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The General Secretary (GS) has responded to the UK government's draft report to the Council of Europe (CoE) on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
The report – the third of its kind since the government ratified the Convention in 1995 – sets out what it has done to promote equality and diversity across a range of different areas relating to culture and language. However, as the gs argues in his letter to the department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), the report is failing in its duty to the CoE by excluding the Cornish and "are being treated as virtual pariahs by the very state that is supposed to protect them".
The GS says that he looks forward to a revision of the draft before it is presented to the CoE. The full text of the letter can be found below.
"The Rt Hon John Denham MP Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Dear Rt Hon John Denham MP
Draft UK Government Third Compliance Report to the Council of Europe on the Framework Convention for the protection of National Minorities
I am writing to express my utter disappointment at the exclusion of the Cornish and their language from the draft third compliance report to the Council of Europe (CoE), published in October 2009.
The document covers activities and issues relating to language, culture, equality and society in Wales, Scotland and the north of Ireland throughout the report, but no mention was made of Cornwall or its people. There was not even an outline of the work undertaken with the Cornish language, which the UK Government recognised in 2002 - and has subsequently funded since - under part II of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. The Cornish Language Partnership – set up as a direct result of government funding – has done excellent work in helping to revive the Cornish language, but was not consulted as part of the report. It is most unusual that the only mention in the report to do with the Cornish language is that it is one of 25 "UK and foreign languages" in which a qualification is available.
In addition, in view of the fact that the UK Government recognised the `separate identity and distinctiveness' of the Cornish in its second compliance report, it is surprising that no mention is made of the Cornish people in its subsequent report. The CoE's Advisory Committee's ruling that the UK Government's `racial group' criterion is too rigid to accommodate the Cornish has been completely ignored.
It is my belief that the UK Government is failing in its duty to the CoE in producing this report, because of the omission of the Cornish people and language. I would go so far as to say that in excluding the Cornish in this way the UK Government is showing a total contempt for the Cornish and actively discriminating against them.
The Cornish are one of the ancient peoples of Europe and are recognised as such throughout Europe. They have a language that is actively supported and funded by the UK and local government structures and yet are being completely ignored in this draft report. It would probably be fair to say that the Cornish are the largest unrecognised minority living in either Cornwall or the UK and are being treated as virtual pariahs by the very state that is supposed to protect them.
We look forward to an immediate revision of the report before it is presented to the Council of Europe.
Yours sincerely
Rhisiart tal-e-bot General Secretary Celtic League
CC Thomas Hammarberg Commissioner for Human Rights Council of Europe
Thorbjørn Jagland Secretary General Council of Europe"
Article compiled for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
02/12/09
The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues.
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