After each General Election, I tend to write a piece about how the popular vote fails to be proportionately reflected in the number of MPs elected through the first-past-the-post system. It has taken me a while to get to it this time, because I have had to prioritise writing about recent “devolution” discussions. In 2019, the Conservative Party achieved 44% of the vote share across the UK, which led to them securing 56% of the seats. In 2024, the result…
The new Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has been writing to local councils about the possibility of devolution. In the letter received by Cornwall Council and many other local authorities on 16th July, she wrote that she was “laser focused” on “pushing power out of Whitehall.” She added that she wanted to invite councils “to partner with [her] Government to deliver the most ambitious programme of devolution this…
Immediately after the result of the General Election was confirmed, the new Prime Minister held a press conference. He spoke about the “four nations” of the UK, and how he would govern for all four corners of the UK – meaning England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He also said that he had a “fundamental belief” that those “with skin in the game are the ones who know best what they need,” and that he wanted to put “more power in…
The recent election for the position of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the “Devon and Cornwall Police Area” was not a good advert for democracy. A total of 82,011 people voted – a turnout of only 18.8% – which I must admit was higher than predicted by many people, myself included. But 39,464 of these came from postal voters who were automatically sent ballot papers, while only 42,547 people actually visited polling stations. The amount of publicity surrounding the election…
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the recognition of the Cornish as a national minority, MK leader Cllr Dick Cole critiques what has actually happened over the last decade. On 24th April 2014, the UK Government announced that the Cornish would be recognised through the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The official government press release stated that “the decision to recognise the unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same…
The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2003. The list of states which have ratified the treaty numbers more than 180, and that now includes the United Kingdom. Intangible cultural heritage is defined as “practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and know-how transmitted from generation to generation within communities.” The Convention has five indicative categories: (a) oral traditions and expressions, (b) performing arts,(c) social practices, rituals and festive…
