Cornish Stannary Parliament Press Release:
24 January 2000At 8.00 am on 20th January the English Heritage sign at Chysauster was removed by the Bailiff of the Cornish Stannary Parliament and returned to English Heritage at 29 Queen Square, Bristol at 1.45 pm.
In response to our action English Heritage has intimated that, "most people in Cornwall want the English Heritage signs".
This is pure conjecture on their part. It is certainly not the prerogative of English Heritage to seize the heritage of our Celtic nation and convert it into Anglo-Saxon.
The real problem is the failure to recognise that respect for a national minority culture like the Cornish is part and parcel of the principles of democracy. By suppressing and misrepresenting our Cornish heritage the English national majority of Britain are bringing democracy into disrepute.
The Parliament has decided to continue to remove English Heritage signs in Cornwall until English Heritage realise they are involved in an act of theft and relinquish their imposed position by moving out of Cornwall so that our heritage can be promoted by the Cornish as Cornish.
E R Nute
Keeper of the Seal,
for and on behalf of,
The Cornish Stannary Parliament
Because Cornwall is controlled by external politics, with a total disregard for Cornish Rights, the Imperial Establishment and all its satellite agencies impose all forms and symbols of English domination. There is neither consideration nor sensitivity to applying any tangible symbol of the Cornish historical experience. There is even a negative attitude to the use of Cornish names for streets and developments. 'Cornish' tourists attractions are identified by 'English Rose'symbol road-signs which for a short period were regularly defaced, "English Heritage" is the guardian of 'Cornish', and pre-Cornish, historical and antiquarian sites, "English Nature" is the guardian of 'Cornish' nature conservancy. There is even a Council for the Protection of Rural England - 'Cornwall' branch, of course!
We have been exploited for many years by an organisation known as "English Estates" [latterly "English Partnerships"] which developed speculative 'Cornish' Industrial Estates and Business Parks. When challenged over its "English" name responded with the justifications that it was entitled to call itself whatever it wanted and that it was funded by "English" money. Whilst unable to argue with the first point, other than to point out that it was arrogantly insensitive, the second point is a reflection of Imperial ignorance by an organisation that was funded by both Government and private capital. In a State which by English Imperial domination and, latterly, legal construction is allegedly a 'British' State, there is no such thing as "English" money!
Further enlightenment over the above Stannary Parliament action was provided by an article in the Western Morning News [an English Regional Consolidation Newspaper] on 8th February 2000, in which Craig Weatherhill - author, archaeologist, historian and Stannator of the Cornish Stannary Parliament gives what is described as "...his personal view of the situation". The article has been provided with the banner headline "Has 'heritage quango' a right to these sites?". A typescript of the article is as follows:
Why am I not surprised by the sneering response of "English" Heritage after the Cornish Stannary Parliament's welcome removal, through the good offices of its Bailiff; of English Heritage signs from a historic site that has nothing whatsoever to do with the English? This arrogant body, a private quango, even shows its ignorance of historical fact by claiming that the Stannary Parliament has "something to do with miners" - a rather nasty snipe at the scandalous and tragically forced demise of Cornish mining. In fact the 1508 Charter of Pardon gave to the Cornish stannaries the incontestable right to appoint a separate Parliament with legal powers over all inhabitants of Cornwall and the power of veto over any English statute, act, ordinance, provision, restraint or proclamation.These are facts, irrespective of how Anglo-centricists choose to rewrite and usurp history to suit themselves. When it comes to democracy, who elected English Heritage to oversee sites and monuments, not only in Cornwall but far beyond the Tamar: sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury, Maiden Castle - sites that were designed, built and utilised centuries and even millennia before the English had ever heard of these islands?
Who elects their board members and chairmen who have no archaeological or historical pedigree? And what of English Heritage's record as regards their much-vaunted "care" for Cornish sites? What of those supposedly protected menhirs, barrows and round houses destroyed in Penwith alone during 1984-85? What of the programme of revised and extended scheduling of Cornish monuments that, 10 years ago, we were promised within five? The Cornwall Archaeological Unit did the spadework and prepared their recommendations years ago, but English Heritage, once again failed to deliver. Or their defence of Penwith Council's damage to a scheduled barrow on the Gump last year? What of the filling in of the fogou at Chysauster a few years ago, rather than carry out simple repairs?
