Supplementary memorandum by Mebyon Kernow—the
Party for Cornwall (DRA 35(a))
A DEMOCRATIC CHOICE FOR CORNWALL
Mebyon Kernow—the Party for Cornwall response
to Government White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice—Revitalising
the English Regions"
SUMMARY
This document sets out the official MK response
to the Government's White Paper—"Your Region, Your
Choice—Revitalising the English Regions."
Our response:
— Shows how Cornwall has been denied
local control compared with other Celtic and UK regions.
— Explains why the people of Cornwall
will only accept "regional government," if the region
concerned is Cornwall.
— Demands a referendum on a Cornish
Assembly.
— Explains why the proposals outlined
in the White Paper will not work for Cornwall.
— Shows that Cornwall has the attributes
to be a successful self-governing region.
— Demonstrates why there is no support
for a south-west assembly in Cornwall.
— Calls for the immediate setting up
of a legislative Cornish Assembly with powers at least equal to
those of the Scottish Parliament.
Mebyon Kernow—the Party for Cornwall welcomes
the Government's commitment to devolution and regional government.
However, the proposals in the White Paper "Your Region, Your
Choice," are timid, uninspiring and, as far as Cornwall is
concerned, offer less than second-best.
In particular, we are disappointed that the
White Paper is prescriptive on a range of issues, including regional
boundaries, functions, the range of powers and electoral arrangements.
CORNWALL IS
A BRITISH
AND EUROPEAN
REGION
Alone among the Celtic nations and regions of
Europe (Cornwall, Brittany, Galicia, the Irish Republic, the Isle
of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) Cornwall has no
form of effective self-government. Indeed, it is the only region
within the United Kingdom that has not been offered devolution
by central government.
MK sees Cornwall's future as part of a Britain
of nations and regions and a Europe of regions.
We see devolution in the UK as a process that
has led to the establishment of a Scottish Parliament, Assemblies
for Wales and Northern Ireland, a London authority and proposals
for administrative devolution within the English regions. This
process is incomplete without proposals for a Cornish Assembly.
Lord Whitty, in the House of Lords, recognised
Cornwall has a "special case" for devolution. On a visit
to Cornwall John Prescott said "Cornwall has the strongest
regional identity in the UK."
— We call upon Government to follow
this up by recognising that special arrangements must be made
for Cornish devolution.
THE ONLY
REGION FOR
CORNWALL IS
CORNWALL
In this White Paper much is made of choice.
In the Preface Tony Blair writes "No region will be forced
to have an elected assembly. But where there is public support
for one, we believe people should be given the chance to demonstrate
this in a referendum."
John Prescott and his ministers have made numerous
public statements in line with their leader subsequent to the
launch of the document. In the Foreword to the White Paper, John
Prescott wrote "There is little point in devolving power
if you impose a solution from the top. So what this White Paper
offers is an opportunity for change and a choice for local people."
Cornwall is a Celtic nation and European region
with its own identity, culture, language, traditions, history
and distinct constitutional arrangements. This forms the bedrock
of the growing support for greater Cornish self-government.
— On 5th March 2000, the Declaration
for a Cornish Assembly campaign was launched. In less than 18
months, this won the support of 50,000 people which is over 10%
of the Cornish electorate. As you will be aware, this evidence
was presented to 10 Downing Street on the 12th December 2001.
— The campaign has been supported by
four of Cornwall's five MPs, over 130 councillors on principal
authorities in Cornwall, business people, academics and the ordinary
people of Cornwall.
— Early in 2002, a reputable market
research company carried out a survey for an Objective One project.
This included nearly 800 face to face interviews and the results
show that only 12% of people in Cornwall support the Government's
proposals, while 46% of those people interviewed wanted a Cornish
Assembly. Thirty-five per cent wanted no change, while only 8%
had no view.
In Cornwall there is "public support"
for devolution. There is public support for a Cornish Assembly.
— We trust the government will revise
the White Paper to bring forward proposals for a Cornish Assembly
as soon as possible.
A REFERENDUM IN
CORNWALL AND
FOR CORNWALL
In Cornwall, there is negligible documented
support for the setting up of a south-west assembly stretching
to Tewkesbury. But, at the same time, there is considerable support
for a Cornish Assembly.
As noted above, 50,000 people have already signed
individual declaration forms for a Cornish Assembly. These people
represent a considerable block of Cornish opinion and we maintain
that their views should be respected. Given this strong level
of support, we believe central government has an obligation to
institute a referendum asking the people of Cornwall whether they
want a Cornish Assembly.
Whether for, or against, the setting up of a
Cornish Assembly at this stage, we should unite around the principle
that we are all democrats. Let us unite around the people of Cornwall
being allowed to decide the nature of their own future governance
through a referendum.
As democrats, we must make sure that everyone
in Cornwall has the chance to say YES or NO to a Cornish Assembly
in a properly constituted referendum.
