A wodhowgh hwi konvedhes?
Cornwall is a devolved nation, formally recognised as separate from England and with its devolved assembly since 1999. Before that, it was part of the devolved entity of Wessex, covering all of the South-West of England, since the Quiet Revolution of 1937 and the 1938 election. Unlike Scotland and unlike Wales since the 1950s or so, Cornwall was considered a key part of England. Talk of a Cornish devolved assembly did not come up at all in the Quiet Revolution's primary level of discourse.
Cornish nationalism, unlike Scottish or Welsh nationalism, was always divided in two - the centre-left Mebyon Kernow and the right-wing Cornish Nationalist Party. The former was more moderate on Cornwall, preferring more power and ideally a devolved Assembly, and the latter more radical, refusing to take their elected seats in the Wessex Witenagemot when they got them. Both of those emerged in the 1950s, but did not gain much traction until the 60s, when Celtic nationalism as a whole got going and immigration to Cornwall from the rest of England increased. This of course, primarily benefited the more radical CNP, but still, they both managed to win representation on the Witenagemot every now and then and together with other Cornish WMs in Wessex, secured in 1983 a "Cornish Policies for Cornish People" provision that would ensure a Cornish association of WMs would have primary say on Cornish matters.
The CNP and MK's main focus, apart from securing power for Cornwall, was the resurrection of the Cornish language and preservation of Cornish culture so that it could thrive. Other Cornish WMs were generally unconvinced by this and instead focused on local issues of other matters. The most sympathetic was the Cornish Liberal Party which generally tended to back the language movement more often than not.
Ny gonvedhav...
Dick Cole was a member of Mebyon Kernow. Dick Cole was elected to the Witenagemot at the 1995 election at the age of 27. Seen as a young and passionate figure for the party and for Cornish nationalism as a whole, he was known as a particularly strong and eloquent champion of Cornwall and of the Cornish people. In late 1997, he learned that the government of Wessex planned to abolish "Cornish Policies for Cornish People". Publicly shaming the government for this "betrayal of Cornwall", he nevertheless failed to stop it being abolished and Cornwall just being treated as a part of Wessex.
Dick Cole was acutely aware of the long-term impact the abolishment would have. The Cornish language was steadily growing, even if slower than some would have liked, and part of this was due to MK-CNP-Liberal supported programs to expand Cornish language education. All of that would be axed by the government of Wessex seeking to cut spending. So Dick Cole decided to go on a hunger strike, inspired by what Cubans did against their dictatorial government a few years before. The government decided to commit itself to abolishing Cornish Policies for Cornish People and hoped that Dick Cole was just a glory hound who would just step down.
This was around the time Prime Minister Maxton first became aware of the growing tension between a section of Cornwall against Wessex. He waved it off with the assumption it'll settle down. And for a while, Maxton's prediction was right. There were grumblings, the CNP and MK kept protesting and Dick Cole kept up his hunger strike. But everything was generally dying down.
And then everything changed.
Gonn, kowsav boghes...
One afternoon, Dick Cole struggled to stand up to speak out against a government policy in the Witenagemot. He started with his typical passion, arguing for the restoration of Cornish Policies for Cornish People, and just as he was getting to the crescendo of his argument, he collapsed onto the floor, with it all caught on live television broadcast to many Wessexians. Rushed to the hospital, Dick Cole was declared dead on arrival. A quiet chill engulfed Wessex politics once his death was public knowledge. Meanwhile, many Cornish people, including those who weren't particularly nationalist, were outraged.
The Wessex government, over seven weeks, saw a man slowly die and did nothing. Not even the most symbolic gesture towards Cornwall to stop the hunger strike. Many blamed the Wessex government for Dick Cole's death. And a nation was born once more, with the fire of 1497 once more put into the Cornish people. Protests emerged while some chose to do a march towards the capital of Wessex with banners and pickets. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maxton phoned the Wessex government and called on them to come to a compromise with the angered Cornish people. But ultimately, the Wessex government's pledge to set up a commission on looking possibly at a restoration of Cornish Policies for Cornish People just wasn't enough.
