22/Spring 1999
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Devolution for the Duchy The Liberal Party and the Nationalist Movement in Cornwall Garry Tregidga examines the historical links between Liberalism and nationalists in Cornwall. There is a tendency for Cornish nationalism to be vocating a federal system of government: ‘home rule all round’. Although Coweth as Kelto- either ignored or ridiculed in studies of ethno- Kernuak (the Celtic-Cornish Society) operated regionalism. The absence of a major nationalist party on a non-political basis, the Cornish Liberals on the lines of Scotland or Wales, combined with used the cultural themes raised by this organi- sation for political purposes. Thus, the cause of the conventional view that Cornwall is just part of Irish home rule was defended on pan-Celtic a vague and artificial region of the south-west, grounds, while some Liberal activists echoed centred on Bristol, ensures that this attitude is not their counterparts in Wales by calling for the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in really surprising. Cornwall. When Winston Churchill proposed the creation of regional legislatures for England Yet the Duchy has not been immune to de- in , the editor of a local Liberal newspaper velopments elsewhere in the Celtic fringe. Al- called for domestic self-government: though Mebyon Kernow (MK), the principal nationalist party, is effectively marginalised by ‘There is another Home Rule movement on the current electoral system, regional discon- the horizon. Self-government for Cornwall will tent has been the catalyst for political devel- be the next move …. The Metropolis is com- opments in Cornwall throughout this century. ing to mean everything, and all the provinces Moreover, the Liberal Party has been the main approximate towards the fashion of the centre beneficiary of this process. This article will …. We think this is much to be deplored, and therefore focus on the historical links between we do not see why Cornwall should not join Liberalism and the Celtic-Cornish movement, in the ‘Regionalist’ movement which is striv- ing in various parts of Western Europe to re- noting the impact of nationalist ideas on the Liberals and discussing the electoral failure of vive local patriotism.’ MK since , before concluding with a brief Yet the outbreak of the First World War re- look at the current relationship between MK moved those conditions which had allowed and the Liberal Democrats. these ideas to flourish. This was crucial since the debate over devolution had not developed The formative years sufficiently to make a lasting impact on party politics. Nevertheless, the experience of the The history of modem Cornish nationalism can inter-war period was to ensure that the po- be traced back to the end of the nineteenth cen- tential for regionalist discontent was to remain. tury. Following the Liberal split of over While Labour’s electoral breakthrough led to the question of home rule for Ireland, Gladstone the creation of a class-based political system, and his supporters decided to make the issue the Liberals remained entrenched as the main appear more relevant to mainland Britain by ad- alternative to the Conservatives in Cornwall. journal of liberal democrat history 22: spring 1999 21 Radical politics was still based on the Liberal Party was its main ally. This embrace a new role as a political traditional agenda of religious non- was demonstrated only a few months party. In MK contested the par- conformity, while Liberalism was after the creation of the group, when liamentary constituency of Falmouth presented as the anti-metropolitan senior Liberal figures like John Foot & Camborne, though the party at- alternative to the new Labour-Con- supported home rule on the grounds tracted less than a thousand votes. By servative alignment at Westminster. that Cornwall was a ‘separate nation’, , however, there were indica- This left the Liberals well placed to while it was only the Liberal Party tions that this new strategy was start- take advantage of the emergence of which supported devolution in the ing to succeed. In the election of that political nationalism after the Sec- election. The revival of Cor- year MK secured a total vote of ond World War. nish Liberalism in the late s re- , from the three constituencies flected widespread concern over the that it contested, while a month later weak state of the local economy, and the party’s chairman, Richard Jenkin, Mebyon Kernow: the activities of MK reinforced the polled , votes (.