CORNISH NATIONAL MINORITY 2 REPORT CORNISH NATIONAL Including the Cornish – a unique case for recognition Synsyans an Gernowyon – kas unnik rag aswonnvos CORNISH NATIONAL MINORITY REPORT 2 Derivas Minorita Kenedhlek Kernewek 2 DERIVAS MINORITA KENEDHLEK MINORITA KERNEWEKDERIVAS 2 March 2011 CONTENTS 4 Acknowledgements 5 Foreword 6 Executive Summary / Berrskrif Pennweythresek 8 A National Minority 8 Self-identifi cation 9 Religion, language, traditions and cultural heritage 10 Long-term association with a specifi c territory 12 Observations 14 Barriers 14 Maintaining a distinct identity 15 Celebrating a distinct identity 16 Asserting a distinct identity 18 Observations 20 Benefi ts of Inclusion 20 Visiblity 22 Inclusiveness 23 Coherence 24 Observations 25 References Th e Cornish National Minority Report 2 has been compiled and written by Ian Saltern, Azook Community Interest Company. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Th e Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Limited very generously provided fi nancial assistance towards the production of this report. Th e Leader of Cornwall Council Alec Robertson CC and many staff at the authority have provided unstinting and generous support. Gorsedh Kernow, Th e Federation of Old Cornwall Societies and Celtic Congress (Kernow) have all provided support. Sincere thanks are extended to all those who have so patiently off ered their advice and assistance: Claire White, Dan Rogerson MP, Andrew George MP, Dick Cole, Jenefer Lowe, Adam Killeya, Julian German, Bert Biscoe, Will Coleman, Alastair Quinnell, Peter Burton, John Angarrack, Colin Murley, Mary Neale, Miranda Bird, Bernard Deacon, Stephen Horscroft , Paul Masters, Annie Moore and the membership of the Cornish Constitutional Convention. Many individuals and organisations have provided information and data for the report. 4 Including the Cornish - a unique case for recognition Synsyans an Gernowyon – kas unnik rag aswonnvos FOREWORD BY THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF CORNWALL COUNCIL Th e Cornish National Minority Report 2 conveys a a new platform for economic success. Despite this picture of a British minority culture, characterised major achievement, and with future opportunities by its own language, with a lengthy and honourable fi rmly in mind, the exclusion of the Cornish from history of distinctiveness within the narrative of the measures of equality remains a signifi cant the United Kingdom as it has evolved over the past impediment. 1000 years. It is an anomaly – some say an injustice – in a Th e Cornish have contributed to the spread of society that extols the merits of equality and ideas, the development of technologies and social tolerance, for the identity of the Cornish, the change, to the evolution of democracy, of science People at the heart of this long and proud story to and the arts, and have helped to build great remain unrecognised, unequal and uncounted, at societies such as America and Australia. Th at the outset of the 21st century. contribution continues as the challenges of climate change, the opportunities of new technologies, Th e Cornish National Minority Report 2 aims to creativity and space exploration harness the talents update and extend the case advanced since the of this enquiring, creative and spiritually energetic UK’s ratifi cation of the Framework Convention People. for the Protection of National Minorities for recognition of the Cornish as a cultural minority, Th e mobility and tenacity of the 19th century for inclusion under the auspices of the Convention, Cornish may have laid the foundations of the and for the UK to be more fl exible in its selection of modern global economy. Wherever the Cornish go, minorities in British society to be protected by the and whilst they remain in their eponymous land, Convention. they dance, write, exercise, compete, organise, think, commemorate, celebrate, endure and achieve We commend this Report and call on those in their own distinctive cultural way. Over the who hold the key to assuring the future dignity past decade the Cornish have applied regeneration of visibility, the celebration of attainment, the programmes to address structural weaknesses realisation of ambition and the durability of this – such as a lack of a university, poor broadband most attractive, inclusive and outward-looking provision, poor skills and low incomes – to create British culture, to include the Cornish. Alec Robertson Doris Ansari John Wood Dick Cole Jude Robinson Leader Leader Leader Leader Member Conservatives Liberal Democrats Independents Mebyon Kernow Labour Leader of Cornwall Council CORNISH NATIONAL MINORITY REPORT 2 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY National minority status will enable the Cornish to play a full and active part