Truemors
In a scenario rather resembling the Biblical account of David and Goliath, enigmatic Cornish activist, researcher, historian and author, John Angarrack, who enjoys cult status in the Duchy, is now, once again, preparing to lead a legal challenge to the UK government's failure to recognise the indigeneous Cornish people as a National Minority of Great Britain.
In denying the Cornish this right and their inclusion in the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Westminster Government are flying directly in the face not only of public opinion in the Duchy, but also against the recommendations of the Cornwall Council, the Campaign for Racial Equality and the Council of Europe itself.
The right to be regarded as a National Minority has been accorded to Irish Travellers, Ulster Scots and many other groups. Thus far, the Cornish have been refused and the Westminster Government has allocated massive financial and ministerial resources to block their attempts.
The Cornish people seek nothing more or nothing less than the same rights accorded to these people as well as to the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish, to name but a few.
There is now a groundswell of support for the proper teaching of Cornish issues in Cornish schools following pupils being actually expelled for declaring themselves Cornish and asking to know more of their own history, language and culture which has been hidden from successive generations down the years.
The feeling amongst many activists is that the real force behind the effort to secure proper recognition for the Cornish who are not English, their ancient Celtic language, their unique and distinctive non English history and their culture, is in fact Prince Charles, who wields enormous power and influence in his Duchy. Charles retains to legal right to interfere with any proceedings in any Court, or indeed anywhere else, which may affect his considerable income derived from Cornwall. Media interference has occurred and court hearings manipulated.
Indeed, the date of this short article marks the first anniversary of 6th September, 2007, the day that hundreds of armed police undertook the largest operation ever recorded in Cornwall's policing history, raiding the homes of Cornish activists and seizing books, including those written by John Angarrack, computers, Cornish Saint Piran flags, papers, CD's and many other possessions. Despite this operation designed to frighten the Cornish people into submission, none were ever charged although several were interrogated under the recently introduced and much misued anti terror legislation with subsequent abuse of bail powers, the police operation fell into one which discredited even further the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and authorities in the Duchy drawing widespread condemnation. Firm evidence exists that Duke Charles was fully consulted and briefed about this operation and may even have had a part to play in it.
Mr. Angarrack has made a previous attempt to challenge the Westminster Government and the matter progressed to the High Court. There, the government employed the best lawyers and eventually, Angarrack and the Cornish conceded defeat as they quite simply ran out of funds.
Cornish mistrust of the Duke has now spread to the Isles of Scilly where home owning islanders have begun to feel the force of Duke Charles and who are also mounting a challenge to him there over the issue of the security of their homes.
Undeterred by the increasingly Orwellian police, Angarrack, concurrent with the launch of his latest book 'Scat t' Larrups' which reveals the police and authoritarian state extant in the Duchy, has commissioned two websites recently.
The first reveals the true side of Duke Charles and his Cornish Duchy and the second now appeals to the public for pledges of cash to fund a second legal challenge to the Westminster (and perhaps Duke Charles) Government. With a target of £100,000, remarkably, the sum of £21,275 (as at 6th Sept. 2008) has already been pledged within a few weeks. This is astonishing bearing in mind that Cornwall has been assessed as one of the poorest areas within Europe let alone Britain with the majority of the population earning the minimum wage or less in the case of the 'black' tourist industry with its history of appalling working conditions and legal rights and transient prospects.
The back ground to the truth behind the Duchy of Cornwall can be found here:
The Cornish Fighting Fund website can be found here:
http://www.cornishfightingfund.org/index.php
John Angarrack's books which are always best sellers can be found here:
To read of the Cornish Scillonians' fight against Duke Charles Windsor:
***STOP PRESS***
As at 10am Monday 8th September, 2008, pledges had risen to £22,920
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