% or nearly pressure group to party’s claims that Cornwall was be- % of the total Cornish vote) in the ing ignored by central government. European parliamentary constitu- political party But the Liberals also accepted the ency of Cornwall & Plymouth. constitutional objectives of the Cor- But MK failed to build on these The formation of Mebyon Kernow nish movement. Peter Bessell and results. The party’s vote in West (Sons of Cornwall) in May John Pardoe, the MPs for Bodmin Cornwall slumped in (see Ta- marked an official change of direc- and North Cornwall, were members ble ) as anti-Conservative voters tion for the Cornish movement, since of MK, and in they declared switched to the new SDP/Liberal this was the first organisation publicly that the ‘Cornish people have the Alliance. The shock of this defeat, to support devolution. Its initial strat- same right to control their country, combined with a lack of funds and egy was to operate as a pressure group, its economy and its political future, a failure to develop a coherent strat- working with other organisations to as the other Celtic peoples of Scot- egy, meant that the nationalists did protect the interests of the region, and land and Wales’. not even contest the and producing policy documents on sub- elections. In MK fielded four jects ranging from local government candidates on the platform of reform to the need for a university Cornish nationalism self-government within the Euro- in Cornwall. Membership remained since 1970: failure pean Community, but the party relatively low until the s, when struggled to obtain an average vote public concern over a series of issues, and potential of just one per cent. from rural depopulation to the threat The electoral failure of the na- of territorial expansion from Ply- Yet this Liberal/MK nexus was un- tionalist movement reflects a number mouth, led to a dramatic rise in sup- dermined by the decision of the na- of basic problems. In the first place port. By , when MK contested tionalists to enter the electoral arena. the increasing significance of tacti- its first parliamentary election, the The byelection successes of Plaid cal voting ensures that a small party movement had a total membership Cymru and the SNP in the late like MK is going to be at a serious of over ,. s, combined with growing sup- disadvantage in Westminster elec- Although MK attracted support port for MK in local government tions, while the creation of the Cor- across the political spectrum, the elections, encouraged the group to Table 1 Cornish nationalist vote at general elections * St Ives Fal-Cam Bodmin ** Truro North Cornwall Election Vote % Vote % Vote % Vote % Vote % 1970 – – 960 2.0 – – – – – – 1974 Feb – – – – – – 85 1.5 – – 1974 Oct – – – – – 384 0.7 – – 1979 1662 4.0 1637 3.0 865 1.7 227 0.4 – – 1983 569 1.2 582 1.2 – – – – 364 0.7 1987 – – – – – – – – – – 1992 – – – – – – – – – – 1997 – – 238 0.4 573 1.0 450 0.8 645 1.1 * Mainly Mebyon Kernow candidates, but includes Cornish Nationalist Party (CNP) at Truro in 1979 and North Cornwall in 1983. ** South-East Cornwall constituency since 1983. 22 journal of liberal democrat history 22: spring 1999 further strengthened after tionalists. Many issues still need to Table 2 Cornish nationalist vote at by the popular ap- be resolved, but under the moder- European elections (Cornwall & peal of David Penhaligon ate and practical leadership of Ri- Plymouth constituency) (MP for Truro), and it was chard Cole the party is currently at- only to be expected that tracting younger members and de- Election Vote % Party a separate electoral chal- veloping a more professional ap- 1979 10205 5.9 MK lenge by the nationalists proach to electioneering. MK’s im- 1984 1892 1.0 CNP 1989 4224 1.9 MK would fail at the Westmin- mediate objective is to build a base 1994 3315 1.5 MK ster level. in local government, and the first major test of this new strategy will come with this year’s district coun- nish Nationalist Party, a breakaway Future prospects cil elections when the party will be group formed in , also points to If we are to consider the prospects fielding a record number of candi- the tendency for fragmentation with for MK we must therefore start with dates. If this challenge achieves re- any marginalised organisation. The the Liberal Democrats. The relation- sults MK might finally start to es- nationalists also failed to develop a ship between MK and its old ally has tablish itself as a serious electoral long-term election strategy. Al- become increasingly complex in re- force in Cornish politics. though MK can expect to poll a cent years. In one sense the legacy of Dr Garry Tregidga is Assistant Director higher share of the vote in district the days of Bessell and Pardoe still of the Institute of Cornish Studies. and county council elections, local continues since the county’s Liberal victories were not used as a spring- Democrat MPs, particularly Andrew Notes: board for future success. This was George (MP for St Ives), tend to be .For a more detailed discussion of this demonstrated in the early s. In subject see G. Tregidga, ‘The Politics of sympathetic to MK ideas like a Cor- the previous decade MK had won a the Celto-Cornish Revival – ’ nish Assembly and a separate Re- in P.