A Cornish Assembly (Cornish: Senedh Kernow) is a proposed devolved law-making assembly for Cornwall along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the United Kingdom.
The campaign for Cornish devolution began in 2000 with the founding of the Cornish Constitutional Convention, a cross-party, cross-sector association that campaigns for devolution to Cornwall.[1] In 2001, the Convention sent 50,000 individually signed declarations calling for a Cornish Assembly to 10 Downing Street, during the then-government's attempt at introducing regional assemblies, however the call went unanswered.[2] The act of turning Cornwall County Council into a unitary authority in 2009 was based on the idea that it would give Cornwall a stronger voice and be a "stepping stone" to a Cornish Assembly,[3] and a "Government of Cornwall" bill was introduced to the UK Parliament in the same year by Cornish MP Dan Rogerson, but did not succeed.[4]
Following the announcement of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and with promises of more devolution across the UK from Westminster politicians, there were renewed calls for devolution to Cornwall.[5] In November 2014 a petition was launched on the government petitions website campaigning for a Cornish Assembly.[6] A law-making Cornish Assembly is party policy for the Liberal Democrats, Mebyon Kernow, the Yorkshire Party, and the Greens.[7][8]
- ^ Cornish Constitutional Convention, About, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ BBC News (11 December 2001), Blair gets Cornish assembly call, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ This is Cornwall (1 April 2009), Cornwall gets its one voice, archived from the original on 24 September 2014, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ This is Cornwall (13 July 2009), Cornish 'breakaway' Bill for Parliament, archived from the original on 24 September 2014, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ Demianyk, Graham (18 September 2014), "Cornwall Council takes first steps to "Devo Kernow" ahead of Scottish referendum result", Western Morning News, archived from the original on 20 September 2014, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ "Establish a Cornish Assembly". HM Government e-petitions. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ Demianyk, Graham (10 March 2014), "Liberal Democrats vote for Cornish Assembly", Western Morning News, archived from the original on 7 April 2014, retrieved 20 September 2014
- ^ Green Party of England and Wales (2 May 2014), Green Party leader reaffirms support for Cornish Assembly, retrieved 20 September 2014