Pushing for 'fifth nation' status in anniversary year

Lee Trewhela looks back at 75 years of Cornwall's Mebyon Kernow political party and its ongoing campaign for meaningful devolution for the Duchy

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THE MK group with Greens before the May elections

CORNWALL'S unique political party Mebyon Kernow (MK) this week celebrates 75 years since its formation and its bid to put the Duchy’s culture, identity, economy and environment at the heart of local politics.

It seems fitting that MK’s constant campaign for meaningful devolution for Cornwall looks set to take a step closer to reality in its anniversary year.

Mebyon Kernow exists “to win greater self-government for Cornwall through our own legislative Parliament. We believe that the historic nation of Cornwall, with its own distinct identity, language and heritage has the same right to self-determination as the other constituent parts of the UK, such as Scotland and Wales.”

Mebyon Kernow (Cornish for ‘sons of Cornwall’) members and support ers are celebrating the 75th anniver sary of its founding at the Oates Temperance Hotel in Redruth, which took place on January 6, 1951.

The first leader of MK was a woman, Helena Charles, who also became the first MK member to serve as a councillor, when she was elected to Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council in 1953. Novelist Daphne du Maurier was also an early member of MK.

Four of MK’s founder members, who were also leading lights in the Cornish cultural and language reviv al, went on to become Grand Bards of Gorsedh Kernow - Ernest George Retallack Hooper (known as Talek), George Pawley White, Richard Gar field Jenkin and Ann Trevenen (later Jenkin) - while another, the respect ed coppersmith Francis Cargeeg, became a Deputy Grand Bard.

Another prominent individual at that first meeting was Charles Thom as, the renowned archaeologist, who became the first director of the Insti tute of Cornish Studies.