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Ed, you make a very serious point ... we could indeed lose the baby with the bathwater.

The Cornish Constitutional Convention strategy is to make a deal with everyone East of the Tamar (the other six Counties of the Standard Government Region, and the Government in London) so that Cornwall gets its own Assembly, and the other Six Counties get one too, if they want that.

That might work ... indeed, I hope it does. But as you say, if it fails, we all lose this once-in-a-lifetime chance to modernise the way we are governed, and Cornwall's archaic and dysfunctional place within the British so-called Constitution.

If four of the Six Counties did a deal, wonderful! I'd be happy with any permutation, as long as Cornwall gets what it wants, needs and deserves, i.e. the Senedh Kernow that is the settled will of the permanent resident population of this peninsula.

What may make this a reality is the commitment in the White Paper to hold a referendum before any elected Regional Assembly is established. They need consent. They will not get that in Cornwall, and seem unlikely to in any Western County ... especially once voters realise they will lose the County dimension of their identity once the Seven County Monster becomes a reality.

The White Paper fails to recognise the depth of the County identity within regional politics ... indeed it lacks any grasp of regional politics other than those of the North East (Prescott's patch) and London (Raynsford's). None of the civil servants involved have ever been outside central London or wherever they sleep as well as work, judging from the way the White Paper is written. It would fail any 'A'level question asking for a decent essay on the subject!

So either we will never get any devolution at all, or our own local bickering will kill off the slim chance that we just might ... what happens in reality is up to all of us.

I am confident that Cornwall will make its own luck, one way or another.
Adrian Watts, Flushing, Falmouth

I don't like the title - "nationalism" has been used as an excuse for some foul deeds in history - but it's the nearest I can find to saying how much I hate the idea of the seven-county Region, and how much I think Cornwall should have its own Assembly.

Why should we be forced into a "one size fits all" constitution?

I used to live in Spain, formerly a very centralised country, but now allowing a good deal of devolution, but varying the degree according to the size and nature of each region. For example Pais Vasco, the Basque Region, has bi-lingual signs and even its own distinctive police force, while the much smaller La Rioja, best known in the UK for its wine, has less devolved powers.

Andalucia, where I lived, is the size of several sovereign European nations, and was often in conflict with the Madrid Government (while I was there it was about pensions) but all seemed still to regard themselves as Spanish as well.

It worked, and I don't see why a similiar system should not work in the UK. Cornwall would not expect as much autonomy as Scotland, but would want a lot more the Hertfordshire, for example!
Michael Fisher, Padstow

Pam - my Scots friends would certainly agree that their measure of self-governemt is quite inadequate. They would also agree that they need to cut out theredundant tier of government - at Westminster.

Merddyn - Cornwall is one of the oldest territorial divisions in Europe - read Philip Paynton's history of Cornwall, or indeed any other authoritative source (anything by John Angarrack is well worth reading.

John - I'm not quite sure what your point is about national affiliation. And your point about the quality of our representatives would, if carried to its logical conclusion, lead to the abolition of democracy and re-establishing the feudal system!

Malcom - I agree with you - we need to get moving before it's too late to do anything. By the way, which particular Swiss principles would you like to adapt first?

Gazz - like all rootless cosmopolitans I feel at ease in a number of different places, but I don't see why you need to disparage one place in order to express solidarity with another. Besides, if facilities in Cornwall are limited we need to ask why. And I have to say that I find Cornish people (both true and untrue!), neither worse nor better on the average than any other lot of human beings. If you're worried about the way our elected representatives act, the sensible thing is to vote them out and put in somebody who WILL act the way you think is right. By the way, how do you define a 'proper city?

Adrian - perhaps we need to think in terms of graded steps towards self-determination, reactivating our constitutional rights phase by phase? (P.S. Re our irate friend, the other day I was talking to some people from Tryweryn - I hope he doesn't boast about connections with Bessie Braddock in the Bala area!)

Emma - the idea of extending the Tamar a few miles to the north is a very attractive one. To adapt a saying of Harri Webb's, 'What Cornwall needs most is an eastern coast'.

Bob - the fact that the word 'wealh' and its cognates in other Germanic languages refers originally to the Romans is accepted by scholars from Wallachia to Wallonia. It derives from a Gaulish tribe called the Volc忙, who lived on the Rhine. When the German song 'Wacht am Rhein' says 'Betritt kein Welscher deinem Strand', it doesn't refer to Cardiff City supporters (although nobody would attach any blame if it did).

As to New Labour's present 'devolution' plans, please examine the record in the relevant legislation and Parliamentary debates. They've made it as plain as a pikestaff that they have no intention of conceding territorial integrity, let alone self-government, to Cornwall. Once again, I'm NOT asking you to take my word for it.

Mike - what steps do you think we should take to improve our condition NOW? And what issues do you see as priorities?
Tim, Caerdydd

Cornwall do not be ridiculous !

As an expat Scot just take a look north of the border to see what you would end up with. A parliament which is nothing more than a very expesive extra tier of government.

I think you will find that few Scots are happy with this system. Learn from others mistakes.
Pam Leitch, Saltash

Let's get the important part out of the way. I agree with self determination and self government. I just have one slight beef with the comments made on this message board. When exactly in history was "Cornwall" ever a country in it's own right??

The Cornish have a proud history and along with other parts of the British Isles should also be proud that they can lay claim to being some of the original inhabitants. But if you go back in history to some of the earliest recorded events, you find that the area now called Cornwall was actually within the Kingdom of Dumnonia. This was an area covering what we now call Cornwall, Devon and the western parts of Somerset.

Cornwall as a 'county' came into being much later. Even back in those earliest days, the Dumnonii were merely a tribe of people living in a vast country in which everyone was a "Briton" (yes even the Welsh). Granted they spent most of their time fighting with each other, but they did not live in separate 'countries'.

The separations in the land came much later (after the Romans), and although the Cornish people were cut off from their fellow Celts in time, the area was still a Kingdom within a Country and it was still not yet called "Cornwall".

By the time the name of the county appeared, there was no longer a Kingdom of Dumnonia ruled by a single person. Self Government is right and will come through in time. But I believe we should be proud to be British first and foremost, rather than argue over the merits of being English, Welsh, Scots or Cornish.
Merddyn, Stratton

First correction,to be born in Cornwall does not class you as English. You only speak a variation of that language as do many others in these islands. Look at most surveys that now ask for your ethnic origins. You are all????British with the/Cornish..Welsh...English...Scots added on. Yes there is a space for this designation.

As to a Cornish assembly you must be joking, look at the mess that our County assembly is in also one or two of our local and district councils.
John Hilton, Bodmin

I used to feel that independence for Cornwall was an impossible and impractible dream. Maybe it still is but I would love to give it a try.

I really feel that successive governments have made a hash of things and that we should take control of our own destiny before it is too late. Cornwall is a wonderful place to live and as one who was born and bred here, I feel that we should be given the opportunity to self rule.

Just ask the hoardes of people who have chosen to live here rather than north of the border (no offence intended Devon). There are of course numerous problems to be tackled including, taxation,health,pension rights, defence,the police and the travel network to mention but a few. However a state based on the principals in a country such as Switzerland could possibly be viable.

As for investment, I consider that if properly run, Cornwall could attract massive investment because of its natural resources and great beauty as a tourist venue. A dream! Perhaps but better than the nightmare that possibly faces us as a result of current policies by governments from outside, regardless of their political persuasion.
Malcolm, Trebetherick