The online petition to grant Cornwall “nation status” has today passed the symbolic figure of 20,000 as featured in Trelawny. Placed online by Louis Richards, the petition calls on the UK Government “to formally recognize Cornwall as a nation, granting it equal status to Wales and Scotland. This includes devolved powers, cultural preservation, and official recognition of Cornwall’s distinct heritage, language, and historic autonomy.” Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition. If you haven’t yet – you still can.…

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The political news-cycle throughout August was dominated by headline after headline about immigration, asylum seekers, “small boats,” migrants and the nature of accommodation for newcomers to the United Kingdom. Reform UK has been to the forefront of the arguments with the party announcing proposals to deport over 600,000 people within five years and also restrict who is even allowed to apply for asylum. The whole debate, and how public discourse has shifted so much in recent weeks, is something I find…

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The House of Lords is an anachronism that has no place in a modern democracy. From my perspective, it is wrong that people get appointed to a second chamber for life. I know that the Labour Party’s most recent manifesto stated it is “committed to replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations.” But I am really disappointed at the speed, which they are seeking to deal with this archaic…

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The UK Government’s “English Devolution White Paper” was published on Monday 16th December. As expected, it did not include home rule for Cornwall. The document specified three potential tiers of new powers, though all were much less substantive than the democratic settlements enjoyed by the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland. Cynics, such as me, would describe the new proposals as tweaks to local government, rather than Celtic-style devolution. The White Paper makes it clear that the Government will only allow…

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The Deputy Prime Minister made a number of television appearances over the weekend to outline the Labour Government’s approach to planning. This was in advance of the publication of a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Angela Rayner spoke about overhauling planning rules and sometimes even bypassing local authorities, in order to remove “subjectiveness” from the system. Others from the Government have made statements about streamlining the planning process and rubberstamping development proposals. Obviously, planning is not just about housing, but…

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It has been widely reported that, at a meeting of the organisation known as South West Councils, Jim McMahon (Minister of State for “Local Government and English Devolution”), stated that his preferred footprint for a devolution deal would be “Devon and Cornwall” block. This was certainly a talking point at the National Conference of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall, which took place in Truro on Saturday. In what I am sure was a departure from most such political gatherings,…

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