Tyr-Gwyr-Gweryn

RR65 Questions to Doris Ansari, supposedly aswered by "The Council".

Why are you refusing to answer any parental question on this issue?
Why, when simply asked to reply to my questions, did you state that you "do not respond to threats".
Why do the LEA assert that allowing pupils to register as Cornish would "not be helpful or healthy for children"?
Why do the LEA assert that monitoring a Census 2001 ethnic group [the Cornish] is "irrelevant", "non-advantageous", "unnecessary" and of "no practical purpose.?
Do you agree that ethnic monitoring should apply to all Census 2001 minority ethnic groups?
Do you agree that the LEA are under an obligation to consult Cornish political, cultural and pressure groups when taking decisions that effect the Cornish?
Do you accept that pupils of different ethnic backgrounds have different education needs?
Do you accept the proposition that ethnic background monitoring is essential for the effective development of policy, the assessment of need and the appropriate targeting of funding?
Do you accept the proposition that in the absence of pupil ethnic background data it is difficult for Parliament, local government, pressure groups and individuals to monitor the effectiveness of government policies?
Why on 2 May 2003 did you tell a committee that the Cornwall LEA PLASC was carried out in accordance with DfES advice?
Why on 14^th August 2002 did you say that it was not the LEA’s job to evaluate the curriculum and ensure that the content complies with equal opportunities and other legislation?
Why have you declined to investigate Cornish schools undertaking PLASC via unlawful mass ascription?
Why did you allow a 4^th March Lifelong Learning Policy Development and Scrutiny meeting to recommend every Cornwall Youth Forum Manifesto request bar the one that asked for the opportunity to be taught Cornish language, history and culture?
Is it your understanding that when Cornwall LEA treat all pupils the same regardless of ethnicity [as per your assertion of 14^th August 2001] members of the Cornish ethnic group have equal access to their cultural particularisms of language, history and culture?
Why do you assert[letter Aug 14^th 2001] that recognising, regarding and treating ethnic groups differently in an educational context is "dangerous"?
Why did you vote [Feb 1999] to prevent the Cornish from being able to freely express their ethnicity on the UK Census and why on the same day did you refuse to support a CCC motion in favour of the Cornish language?
Do you believe that in order to meet the LEA’s many legal obligations in respect of the content of the curriculum, it is essential that pupils should be provided with the thorough knowledge that post-Norman Conquest maps, state papers, Charters, legal and other documents show Cornwall to be extra-territorial to England?
Will the LEA take every opportunity to incorporate within its various curriculum initiatives evidential material relating to the historical situation as outlined above?
In a more precise way, will you ensure that, commensurate with the LEA’s many legal obligations, the alternative constitutional argument [as specifically articulated by Sir George Harrison Attorney General to the Duchy of Cornwall] and detailed in the 1856 Shaw and Sons HMSO government publication is not only made known to pupils, but given a deference and prominence befitting its fundamental importance?
Will the LEA on behalf of the Cornish people carry out an enquiry into the nature of the QCA devised historical curriculum with a view to making representations to this body in order to correct any and all historical assertions and/or assumptions that cannot be substantiated.
The current curriculum is designed around Romans, Anglo-Saxon and Vikings, The Celtic Cornish are effectively written out of history. Will Cornwall LEA take steps to create a substantial quality bank of historical learning materials [colourful books, work-papers, films, outdoor programmes, projects etc] that would correct this false assumption and inform pupils right across the learning spectrum of the Celtic/Cornish continuum?

Responses received:

1. Mr Angarracks questions refer to a decision taken at operational level (i.e.officer) level. They were therefore answered on an operational level by the Chief Executive on Mrs Ansari's behalf to the questions raised in correspondence. It is therefore denied that the questions he asked have not been answered.

2. The decision about which Mr Angarrack complains was an operational decison by officers and Mrs Ansari had no role in the making of that operational decision. All questions with regard to the PLASC have been answered at the appropriate level. Ses the Councils statement regards decontextualised statements above.

