Web: www.facebook.com/thecnpkernow
Cornwall's Nationalist Party
The Cornish Nationalist Party is a political party founded in 1975. It initially campaigned for independence for Cornwall but later supported devolved powers under central UK control.
The CNP should not be confused other Cornish nationalist parties, including Mebyon Kernow (MK) from which the CNP split in 1975, or the similarly-named Cornish National Party, which split from MK in 1969.
The party was formed on 28th May 1975 by people who left Mebyon Kernow, Cornwall's main nationalist party, and was first led by James Whetter.
The split with Mebyon Kernow was based on two main debates. First was whether to be a centre-left party, appealing to the electorate on a social democratic line, or whether to appeal emotionally on a centre-right cultural line. At the time, the same debate was occurring in most political parties campaigning for autonomy from the United Kingdom, including the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru. Second was whether to embrace devolution as a first step to full independence (or as the sole step if this was what the electorate wished) or for independence to be "all or nothing".
The CNP represented a more right-wing outlook based on the belief that that cultural arguments were more likely to win votes than economic[ones. The CNP worked to preserve the Celtic identity of Cornwall, and encouraged links with Cornish people overseas and with other regions with distinct identities. It also gave support to the Cornish language and commemorated Thomas Flamank, a leader of the Cornish Rebellion in 1497, at an annual ceremony at Bodmin on 27th June each year. It also worked to improve Cornwall's economy.
Since the death of founder James Whetter in 2018, the CNP has been led by Androw Hawke.
Throughout its history, the CNP has been sporadically registered with the Electoral Commission, fielding candidates for some elections but not others. When not participating in elections it has often continued to act as a campaign group or pressure group, although its visibility and influence within Cornwall is negligible.
It stood for national elections twice, in 1979 and 1983. In April 2009, a news story reported that the party had re-formed following a conference in Bodmin; however, it did not contest any elections that year. A newspaper article and a revamp of the party website in October 2014 state that the party planned to contest elections once more. The reformed party was registered with the Electoral Commission in 2014, but ceased to be registered in 2017.
The CNP had one parish councillor, leader Androw Hawke who was elected to Polperro Community Council for the second time on 4th May 2017.
Cornwall's History Cornish Language Famous Cornish People Mebyon Kernow