Tam Kernewek “ A bit of Cornish” Volume 30 Issue 2 Summer 2012 Budget 2012: Cornish Pasty Tax Hot Cornish pasties sold in supermarkets could be subject to 20% VAT. Imposing VAT on hot food such as Cornish pasties sold in supermarkets has been attacked by politicians in Corn- wall. The Office of Tax Simplification said the savoury favourites should be subject to 20% VAT. The proposals to end "anomalies" in VAT were revealed in the Budget on Wednesday by Chancellor George Osborne. Cornwall councilors say a rise would hit jobs in the county and the cash locals have to spend. Cornish American Heritage Society Cornish American Heritage Jean Ellis and Jeanette Medlin present the petition to Jean Charman Camborne Mayor 21 Tax con’t: Jean Ellis and Jan Medlyn from Calumet, Michigan are so Liberal Democrat Alex Folkes said: "Pasties aren't just a proud of their Cornish connections, they gathered a peti- symbol of Cornwall, they are a key part of our manufactur- tion of 500 signatures to show their support. When visiting ing economy and thousands of people in Cornwall are their twin town of Camborne they presented it to the employed either directly or indirectly by the pasty industry. mayor. The plans have been met with resistance from high Raising the price of pasties, especially when the extra street bakers Greggs as well as MP’s from all parties. money goes to the government, not the firms, will cut Jeanette Medlyn, from Calumet said, “When the pasty tax sales and lead to job losses." He added: "They are a very came out we thought that would be horrible to have here filling and cheap food, not a luxury." so we wanted to stand in solidarity with the people in Corn- Mebyon Kernow councilor Rob Simmons wrote on his wall and particularly our twin town of Camborne.” blog: "If and when this legislation is introduced, your £2.50 In the 19th Century thousands of Cornish miners headed medium steak pasty will now be £3, and your £3 large to Michigan to work in the copper mines. Ms. Medlyn said, steak pasty will be £3.60. So that's money out of ordinary “Pasties are the mainstay of our diet. Every time we have decent Cornish folks' pockets, a blow to our bakers and relatives or friends coming from a distance the first thing hardly great news for tourism." we do is call the pasty shop and order a dozen pasties for Mr. Osborne said in his Budget announcement that anom- dinner.” “ And they love it.” alies in VAT would be scrapped on 1 October. Mayor of Camborne Jean Charman said, “I am absolutely The government has launched a consultation on the pro- delighted to have their support. They are still our Cornish posals, which will end on 4 May 2012. Cousins. I have been to Calumet and I know how much Mark Muncey, chairman of the Cornish Pasty Association, they appreciate the heritage.” said: "We were disappointed to learn about the introduc- A cross-party attempt to reverse the tax was defeated by tion of 20% VAT on products served above ambient tem- the government which is consulting on the proposed perature and the potential consequences this decision changes. The deadline for responses was 18 May. might have for the Cornish pasty industry.” "As an association we will be working with our members hoping to find ways to minimise the impact of any price increase to our consumers." Research in 2005 by Cornwall Taste of the West showed the Cornish pasty was worth more than £150m a year to the county's economy. About 600 protesters marched through Falmouth. They were campaigning against the government’s plans to ex- tend the VAT to all hot food with the exception of freshly baked bread. The march was organized by Cornish enter- tainer Edward Rowe. Hundreds of bakers from across the country protested at Downing Street against the plans. Bakers, politicians and tax experts in Devon and Cornwall have said they will continue to protest against the so-called ‘pasty tax.’ 22 BBC Cornwall President’s Message According to our Mission Statement, the CAHS is "to encourage informational and social gather- ings on a scheduled basis." Our main event and opportunity to bring our affiliated Cornish societies is, of course, the biennial "Gathering of Cornish Cousins". At present, we have no groups or parties interested in hosting. Can you be the 2013 host? If you have any interest, please contact me! The board has been discussing variations of the 2011 Gathering to make it easier: meet at a university setting, meet for a shorter period of time, have main speakers instead of sessions, meet a year later in 2014 to give the host more time… the flexibility is there! It is so important that we don't lose our main physical connection! Thank you for your consideration. It always seems like another milestone when the Cornish Society of Greater Milwaukee holds its annual pasty