There has been more support from fellow Celts, defiance from the British government and silence from sections of the Manx media as the campaign over the Chronicles goes on.
The Cornish branch of the Celtic Congress is the latest body to express support for the campaign by an Isle of Man newspaper to have the Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the Isles returned to the Isle of Man.
The Chronicles are held as part of an unrelated collection of documents by the British Library. The Celtic League (which is a separate and distinct organisation from the Congress) has been calling for the manuscripts return for over twenty years. However the campaign had stalled until, entirely unsolicited, the Isle of Man Examiner (the Islands main newspaper) took up the fight.
In another development related to the campaign this week the United Kingdom Government has said that it has no plans to allow the Chronicles of Man to be brought home permanently to the Isle of Man. In a defiantly pompous statement, which was almost a throw back to Empire, a Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesperson told the Examiner:
"The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and houses one of the most important collections in the world.
It is also an independent body with its own chairman and board, and is forbidden by law from disposing of any items in its collection. The government has no plans to intervene in this issue."
Perhaps the most bizarre development in the campaign surrounding the renewed call for the return of the Chronicles has been the stoney silence from the Islands broadcast media. Despite statements of support from a number of politicians, including the Islands Chief Minister, and the provocative statement from the DCMS not a peep about the campaign has been broadcast.
It is as if Island radio stations are engaged in some unspoken alliance with the British Library to keep calls for the Chronicles return off the airwaves.
The statement from the Celtic Congress is set out below:
"Tony Piper, Chairman. 35 Treglenwith Road, Camborne, Kernow. TR14 7JA.
Tel: 01209 711509.
28th August,2007.
Dear Sir,
The Chronicles of the Kings of Man & the Isles
All persons who were present at the most recent meeting of the Cornish branch of the International Celtic Congress voted unanimously in support of the campaign to have "The Chronicles of the Kings of Man & The Isles" permanently retained on the Isle of Man. The Cornish branch requests that the administrators of the British Library recognise that it is now time for them to relinquish their rather spurious rights of ownership to these documents in favour of the people of Ellan Vannin.
An Guntelles Keltek - Kernow recognises the significance which the Chronicles occupy in the psyche & history of the Island and of Rushen Abbey in particular.
The Cornish people suffered similar losses of valuable manuscripts at the time of the Reformation when the English language book of Common Prayer was forced upon the monoglot Cornish language speakers during 'The Prayer Book Rebellion' or 'Western Rising' in 1549, when it is estimated that approximately ten per cent of the Cornish people were killed in defence of their faith, language & Celtic way of life.
Yours sincerely,
(Mr Tony Piper, Chairman).
The Editor, Isle of Man Newspapers, Publishing House, Peel Road, Douglas, Isle of Man. IM1 5PZ.
cc.The Director, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB."
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
29/08/07
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