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Bewnans Kernow

Graham Smith | 11:26 UK time, Saturday, 12 February 2011

Congratulations to the internet television setup for covering the conference at County Hall - enabling me to watch and listen to proceedings without a 60-mile round-trip. The webcasting equipment appears to be that used by Cornwall Council - is this the first time it's been used by an outside, commercial organisation?

It looks as if there are about 70 people there and most of the talk so far has been about tourism, with general agreement that using the words "Cornwall" and "Cornish" are useful marketing tricks. Who'd have thought it!

Bert Biscoe has just suggested that within the next 20 years he would prefer to see a shift towards use of the word "Kernow" instead. Kevin Lavery, sitting next to him, has encouraged this conference but isn't smiling or nodding so it's hard to tell what he thinks of this idea. Incidentally, Kevin appears to be wearing a tie-less floral shirt that would have been very fashionable in 1976 (the reason I know this is that I still have mine, too.)

Time for coffee.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Graham, weren't floral shirts 1966 and 1976 more punk. Or is it just that you were way behind the times?

  • Comment number 2.

    It must be nice having your own personal TV station Graham, I cannot for the life of me imagine anyone else wanting to watch such mundane viewing. How on earth does "mycornwaltv" survive, who funds it?

  • Comment number 3.

    "Cornwall" and "Cornish" are useful marketing tricks."

    And yet the self same group rubbish people attracted by these marketing tricks, it is curious but I can not think of another council where chief executive holds so much influence on culture even though he avoids it like the plague when he returns up north each weekend.

  • Comment number 4.

    Phil, you are more right than wrong, in most places floral shirts were definitely on their way out by 1976. I was a late developer, clutching to my old Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Tales from Topographic Oceans while all around me were ripped T-shirts and dance floors covered in spit. Kevin's a bit younger, so I'm guessing more of a New Romantic - Adam and the Ants, perhaps? Which makes the floral shirt even more interesting. Perhaps there's a bit of a time-shift when you go Up North. By the way, this post is about culture, so these comments are on topic.

  • Comment number 5.

    I see from their website that "mycornwalltv" are a charitable set up, helping the less fortunate. Good for them, I wish them every success. Nice to seethat they are being sponsored by these successful Cornish businesses too; Eden Project, Fifteen Cornwall, the Hotel and Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay, Visit Cornwall.

  • Comment number 6.

    The 'businesses' you cite are actually more like charitable beneficiaries of public donations actually, Dave the rave.
    Amount of public moneys diverted into the hole of greenhouses:
    circa £130M.
    Amount of Cornish Eurofunds diverted to subsidise 15 while the original building owners gained a refurbishment at public expense while retaining a place on the 'charity' board while being lessors of the building to the 'charity':
    circa £1M.
    Amount returned to public donors/involuntary investors: £0.
    Call that 'business'?

  • Comment number 7.

    Yes, they are charitable organisations , which have fulfilled beyond expectations their brief. Eden has put millions into the Cornish economy, and Jamie Oliver has given hundreds of disadvantaged Cornish kids a chance to improve themselves.

    Now, apart from complaining about what other people have done, and doing others down, can you let us know what you've done to improve things here?

    Here's another chance for you to let us see what good positive people the nationalists are. :)

  • Comment number 8.

    There is nothing new about using "public money" to encourage new business. Britain and Germany are the biggest contributors to the E.U. Why shouldn't the "Saxons" get some of their money back for inward investment?

  • Comment number 9.

    Dave the rave - you appear to be a gullible victim of extreme marketing.
    The green houses in the hole have been entirely dependent on high carbon emitting fossil fuelled transients for whatever levels of economic 'viability' they claim (and those are questionable) and have probably been responsible for more atmospheric pollution and tarmac spreading than all the other tourist theme parks in Cornwall put together. How 'green' is that?
    Less than 100 young cooks have 'graduated' from Oliver's enterprise - Camborne College has a far higher successful throughput.
    By the way, AC was not complaining - you were making claims and speculations that were not supported by the facts. Additional and better informed comments were appeared helpful.

  • Comment number 10.

    All transport today is carbon fuel based, so to say that visitors to the fantastic Eden project should travel by anything other is a profound nonsense. Eden however is a great tourist draw which has put millions into teh Cornish economy, employed hundreds of Cornish people and sources 90% of its needs locally. No one who lives in Cornwall should be anything other than supremely grateful to Tim Smit. Though I have to agree that all this "Green" trendy lefty ideas are a complete nonsense, and should not be supported. Wind farms, solar power etc are a complete waste of money.

  • Comment number 11.

    You appear to deliberately strayed from the point, Dave the rave.
    The point was being made that to fabricate an illusion that does not much of value in itself and base its smoke and mirrors marketing on claims of being 'green' that depend upon stimulating gross and fruitless fossil fuel wasting and polluting hypermobility for questionable economic viability is, to put it most mildly, contradictory.
    It appears you value money more than sincerity.

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