They say that with the people of Scotland going to the polls in September 2014 to vote on full independence, and the Welsh Assembly gaining extra powers in recent weeks, constitutional change is increasingly high on the political agenda. And Mebyon Kernow members are continuing to demand that the debate is broadened out into a wide-ranging consideration about the governance of the whole of the UK.
Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, the Party Leader Cllr Dick Cole said: “We hope that the ‘A law-making Assembly for Cornwall’ initiative will bring people together in support of meaningful devolution for Cornwall and put pressure on central government to deliver a new democratic settlement for Cornwall.”
The Mebyon Kernow full statement reads:
A law-making Assembly for Cornwall
Cornwall is an historic nation with its own identity, culture, traditions and language. We believe the people of Cornwall have the same democratic right to self-determination as the residents of Scotland and Wales.
In 2001, over 50,000 individual declarations calling for a Cornish Assembly were presented to 10 Downing Street. But the Government, which had delivered devolution settlements to Scotland and Wales, ignored the declarations and refused to consider demands for greater powers for Cornwall.
Cornwall deserves better.
It is our view that the unequal constitutional relationship between the various nations and regions of the UK need to be addressed. And we believe that this should include meaningful devolution to Cornwall.
We call on central government to work with the people of Cornwall to formulate a detailed proposal for a law-making Cornish Assembly, which can then be put to the electorate in a binding referendum.
