Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the Cornish Constitutional Convention and Andrew George MP, St Ives, joined in the celebrations in Truro at the weekend.
Andrew George, as vice chair of the convention since its inception, addressed delegates at a conference held at County Hall on Saturday. The Convention was set up to campaign for a devolved assembly for Cornwall.
He said the Government’s plans to abolish the existing “Government Zones” of the South West and elsewhere offered a potential opportunity for Cornwall to draw down powers from the soon to be abolished Regional Development Agency and other bodies that could strengthen Cornwall’s Government structures.
“Frankly, terminology becomes unimportant as the primary objective is to create the circumstances in which Cornwall can make its own decisions about how it grows, where it grows, how it is to meet its housing need, how and where its hospitals and health services will be provided and how any economic development aid will be deployed. In recent decades, all of these decisions have been taken either by unelected bodies outside Cornwall or within Cornwall.
“Cornwall has a distinct Celtic heritage, separate language and a unique constitutional relationship with the Crown. However, the Constitutional Convention has always maintained that we are not seeking to cut Cornwall off – quite the opposite – we’re campaigning to cut Cornwall into the celebration of diversity.
“Cornwall has much to offer if its distinctiveness were to be properly recognised. It would open up new horizons rather than shut them down,” said Andrew George.
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