Cornish granted minority status within the UK
24 Apr 2014 03:39 PM
The government formally
recognises the distinct identity of Cornish
people.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander, today (24 April 2014) announced that the proud history, unique
culture, and distinctive language of Cornwall will be fully recognised under
European rules for the protection of national minorities.
The decision to recognise the
unique identity of the Cornish, now affords them the same status under the
European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as the
UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. For the
first time the government has recognised the distinctive culture and history of
the Cornish.
Speaking on a visit to Bodmin,
Cornwall, Danny Alexander said:
Cornish people have a proud
history and a distinct identity. I am delighted that we have been able to
officially recognise this and afford the Cornish people the same status as
other minorities in the UK.
Today’s announcement
builds on the government’s continued commitment to Cornwall and the
Cornish language. The Cornish language has already been recognised under
European rules for minority languages. In March this year, the Deputy Prime
Minister Nick Clegg announced that the government would be investing a further
£120,000 into the Cornish
Language Partnership (MAGA) to promote and develop the
language.
Communities Minister Stephen
Williams said:
This is a great day for the
people of Cornwall who have long campaigned for the distinctiveness and
identity of the Cornish people to be recognised officially.
The Cornish and Welsh are the
oldest peoples on this island and as a proud Welshman I look forward to seeing
Saint Piran’s flag flying with extra Celtic pride on March 5 next
year.
Further
information
The UK signed the Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 1995 and
ratified it in 1998.
The broad aims of the Framework
Convention are to ensure that the signatory states respect the rights of people
belonging to national minorities, undertaking to combat discrimination, promote
equality, preserve and develop the culture and identity of national minorities,
guarantee certain freedoms in relation to access to the media, minority
languages and education and encourage the participation of people belonging to
national minorities in public life.
The government’s approach
to the Framework Convention is to be modified to recognise the unique position
of the Cornish as a Celtic people within England. It is without prejudice as to
whether the Cornish meet the definition of “racial group” under
the Equality
Act 2010, as only the courts can rule on that.
The Cornish language is the only
language in England recognised under the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages. In March 2014, the government announced funding of
£120,000 to the Cornish
Language Partnership for the development and promotion of the Cornish
language. Since 2010 the government has provided over £500,000 to the
partnership. This payment which will sit alongside funds from Cornwall Council
and other funds raised locally by the partnership.
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