What of their appalling "re-enactment" at Restormel last year of the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion which, in Cornwall, was a revolt in defence of the Cornish language? Again, rewriting history to the benefit of the English viewpoint, English Heritage failed to mention the horrific genocide that followed: the ordered slaughter of 10% of Cornwall's male population. Nine hundred alone were murdered outside Exeter Cathedral and the placing of 900 tiny St Piran flags on the Cathedral Green last year was sneered at as the work of "extremists" by not only English Heritage but an Anglophilic press. No mention was made of the ordered destruction of Cornish literature - that any written works in the Cornish language survived was in itself a miracle but modern English-based publications sneer again at the paucity of that literature. No, according to English Heritage 's version, the suppression of the Prayer Book Rebellion was a triumph of a good English king (in fact a mass-murderer as hateful as Hitler) over the evil rabble (i.e. people defending their rights).
What of the discovery of the "Artognou" stone at Tintagel in 1998? Suppressed by English Heritage for several months, it was not announced until the height of the summer season by way of the most appalling, non-factual hype ever heard from a supposedly professional body. As Professor Charles Thomas famously commented: "The name Artognou is as closely related to that of Arthur as Gerald is to Geronimo." To listen to English Heritage, it was virtually the discovery of Arthur himself. Their rhetoric was phrased, in my opinion, purely in pursuit of revenue and to hell with historical fact and scholarship.
More than once in the past I have called for the disbanding of English Heritage and the devolution of its responsibilities to the regions (in our case, this region being Cornwall, not an Anglo-centric seven-county, undemocratic old boys and girls club), and I will continue to do so. We have an archaeological unit in Truro which is far more capable of the job, as have the shire counties of England. What need is there for this superfluous, centralised, unprofessional and propagandist quango?"
The campaign during the year 2000 to - unofficially!? - remove 'English Heritage' signs - for obvious reasons! - from 'Cornish Heritage' sites came to a head at the end of the year with the arrest of 3 stannators and their eventual appearance in court on Friday 15th December 2000. You can keep up to date on this ongoing saga by visiting both the 'Cornish Stannary Parliament' and 'Cornish Heritage' websites from the 'External Links' index window within the 'Main' 'Internal Links' index panel.
This action is to be applauded and is worthy of all our support as a front-line action which too many of us shirk from doing. There can be no justification for perpetuating the existence of these - or any other! - symbols of English Imperial domination within the Duchy unless they are to be construed as overt examples of an insidious methodology of the genocide of the Cornish people and aimed at destroying our Cornish Consciousness and our relationship with Cornish territory!
Both the above sites also gives details of how people may support the stannator's campaign whether this help be financial or legal expertise. Please check this out and see how you are able to help.
Visit 'The Constitution' sub-page to see urgent press release relevant to this particular pro-Cornish Action [14th Jan 2002]
All we need to do is blink and we have lost the plot. One minute we hear stories of moves to keep the proceedings of this case secret and, within hours we are acquainted with a behind the door deal to settle the matter without going through the judicial procedure. Many thanks to John Angarrack for this latest update on the above case but I agree with John - wither goest next?
STATE BLINK FIRST IN TRIAL OF CORNISH ACTIVISTS In an unprecedented move, the trial of three Cornish civil rights activists was effectively resolved today when the Crown Prosecution Service made a pre-trial proposal to the defence.
To protect the state, and Unionist promoting monarchy, from subjection to a very public airing of much damaging historical and constitutional material relating to the ongoing repression of the Cornish, the CPS offered to withdraw all charges relating to the confiscation of English Heritage signs [valued by EH at £20,000] if the defendants reached an out of court agreement with Kevin Brown of EH.
To oppress means to threaten violence, punishment for dissent is a form of state violence. Under conditions of extreme duress the oppressed defendants, facing potential advocacy, damages and criminal penalties approaching £100,000, agreed to pay EH £4,500 and return the signs. In return EH have decided to re-configurate its signs.
Although Rodney Nute, Hugh Rowe and Nigel Hicks of the Cornish Stannary Parliament leave court without a stain on their criminal record, and this in itself is a moral victory, many questions remain unanswered.
What happens to the principle of Equality of Arms when the state can impose its will from a position of being able to obtain unlimited legal funds, while honest folk with a legitimate complaint risk losing all?
A previous Judge being obliged to withdraw after allegations of bias, the earlier granting of a Public Interest Immunity Certificate and today's face saving `nudge-nudge, wink-wink` deal between the CPS and Judge Cottle raises serious questions about the integrity of the political and legal establishment. In other words, is the administration of justice coming second place to protecting the vested interests of the Anglo establishment?
The defendants were pitted against the Crown in the shape of English Heritage and the Duchy of Cornwall, yet counsel for the defence, counsel for the prosecution and even the judge have all sworn an oath of allegiance to the Crown. In such circumstances what happens to the legal maxim that `no man must judge himself`?
And where does this leave the Cornish in their struggle for dignity, respect, recognition and acceptance?
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