Devolution is coming to Cornwall, how you vote on thursday will have a huge effect on how ambitious our settlement will be

Devolution is an idea often talked about and little understood. What does devolvement mean? What will change? 

The simple answer to all these questions is a "great deal", the complicated one "that's up to you?"

In the last year or so all of the political parties have addressed the issue of Cornish devolution.

Labour Tory (and UKIP) say a Cornish Assembly would be too costly. Both concede powers should be devolved from the centre. Whether that means to local government? to mayors? Or perhaps to new bodies, both are keen on authorities working with each other, perhaps the ever fated Devonwall or Westcountry devolution will happen and we'll be ruled by Bristol...

The Liberal Democrats talk of devolution on demand, unfortunately unlike say Netflix, there is no preview button. They have committed to a Cornish assembly  (rather vaguely and half heartedly it must be said). They've also pledged to reduce the number of politicians in Cornwall. So they both want more powers to Cornwall Council with less councillors. Bigger budgets and responsibilities with less, oversight, scrutiny and accountability, a true example of Cleggism, being neither liberal nor democratic....

Cornwall Council have the most enthusiastic campaign, the Case for Cornwall. Which has it's merits, it's well presented and has some support in the council. Probably a bit dissapointing for the council that no political party at this general election has come out in support of the campaign. Which is odd as most candidates in Cornwall speak in favour of it and could have taken up this document to champion.

Meanwhile Mebyon Kernow have a policy document, Towards a National Assembly for Cornwall. It has been widely consulted on and spells out what powers we think Cornwall needs. It is by far the most ambitious in the powers and responsibilities it calls for. 

My argument is this, devolution will be a huge issue with the next government. Whichever of the coalitions takes office, power will be devolved. What shape that will be and how effective that could be in forging a better Cornwall, is undecided.

Parties will offer various pitches about how this election is crucially about tuition fees, austerity, climate change, the NHS, the economy, housing, low wages. I've heard all my fellow candidates utter these things. They've made some very good arguments. Clearly explained the problems of these things and why they're such vital issues.

My counter argument is this, yes we must address these vital issues and now, of course we must. However, rather than fight a pitched battle here and a pitched battle there against the entire government system. Vote for MK and push with us for devolution for these vital issues to Cornwall. So the people we need to influence, to change policy, live among us and are elected by the people and held to account by them. So we can look to a future where the privatisation of public services is a Cornish decision. So the definitions of affordable housing and actually building some genuinely affordable housing, is not ruled out by a ministerial decree. So we can have the tools to fix our communities by dealing with second homes. So we can have buses that work in unison with trains, where we can adjust our fares and timetables without meeting central government disapproval. So we can finally have the tools to deal with the problem of being one of the least economically productive parts of Europe and actually improve the Cornish economy. 

It's obviously up to you how you vote on May the seventh. Do be wary though, that devolution will be a massive issue and it will be led by MPs. My view is we need to be ambitious with the future. We need to aim higher and get the most powers and control over funding that we can. If you vote for Mebyon Kernow candidates on thursday you will be voting for the most ambitious people determined to win the most powers, freedoms and funding from central government. 

https://www.mebyonkernow.org/pages/cornish_assembly.php

Lib Dems on Cornwall council are lurching to the right, Mebyon Kernow must become the ones offering big ideas and change

Nick Clegg last week launched the Liberal Democrat election campaign in Cornwall. Gone was the radicalism that once defined the party, gone were the big ideas, the visions and the desire to change, replaced with the worthy but uninspiring attacks on money wasted. One of Clegg's leads was this trivial attack on his coalition partners:

Here in Cornwall we’ve even seen the Conservative’s waste money hiring taxis to ferry teas and coffees between council buildings link


Don't get me wrong waste in all facets of the civil services is troubling and needs addressing, where there are examples of money going on non-essential things this should stop. That said I'm not a subscriber to the Tax Payer's Alliance/ Eric Pickles school of thought that tightening up on waste, can somehow counter all of the austerity cuts from central government. That the odd hundreds or even thousand of pounds spent lavishly, can make up for hundreds of millions of pounds in cuts to Cornwall Council's funding. Or in other words a taxi fare, will not ensure there is money to keep public toilets open, or keep a care worker in a job.

This posturing to the right is partly a realisation that being on the left is hard for the Lib Dems to credibly do. Bedroom tax, council tax benefit support cuts, privatisation and of course voting loyally with the Conservatives in Westminster on every policy, makes it impossible to sell this to the electorate. Of course the recent Lib Dem and Tory supported Cornwall Council budget that put jobs cuts in Adult Care and Support and Children, Schools and Families at the forefront too. In the past the Lib Dems have sold themselves as pro Cornish devolution, they even tried selling the centralisation of unitary as such, which it has not been. They've previously tried to be Pro Cornwall, again trying to drown out Mebyon Kernow, but Devonwall, pasty tax, regional pay plans and the continuing underfunding of Cornwall's public services again makes this an argument hard to make in face of the facts. The only way they have left to go is right, they know the Tories are suffering both on Cornwall Council and up in Westminster, so they are trying to steal their votes. You can see on Alex Folkes' blog the attempts to appeal to Tory voters, why Tory ministers ought to agree with Cornwall Council Lib Dems rather than the Tories here: Shapp's agrees more with the Lib Dems than Tories here: Tories look to Lib Dems for leadership and various other posts illustrating that Tory ministers see eye to eye not with the Tory led council but with the Liberal Democrats. It's a shrewd approach by Alex too many in the Lib Dems are trying to continue to paint themselves as a party they clearly are not, credit to him they do need to reposition to the right in their rhetoric to match the new reality. If Eric Pickles has a second home in Cornwall perhaps he might find himself voting Lib Dem on May 2nd...

With the Liberal Democrats vacating the pro Cornwall stance and the left entirely, Mebyon Kernow must rush to fill this gap, we must also show ourselves to be the descendants of the radicalism that the old Liberals once were. With One Nation Labour (under the God of neo-liberalism) tied to the tired old ideas of privatisation, deindustrialization and centralisation. Mebyon Kernow needs to be the party, that is radical that is pushing for change. Whilst the others argue over the fine details of the differences between themselves and drone about who is doing what too fast too slow or too shallow.

Our manifesto I believe does this and can be built upon to show how we are the descendants of Cornwall's radical tradition. For me as much as being pro Cornwall is about devolution and us getting a fair share, it's also about policies that are pro Cornish workers, families and businesses. About real change change that works for people in Kernow.

The ten points of the Putting Cornwall First manifesto.

1. Working to restore faith in local government
2. Protecting public services
3. Winning fair funding for Cornwall
4. Protecting the less well off and vulnerable
5. Safeguarding the Cornish economy
6. Developing pro-Cornwall planning policies
7. Delivering proper local needs housing
8. Protecting the Cornish environment
9. Making Cornwall Council democratic
10. Winning greater recognition for Cornwall

Please take time to read the summaries and the full pdfs and see how we are the party offering big ideas, ambitious change and a better Cornwall. Think differently on May the second, do you want change? do you want ambitious councilors? or do you want more of the same...