Cornish Democracy investigates the process of democratic governance in Cornwall in the aftermath of the failure to establish an elected Mayor of Cornwall in 2023. Subjects covered include the historical foundations of Cornwall’s political culture, the popular petition campaign for a Cornish Assembly in 2001 (see photograph above), multi-level governance in relation to parish and town councils, economic frameworks for devolution, a political settlement in relation to the Cornish language, a Cornish constitution and the need for a clearer route map in the direction of greater Cornish autonomy. This inaugural study by the Cornish Democracy Unit at the Institute of Cornish Studies is intended to act as a catalyst for further research and debate on all aspects of political life and civil society. There are a wide range of contributors notably John Ault, Andrew Climo, Dick Cole, Hugh Evans, Richard Harris, Stephen Horscroft, Philip Payton, Dan Rogerson, Alan Sandry, Garry Tregidga, Mark Trevethan, Malcolm Williams, and Joanie Willett. It is edited by Garry Tregidga and is the sixth volume in the third series of Cornish Studies.
Griffith Collins, Cornish Studies Group, concludes that ‘Cornish Democracy is an insightful account of the complex issues of governance and identity in relation to Cornwall’s past, present and future. As a great nephew of Michael Collins, a leading figure in the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, I have real empathy with the peaceful struggles of a fellow Celtic nation to obtain the right to self-determination’.
Cover photograph: collecting declarations in favour of a Cornish Assembly in 2001. Photograph kindly provided by Dick Cole
ISBN: 978-1-9161022-4-8
Published in 2023 by Cornish Story in association with the Institute of Cornish Studies
To purchase a copy (£12.50 including postage and packing) please email cornishstudies@exeter.ac.uk or telephone 07714210966