their pals at 'Cornwall Live'. We have already spotted one wildly exaggerated claim. By the time they have both finished, we shall all be entirely dependent on tourists and second homeowners for our very being conveniently forgetting that most have nothing at all to do with tourism.

Tourism brings us around 12% of Cornwall's GDP, which means that 88% of it comes from elsewhere. It adds 11% GVA to Cornwall's Gross Value Added .

That won't stop those making a mint from this highly extractive business claiming otherwise though and telling us that this is all in our best interests.

Looking beyond tourism, Cornwall has the ability to do so much better for itself with groundbreaking technology, mining experience and huge steps in lithium production, hot rocks energy, tidal energy, leading edge developers, a creative sector unseen in many other places, a large agricultural and food production industry and a history and heritage long and unequalled which is being rediscovered.

In the words of the late and great MP, David Penhaligon, "You need more in an economy than just tourism, ice cream and deckchairs."

But will all the hype bring a little more prosperity to Cornish people living in Penzance, Camborne, Redruth, St Austell, Bodmin, Liskeard, Launceston, Bude and so on? We hope so, because there is so much more to Cornwall than pretty sunsets, seaside living, second homes, tourism, ice creams and Poldark.

Stay safe, One and All!

Links of interest:

BBC News -The 'intolerable' cost of Scotland staging the G8 summit 2005 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-50894383?fbclid=IwAR1FChuI5se-qil6mmvVpxxe0AAmgydguZujJc-gipHsq-TVeMIGKRo38pU

The Guardian of London -Biarritz in lockdown as G7 summit descends on French resort - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/24/biarritz-lockdown-g7-summit-descends-french-resort?fbclid=IwAR1FChuI5se-qil6mmvVpxxe0AAmgydguZujJc-gipHsq-TVeMIGKRo38pU

The Kernow Matters To Us Team