Trygys Ov Yn Kernow...

Recently, while researching a paper about the book Utopia written by Sir Thomas More in 1516, I stumbled across a forgettable line referencing The Cornish rebellion of 1497. It's easy to miss; it's thrown in there among the posh-boy gags written in Latin and Greek, I suppose in many ways that's the point, isn't it?

NOBODY IS ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!

I've been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore many curves in the world, but I am from Cornwall. My family have lived here for generations. My mother was raised on the Trelander estate in Truro, and I spent most of my early life in cold, crumbling farm houses on the outskirts of Grampound.

My memory is no longer clear, not that it ever was, and I will be the first to admit that the details are vague. Occasionally an image will pop into my head of me feeding a calf, or visiting a silver haired lady who called me 'Koweth', and fed me warm bread with sweet Damson jam. The names and the places all seem foreign to me now; so, like Thomas More, I might throw in the odd forgettable line referencing 'agan tavas', between the posh-boy gags written in Latin and Greek. 

Over the past few years my health has taken a turn for the worse. I won't bore you with the details, these things can happen to anyone; needless to say, I suddenly became more afraid than ever before. In all my days I had never known a fear like it. It was completely disorienting. It wasn't so much the physical pain; no, it was a deep fear of losing the ability to look after myself, of losing my independence. 

So what happened? Well, the lady whom I had helped with babysitting for many years gave me a home in Bristol while I had treatment. My friends whom I had helped find work, stored my things and plied me with dinner and laughter. My family in Cornwall gave me encouragement to help me continue my research in London. Despite what we are constantly being told, most people in the world want to help each other. Despite not being wealthy, I have all that I need and I am not afraid anymore. 

Fear can be a powerful motivator.

I now spend half of my time in the UK and half of my time working overseas, and I cannot help but notice just how afraid everyone has become in the UK. Everyone has an answer for this of course, indeed the whole country seems to be bursting with answers. As a lecturer, I frequently have to remind my students that it isn't so much about, "finding the right answer," it's more about, "knowing the right question." 

"It's all they immigrants coming over here, stealing our jobs!"

Over the Christmas period I was quite shocked to learn just how many people in Cornwall have decided to vote for UKIP, "as a protest vote." I still wonder why people consider it a protest. Why is it a protest to vote for a party created by bankers in London? Old friends and family, who are the most warm and generous of folk, have been only too happy to tell me that it's because of, "all the immigrants." It's worth noting, for those of you who don't know, that the word 'immigrants' is derived from the Latin 'Immigratus'(to move within). Can you not see the irony of using a Latin word, which originated in Rome, as an insult when describing people moving into the British Isles? 

The UK was invented by immigrants. 

It's funny to think that in these days of the internet and mass communication, it's harder than ever to learn the truth. I know how frustrating it can be to operate in a world of lies. I spend half of my life researching peer reviewed, academic articles that are perfectly clear on how every essential life system is in crisis. But the facts are ignored. As I have said before, I understand fear. I know how it works. When things go wrong, the easy answer is to blame something that is unfamiliar; such as an idea or a group of people. Often, the most difficult thing in the world is asking yourself the difficult questions. It's even more daunting to act on that information. If only we could ask An Gof what he had hoped to achieve when he led the rebellion against the King Henry VII? 

I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that ultimately he needed the things that everyone needs; food, clothing a place to live...

Ask yourself, what does anyone need? Cornwall is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, yet why are these rarely put to good use? Why is so much food imported? Why are there so many people without homes when there are houses lying empty? Why is the cost of utilities so high when we are literally swimming in a tide of renewable energy sources? Why are most of our clothes made in Asia, can nobody in Cornwall make clothes? Austerity is a scam and we've all been had.  

I don't profess to know the answers; however, I'm sure that our current fixation with money has a lot to do with it. If money has become nothing more than an inefficient system of scarcity and debt, one that does not serve our basic human needs, then what is the point of it? It's slavery. The financial, political and economic institutions that exist in London today were formed in the time of Sir Thomas More, by men like Sir Thomas More, in order to enslave and run an empire that no longer exists; it's over, finished, done. 

Cornish people have been granted official status as a minority group. This is a fantastic opportunity for change, and we are privileged to have our very own, home-grown, legitimate protest voice. It may not be perfect but it's ours. Don't be scared of change, change can be a good thing. Change is just like immigration, it happens all the time and we never even notice it, not until someone with an axe to grind kicks up a stink. So what will we do? Will we show the world that we are independent, thoughtful, kind, progressive, industrious and resilient? Or will we pine away for a picture post-card past that has never existed, in the hope that UKIP, who are the financial institutions in London, might sound convincing. Regardless of our political leanings, we should all demand an independent Cornish assembly, and take control over the changes in our lives. 

Chons da!

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