With the Cornish's cousins also giving Maxton trouble in the form of Ron Davies, Maxton decided to intervene in the growing crisis to nip it once and for all. In late 1998, the House of Commons voted through a Cornish Act that set up a referendum for a possible devolved assembly for Cornwall, and with President Owen's stamp on it, the referendum went ahead. Unsurprisingly, so soon after Dick Cole's death, it passed by a landslide. The Cornish people had no faith in Wessex any longer.
Konvedhav!
Now it is twenty years since those fateful days. Cornish devolution marks its twentieth year. And an election is held in the wintry days of February 2019 to choose a new Stannary Parliament [the name was chosen by the House of Lords, in account with their bizarre devotion to historical names]. The National-Agriculturalist government under Sarah Newton was always going to have a hard time getting re-elected, what with the twentieth anniversary and all. Sure, Cornwall moved rightwards since, but it still saw Dick Cole as a martyr for the country's cause and the twentieth anniversary of his death was widely marked across Cornwall.
Andrew George, Lord Warden of the Stannaries between 2008 and 2015, was now once more the Liberals' leader, and the Liberals were generally confident of their chances at winning. The Blue-Green coalition oversaw a faltering economy while the Liberals oversaw a good one, and they can definitely bring the good times back. So they claim. But Andrew George is a bit of a has-been, isn't he? The feeling that the Liberals had to retort to old leaders because they didn't have any new young talent was widespread, even if not entirely accurate. But still, the Liberals had reason to hope!
The unionist left-wing in Cornwall beyond the Liberals were now united as one pact, the Cornish Democratic Left Alliance. Or Democratic Left for short. The SDP, ILP and Globalists all agreed that in Cornwall, they needed to present an united front. Social Democrat Jayne Kirkham was duly elected as the new leader and hopes of possibly recovering from the slump of the 2010s were had.
The Agriculturalists, under long-time leader Chris Cardell, was not looking forward to the election. They knew support for them from farmers slumped as a result of the coalition being forced to cut rural infrastructure policies. And the Unionists knew it too. Always somewhat low in support, under new leader David Mathews, they hoped to break into the Stannary Parliament.
Mebyon Kernow, after losing government in 2015, elected a new leader, Derek Collins. He was once a Liberal before the events of 1998 pushed him to more firm nationalist stances and to his joining Mebyon Kernow. Collins was a reliable local MSP who regularly topped the ballot for his constituency. A safe, if perhaps unexciting choice. But Mebyon Kernow wanted to be safe in their choice.
A month later, the Cornish Nationalist Party elected their new leader, George Eustice. Seen as a somewhat right-wing MSP, he was a mild Eurosceptic [albeit not to the extent of some older CNP people] and even floated the idea of an independence referendum, even if it was coached in possibilities and long-term aim clarifications. The CNP hoped he could take advantage of the Agriculturalists' collapse and pick up lots of rural support for the CNP, possibly make them a force to be reckoned with.
Keslowena!
The result was unexpected. The CNP surged, absorbing voters from the Agriculturalists, Nationals and Liberals as it assumed the position of a firm first place dominance of Cornwall, surprisingly only two seats short of a majority. Analysts have came up with several theories about how and why. Was it the timing, being at a time of nationalist sentiment? Was it because of The Question being a hot potato in British society? Was it a wish to "send a message" to Minette Batters and her government? Or was it just local issues?
Theories continue to abound, but what we do know is that thanks to Derek Collins and MK giving support, Eustice will be Lord Warden of the Stannaries, and indeed was appointed the Monday after the election once MK support was confirmed. Collins and Eustice paid a visit to Dick Cole's grave to mark the formation of the government. Twenty years after his death, Cornwall is transformed.
Onen hag Oll, Kernow bys vickan!