3. See 2. In any event the LEA does not make the assertions referred to.

4. See 2 and the Councils chronology above.

5. There is no legal or CRE or DfES guidance requirement to monitor all the Census 2001 ethnic minority groups. Nevertheless, the Council has decided to include a category of Cornish as part of its ethnic monitoring.

6. It is not agreed that the Counsil is under any such obligation. See Peter Stethridge, Question 19.

7. This depends on the difference in backgrounds and therefore on the consequential difference in educational needs.

8. Ethnci monitoring can be useful in developing policy, provided that the categories used are appropriate to the reasons for carrying out monitoring and relevant to the policy.

9. See answer 8.

10. The PlASC in Cornwall was carried out in accordance to DfES advice.

11. See ststement regaring curriculum.

12. The DfES has laid down guideleines for mass ascription. As far as the Council is aware, schools in Cornwall have complied with these guideleines.

13. The Portfolio Holder cannot control the decisions of Scrutiny Meetings or allow or disallow any decisions made by any decision making body of the council.

14. see curriculum statement.

15. See answer 2.

16. The voting record is irrelevant.

17-21. See curriculum statement.

The CRE will, to a certain extent, be deciding our fate next Friday. I asked those of you who feature on my 'generally sympathetic' Email list to write to the Commission for Racial Equality [CRE] with a view to encouraging this body to support the anticipated parental legal action against Cornwall LEA. To date about 25% of those on my list have informed me that they have communicated expressions of positive support for the action to the CRE. Others may have done so without informing me. I need to be notified so that, in the light of the CRE making an adverse decision, my resultant report to those who scrutinise CRE activity informs as to the depth of public interest in the anticipated legal action, and the level of positive support the CRE received before making its decision.

For those of you who have yet to write, I make the following appeal.

This is a one-off opportunity to bring the Cornish into line with other groups who benefit not only from the protection of the Race Relations Act, but the ancillary cultural and educational rights that flow from having successfully pursued a case under the Act. One demonstrable example of this is the Home Office assertion that the provisions of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities apply only to those groups who have successfully pursued a case under the Race Relations Act.

The Framework Convention obliges governments to, inter alia:"Refrain from policies or practices aimed at the assimilation of persons belonging to minorities against their will" [Art.5] and "Take measures in the fields of education and research to foster knowledge of the language, history and culture of the minority" [Art.12}.

The importance of achieving a successful outcome cannot be overstressed and while many of us have devoted much time, and many thousands of pounds, to this project, all we ask of you is that you spend a few minutes, and the price of a stamp, on progressing this case.

Parent and Legal Action Co-ordinator.

Correspondence can be sent either to Pat Galler [assigned Case Officer], or direct to CRE Chairman Trevor Philips:

Commission for Racial Equality

201-211 Borough High Street

19th September 2003

In connection with parental legal action against Cornwall County Council [who prevented children from registering their identity as Cornish], and under Section 65(1)a of the Race Relations Act 1976, on 15th July 2003 individual

Members and Officers of the Council were served with Home Office Questions Form RR65.

The nature of Cornwall County Council responses to the RR65 questions [received by our solicitor on 17th September 2003] is characterised by all that is wrong with this authority.

For instance, the first response was from CCC Chief Executive Peter Stethridge.

His answer to question one [1.Why are the Council preventing my sons from registering as Cornish?] is to say the Council "is not preventing my sons from registering as Cornish, when appropriate". This ties in with the Chief Executives later response to question 16 where he states that the Council will continue to reserve for itself the right to prevent children from registering as Cornish. The Councils past actions show that they have, and their statement of intent shows that they may well in the future, prevent children from registering as Cornish.

The Chief Executives answer to question two [2.Why have specific parental questions not been answered?] is to say that "questions from parents have been answered". Yet my three page, 11 question, letter of 7th February to Education Portfolio Holder Doris Ansari received a one line reply, "Your comments have been noted". While my additional questions in subsequent letters to the Chief Executive were not answered, and neither were the many questions to various officers and members from other parents.