luncheon. It's on the last Saturday of April and is always memorable, not only for the fellowship and pasty, but it marks spring in its full glory and the southern Milwaukee area is in full bloom. I was asked to speak on the state of Cornish societies, and this gave me a good opportunity to do a little research and a lot of thinking. In our digital age, our ability to do research, be it genealogical or otherwise, has become astound- ing. The increase of family history web site visitors has steadily increased… visits to newer ones, such as Archives.com and My Heritage.com have doubled in the past couple of years. The big one: Ancestry.com increased 21%. Our abilities to preserve and archive materials is astounding. Over 160,000,000 records were indexed in 2010 alone. Worrisome, however, is that the general trend of societies like ours has declined. In "Creative Gene," the blogger Jasia states some reasons why this is happening: She states that, mainly due to tech- nology, people have more limited options for connecting with others… that is, in the real world. Tech- nology gives us the ability to have contact with practically everyone in the world from our favorite chair in front of the computer. Unfortunately, escaping from the home means we might have to commit… commit to paying dues, to attending meetings, and "to actually contribute to the betterment of the organ- ization by actively participating in achieving its purpose." (See: http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2006/08/decline-in-genealogical-society.html ) Many of us might see these commitments as a chance to share our time and resources. In another blog: "Anglo-Celtic Connections," John Reid offers some questions and suggestions to ascertain if our societies are doing what they can to stay afloat. A few of them follow: -Can you measure the success of what your society is set to do? If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. -If you keep on doing the same thing, you're going to keep on getting the same result. Societies need to periodically take a hard look at where they are and set measureable goals for the future, both near and far. -Are new members attracted to the society? Are they made to feel welcome? Is the society working to make sure they are reaching their personal goals? 23 Message con’t: -Is the society using the new technologies? Is the web site up-to-date, attractive, and easy to use? Can members see what is going on (both events and thoughts within the group) by using the web site? Societies with great programs attract members. These are at least some ideas to keep in our minds, when it our membership is waning, and we question where our society is going. Fortunately, it seems the Cornish Society of Great Milwaukee is holding strong: Membership and financ- es are maintaining themselves, thanks to Joe Trewyn and Tom Rowe and their supporters. The Spring Pasty Luncheon was a success and gave us all a chance to see old friends (and some new) and get recon- nected with our Cornish roots. Tom ======================================================== Cornwall Comes to Westminster to celebrate St. Piran A St Piran’s Day celebration in Westminster attracted MPs, members of the House of Lords and government ministers from across the UK who came to learn more about Cornwall’s unique culture, heritage and identity. St. Piran’s Day Performer and educator Will Coleman and Cornwall Coun- cillor Bert Biscoe joined Dan Rogerson to inform Parlia- mentarians about Cornwall, its history, heritage and the challenges facing the Duchy today. MAGA, the Cornish Language Partnership, provided Members of the Toronto Cornish Association attended the raising of the Cornish flag at Toronto City Hall in honour of St. Piran’s Day, some Cornish lessons, and were joined by representa- March 5, 2012 (Photo: Peter Dale) Refreshments followed at City tives of community interest company Azook.org.uk which Hall. involves Cornish communities with their culture and herit- age, London Cornish Rugby Club and Pauline Giles from Par who runs the BosomBuddiesUK breast cancer charity. Grass Valley Celebrates In addition, information was available from Visit Cornwall, St. Piran Business Cornwall, Cornwall Arts in Health and Cornwall World Heritage Site. Town Crier, Robert Russel, opens the Parliamentarians also got the chance to sample some ceremony great Cornish produce, with pasties and hog’s pudding being generously provided by Ann’s Pasties of The Lizard and Sharp’s Brewery at Rock offering samples of their famous Doom Bar beer. London Cornish Association Newsletter Flag raising while members of the GV Male Voice Choir, under the direction of Eleanor Kenitzer, sang the National Anthem and Trelawny 24 St.Piran’s con’t: The Cornish Connection of Lower Michigan cele- brated St.