The law and facts: what use are they in Cornwall?

 A FOI request submitted by a Cornish organisation fighting for Cornish equality has received a response to its request and the subsequent request review. The response was Section 36:

“Section 36 provides an exemption if disclosure would or would
be likely to:
(a) prejudice collective responsibility or the equivalent in Wales
and Northern Ireland;
(b) inhibit the free and frank provision of advice or exchange
of views; or
(c) otherwise prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.

The matter will now be passed onto the Independant Information Commisioner, who will either report back to his dependant bosses who will side with Government or he’ll side with the Cornish and Government will ignore him too.

This is one of many odd things that happen in Cornwall. Recently the Department for Communities and Local Government suggested that the Cornish stop being different and compared Cornish speakers to terrorists. All backed up by national media and trolls. I do wish Wikipedia would stop calling Cornwall and the Cornish different, its a real fact, not the Westminster fact which is preferred.

2017 has no sign of being different than any other past year, the new industry of Cornwall, development, is still being planned by Government, at the expense of the Cornish. Here are a couple of myths we’ve been told over the years:

“House building is for local need – nope most of it is to allow/encourage people to move to Cornwall for lifestyle purposes. Be it for second homes, estate agents, developers or money lenders also.

The waiting list represents a high level of housing need – most people on the list more accurately called the Home Choice Register do not require the construction of a new home

Planning restrictions prevent developers from building houses – what restrictions? Refuse an application and armageddon will ensue? Thats the developers motto.

The Local Plan will prevent a rush of applications outside of areas allocated in the plan – Cornwall Council has no power, if it refuses an application the developer appeals and the ombudsman gives it the go ahead. Cornwall Council is also a backer of unsustainable growth and development.

Building more houses will reduce house prices – no evidence for that assertion at all. House prices are affected by a range of factors. In fact:

“Dr Alla Koblyakova, of the real estate economics and investment research group at Nottingham Trent University, dispels the assumption that the supply of new-build properties alone helps to stem unsustainable growth in house prices.

‘The Government thinks that by increasing the supply of new homes, the overall cost of owning a property will come down,’ says Dr Koblyakova, from the university’s school of architecture, design and the built environment. ‘But this research shows us that the mortgage market behaves differently. When new housing comes on to the market, lenders relax their conditions and lend more money. And when consumers are more able to buy a property for a higher price, the price of property doesn’t come down.” http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-3526132/New-build-homes-aren-t-answer-rising-property-costs-prices-higher-make-mortgages-unaffordable-says-leading-academic.html#ixzz4U2uQNtxw

House building will boost the economy – more houses more people more jobseekers – no better off than before, Cornwall still has no jobs, in fact probably fewer than when the development industry took off. We had mines and a fishing industry then.

Cornwall is not building any more houses pro rata than on average – incorrect. Its built in the past 5 years 40% more homes than England, 90% of which goes to people outside of Cornwall.

The chances of seeing equality this year are slim, we’ll still be cut off from England by trains whenever theres a storm, because of the Dawlish route. The whole of Cornwall replicates the Cornish train lines, no investment for years, just talk of investment coming but no signs of it coming. Will 2017 be the start of the third Cornish rebellion or the end of the Cornish race? Will Westminster once more slaughter men, women and children by sealing them in their villages and setting light to them, or by cutting them down while on horseback? Will another 50,000 Cornish people send another petition to Government asking for a Cornish Assembly which will be ignored again? Or will there simply accidently be an accident which will unfortunately wipe out the whole Cornish race, which will obviously shut us up once and for all? I think the last choice is the most likely.