The Chief Executives answer to question three [3.Why is the Chief Executive sanctioning the behaviour of other officers and members who are refusing to answer questions?] is to say "No such behaviour is sanctioned". To date the Portfolio Holder for Education has answered not a single question and this remains true of other members and officers.

The pattern of deception repeats itself throughout the whole questionnaire until finally we come to question twenty [20.Why do you consider it acceptable for the LEA to use terms like 'unhealthy', 'unhelpful', 'waste of money', 'irrelevant', 'non-advantageous', 'so-called Cornish', and 'dangerous' when the aspirations of the Cornish are discussed and rejected, when use of these prejudicial terms when referring to other ethnic groups would be unthinkable?]. The Chief Executives response here is, "Any legal impact of these terms is not recognised".

The same dismissive approach to this pre-action protocol is adopted by other respondents - totalling in all some dozens of similar instances. It would therefore seem that the base instinct of this Council under Peter Stethridge is to blatantly lie, obstruct, dissemble and evade.

The facts as relayed in the 28 page Statement of Case remain valid and true, and this nauseating, wholly offensive, response simply reinforces the absolute need for us to bring this wayward public authority to account.

To find out how to demonstrate support for this quite necessary legal action email:

cornubian@tiscali.co.uk. or alternatively,
for further information, log on to http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kernow_tgg.

Those incensed by the Councils behaviour should, at least [and as a matter of urgency], communicate their views direct to

Commission for Racial Equality

201-211 Borough High Street

Parent and Legal Action Co-ordinator.

For those who are overseas - Commission for Racial Equality telephone: 020 7939 0000, Fax: 020 7939 0001, minicom: 020 7939 0100, website www.cre.gov.uk

22ans mys Gwyngala 2003 (Sept)		TGG0309A/EJP
	Recorded Delivery
Dear Mr Philips, Re Cornish Identity - Angarrack versus Cornwall Council LEA I understand that the CRE is considering its position with regard to a legal action being taken by John Angarrack against the Cornwall Council? This action is to prove that the Cornish Administration has been guilty of discriminating against Cornish children's right to self-identify themselves as 'Cornish'. This form of discrimination, and prejudice, against the Cornish people has been widely practised both by Government Agencies and the general media despite the efforts of the Cornish people to present the case for Cornish Rights over the past 100 years. On numerous occasions the aspirations of the Cornish people to have their rights respected have been rejected. This has been done, invariably, to pursue some mindless bureaucratic fait accompli, and the evil concept that the oldest identified national group within this island should be removed from sight. The ultimate plan being to subsume Cornwall within a fictitious, and meaningless, Southwest region and the destructive development of Cornwall as a playground for the affluent….! This is a concept closely related to proposals expressed in the first quarter of the 20th century. There has been a total absence of enlightened attitudes when having to confront the Cornish Question. Neither has there been any desire to pursue the truth with regard to a Cornish Legitimacy. I would request that you please take some time to visit my Cornish Rights website. The website (address below) takes an in-depth look at the official lies and propaganda about our Cornish territory - more accurately, the Duchy of Cornwall! - and her people. It is this high level deception which has created an environment which allows opinion-creators and decision-makers to ignore the existence and cultural history of Cornwall and the Cornish people. It is only now, with the advent of diverse European protocols on human rights, that the Cornish arguments can be given the opportunity to see the light of day. The repression of Cornish Rights is there to see for those willing to look beyond the evil facade of State deception. This organisation sincerely hopes that you will feel able, and obliged, to support the above legal action against the Cornish Administration. The Cornish people are being 'written out' of the past, present and future. Simply because we have been made invisible, does not mean that we are not there. History will prove our existence and our actions will increasingly reinforce that history. We sincerely hope that the CRE will become an early and positive part of that process. Please accept our sincere thanks in anticipation.
To: Mr Trevor Phillips: Chairman Commission for Racial Equality St Dunstans House 201-211 Borough High Street London SE1 1GZ England GB. Cc: Pat Galler , Case Officer Website: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kernow_tgg>		E J Pengelly (Mr) coordinator "Tyr-Gwyr-Gweryn" "Land-Truth-People" email: KERNOW_TGG@Compuserve.com