in British society, contributing to the diversity of the United Kingdom • Within the spirit of the Framework • National minority status will legitimise the Convention, implicit through its Articles, the Cornish in the eyes of statutory bodies and Cornish constitute a national minority. decision-makers. It will ensure that the Cornish are not impeded from maintaining • Th e Cornish, like the Scottish and the Welsh, and celebrating their distinct identity. possess an historic national identity and national origins. • National minority status will confer upon the Cornish the dignity of visibility. It will deliver • Th ere are barriers to the Cornish being able to tangible social, cultural and economic benefi ts maintain and celebrate their distinct identity. for the Cornish and the United Kingdom. • In attempting to overcome these barriers the • National minority status will enable the Cornish have encountered a legal conundrum Cornish to play a full and active part in British whereby they can only bring a case under society, contributing to the diversity of the the Equalities Act if they are a recognised United Kingdom. ‘racial group’, but case law will only identify Cornish people as a ‘racial group’ once the • National minority status for the Cornish Cornish successfully prosecute a case of racial will bring coherence to UK Government discrimination. policy. It will address the current anomaly whereby Cornish national and ethnic identity • Th e UK Government has relied on the ‘racial is offi cially recognised for the purposes of the group’ criterion to defi ne national minorities. Census, but the Cornish people have yet to be Th e ‘racial group’ criterion is viewed by various recognised as a national minority. organisations as too narrow and unrefl ective of the purposes of the Framework Convention. 6 Including the Cornish - a unique case for recognition Synsyans an Gernowyon – kas unnik rag aswonnvos BERRSKRIF PENNWEYTHRESEK Savla minorita kenedhlek a re dhe’n Gernowyon an gallos dhe wari rann leun ha byw yn societa predennek, ow kevri dhe dhiverseth an Ruvaneth Unys • A-bervedh spyrys an Kevambos Framweyth, • Savla minorita kenedhlek a wra lahelhe an res dh’y gonvedhes der y Erthyglow, an Gernowyon yn lagasow korfow reythennek ha Gernowyon a furv minorita kenedhlek. gwrioryon-erviransow. Y hwra surhe nag yw lestys an Gernowyon a ventena ha golya aga • An Gernowyon, kepar ha’n Albanyon ha’n honanieth dhiblans. Gembroyon, a’s teves honanieth kenedhlek istorek ha dalethvosow kenedhlek magata. • Savla minorita kenedhlek a wra ystynna dhe’n Gernowyon an dynita a weladewder. Y hwra • Yma lettow a lest an Gernowyon a ventena ha delivra prow tavadow socyel, gonisogethel, golya aga honanieth dhiblans. erbysiethek rag an Gernowyon ha rag an Ruvaneth Unys keff rys. • Ha’n Gernowyon ow hwilas fetha an lettow ma, re omgavsons yn ankombrynsi ma na yllons i • Savla minorita kenedhlek a re dhe’n dri kas yn-dann an Reyth Parder saw mars yns Gernowyon an gallos dhe wari rann leun i aswonnys avel ‘bagas hilyek’, mes na wra laha- ha byw yn societa predennek, ow kevri dhe gas aswon tus kernewek avel ‘bagas hilyek’ saw dhiverseth an Ruvaneth Unys. wosa an Gernowyon dhe dharsewya yn sewen kas a dhisfaverans hilyek. • Savla minorita kenedhlek rag an Gernowyon a dhre kesklenans dhe bolici Governans an RU. Y • Governans an RU re worfydhyas yn breusverk hwra dyghtya an digomposter a-lemmyn mayth ‘bagas hilyek’ dhe styrya minoritys kenedhlek. yw aswonnys honanieth kernewek kenedhlek Kowethasow divers re gonsydras breusverk hag ethnek yn sodhogel rag porposys an ‘bagas hilyek’ dhe vos re danow ha na Niveryans, mes an Gernowyon yw hwath dhe dhastewyn porposys an Kevambos Framweyth. vos aswonnys avel minorita kenedhlek. CORNISH NATIONAL MINORITY REPORT 2 7 A NATIONAL MINORITY Within the spirit of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Cornish qualify as a national minority. Th ey exhibit a strong sense of national and ethnic identity. Th eir language, with its associated traditions, is a clear identifi er of cultural distinctiveness. Like the Scottish and the Welsh, the Cornish possess a demonstrable historic national identity. • For pragmatic purposes, the Framework • For example, in the 2007 Cornwall-wide Convention does not provide an explicit Quality of Life Tracker Survey1 25.9% of the defi nition of the term ‘national minority’. 3,222 respondents gave their ethnic origin as However, implicit through its Articles, are the Cornish (with ‘Cornish’ being provided as following key attributes of a national minority: a tick box option). Extrapolated across the population of Cornwall this fi gure would 1. Self-identifi cation (Article 3.1) suggest that as many as 129,000 people consider themselves Cornish – nearly four times as 2. Religion, language, traditions and cultural