This was the message Dafydd Iwan, President of Plaid Cymru - the Party of Wales, encouraged the audience to remember at a rally in Cornwall last Saturday.
Iwan's remarks encouraged Cornish activists not to give up in their campaign for greater self government and to the devolution process that began in 1997 with the positive vote for self government in Wales and Scotland.
Calls for a referendum in Cornwall, like in Wales and Scotland, were made, as a necessary element to the democratic process that the people of Cornwall engaged in when signing a petition declaration form calling for a Cornish Assembly.
The 50,000 named petition, representing 10% of the Cornish electorate, was handed to the prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001. Five years on and the democratic process has been delayed by the Westminster government and, to all appearances, is an issue Blair's government wished would just go away.
In a request, under the Freedom of Information Act, to discover what the Government's own response to the Cornish Assembly petition had been, MK was told, in a letter from Minister Ruth Kelly, that the Government was still considering whether 'public interest outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.'
Messages of support and solidarity were sent to the rally by the Breton nationalist party Union Démocratique Bretonne (UDB) and the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP).
The UDB stated that 'your aim and your fight is also ours…your victory is our victory' and the SNP commented that:
'If the people of Cornwall want a Cornish Assembly, then they should have one. Democracy belongs to the people – it is not for other to give. The SNP sends fraternal greetings to you today and wishes you success in your efforts.'
The rally, which was attended by Celtic League General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, was organised by Mebyon Kernow - the Party for Cornwall, to mark the fifth anniversary of the day 50,000 signed declaration forms, calling for a Cornish Assembly, was handed in to Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
15/12/06
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