— We must all come together to prove
that democracy matters and that the people of Cornwall really
do have a choice in this matter.
CORNWALL IS
NOT "TOO
SMALL"
Mebyon Kernow—the Party for Cornwall cannot
support the "one-size-fits-all" approach to regional
government as presented in the White Paper.
The Government has already brought forward very
different models of devolved governance for Scotland, Wales, Northern
Ireland and London. In each case, the Government has created a
Parliament or Assembly, taking into account the different circumstances
of the different component parts of the United Kingdom.
The 25-35 seat assembly for the "south-west,"
based in Bristol, Exeter or Taunton, is certainly not something
we could support. It presents a real democratic deficit. With
two-thirds of the assembly members elected from constituencies,
this would mean that Cornwall would have only two Assembly Members—compared
to five MPs in the Westminster Parliament—a ridiculous situation.
There is no reason why there should not be an
Assembly, serving the historic nation/region of Cornwall. In fact,
the White Paper actually looks at regional arrangements through
Europe and in many of these countries there are regions with populations
less than Cornwall. These include Vorarlberg, Austria (350,000),
Corsica, France (300,000), Bremen, Germany (700,000), Valle d'Aosta,
Italy (115,000), Flevoland, Netherlands (330,000) and Navarra,
Spain (540,000).
— Cornwall has all the attributes of
a successful region—talk of size is distraction. We call
on the Government to look again at this part of the debate.
NO SUPPORT
FOR SOUTH-WEST
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY
Since the 1960s central government, big business,
local politicians and unelected and unaccountable quangos have
been vigorously pursuing a south-west or devonwall policy solution
for Cornwall.
It has been variously argued that Cornwall's
interests were best served by merging Cornwall institutionally
with Devon or regionalism on the "big south-west" model
even though Cornwall and its representatives will inevitably be
in a minority.
We have been told that the wider south-west
option would enhance the political and economic "clout"
of Cornwall. In practice, evidence of this regionalism over the
past three decades shows that the reverse has happened and is
continuing to happen. Our unemployment remains higher than elsewhere
(in the south-west), our wages have fallen steadily further behind
the UK average, and Cornish jobs are exported eastwards.
We lost the Cornish Police Force to merger in
the 1960s. Since then there has been a general exit of Government
from Cornwall and the centralisation of a range of public bodies
and organisations, undermining the Cornish economy and Cornish
communities. Most recently, the Cornish Health Authority was merged
with that of Devon, taking yet more power and jobs out of Cornwall.
— Regionalism on a south-west model
has not worked for Cornwall and will not work for Cornwall. A
democratic veneer over the present set-up of quangos and unelected
bodies will not alter or improve the lives of ordinary people
in Cornwall.
NO SUPPORT
FOR SUB-REGIONAL
ARRANGEMENTS
Mebyon Kernow—the Party for Cornwall also
opposes all suggestions that some form of sub-regional status
for Cornwall would be acceptable. Cornwall needs the full of set
of institutions and bodies to equip it to prosper into the future.
It is our view that all suggestions of a "super-council"
or a single unitary authority for Cornwall within a south-west
region must be resisted. MK supports the devolution of political
power to local communities. The creation of a south-west assembly
would fail to do this. It would actually continue to centralise
power out of Cornwall to Bristol, Exeter or Taunton.
As a party we fully accept the principle that
local government should be rationalised within Cornwall. However,
it is our view that there should a tier of unitary councils operating
beneath the umbrella of a legislative Cornish Assembly.
The framework for Cornish local government in
the future should be decided by a "Boundary Commission for
Cornwall" or a "Boundary Committee" of the Cornish
Assembly, once it is u and running.
— Cornwall needs its own regional structures.
No second-best solutions are acceptable.
AN ALTERNATIVE
VIEW OF
DEVOLUTION
Mebyon Kernow—the Party of Cornwall has
an alternative proposal, which we trust the government will investigate
— Mebyon Kernow—the Party for
Cornwall Is committed to the self-government of Cornwall. We believe
that the people of Cornwall should have "maximum autonomy"—taking
all those political and economic decisions that they practically
can.
— The party is committed to working
with regions and nations throughout the British Isles, Europe
and the wider World. As part of this we repeat our demands for
a radically reformed European Union (based on the principles of
decentralisation and subsidiarity).
— The Party is committed to the principle
of subsidiarity, with decisions made at the appropriate local
level. We therefore maintain that decisions affecting Cornwall
should be taken in Cornwall.
— We call for the immediate setting
up of a legislative Cornish Assembly (elected by the Single Transferable
Vote) with powers at least equal to those of the Scottish Parliament.
These powers would include:
— Health, Education and Training, Local
Government, Social Work and Housing, Economic Development and
Transport, Law and Home Affairs, Environment, Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishing, Sport and the Arts.
— The Party also believes that sovereignty
lies with the people. Powers of the Assembly will be increased
when that is shown to be the democratic will of the people of
Cornwall.
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