User:Gwlascarer/MK
Gwlascarer/MK | |
|---|---|
| English name | The Party for Cornwall |
| Leader | Dick Cole |
| Founded | 6 January 1951 |
| Headquarters | Meridian House Heron Way Truro Cornwall TR1 2XN |
| Youth wing | Kernow X |
| Ideology | Cornish devolution, Cornish nationalism, Civic nationalism, Social democracy, Environmental protection |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| European affiliation | European Free Alliance |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Old gold, black and white |
| Cornwall Council[1][2] | 4 / 123 |
| Cornish seats in the House of Commons | 0 / 6 |
| Website | |
| www.mebyonkernow.org | |
Mebyon Kernow (MK; Cornish for Sons of Cornwall) is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.
MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists and politicians from a number of political parties. Its first election win came in 1953, with its members running as independents. In the 1970s it became a fully-fledged political party, and since then it has fielded candidates in elections to Westminster and the European Parliament, as well as local government in Cornwall.
The party is a member of the European Free Alliance and has close links with Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party. It currently has four elected councillors in Cornwall Council and 19 town and parish councillors.
Platform
[edit]History
[edit]Party leaders
[edit]- Helena Charles (1951–1959)
- Major Cecil Beer (1959–1970)
- Len Truran (1970–1973)
- Richard Jenkin (1973–1991)
- Loveday Jenkin (1991–1997)
- Dick Cole (1997–present)
Organisation
[edit]Elected representatives
[edit]| Councillor | Ward | First elected |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Cole | St Enoder | 2009 (new unitary council) |
| Stuart Cullimore | Camborne South | 2009 (new unitary council) |
| Andrew Long | Callington | 2009 (new unitary council) |
| Neil Plummer | Stithians | defected from Independent group in 2010 |
Town and parish councils
[edit]| Councillor | Council | First elected |
|---|---|---|
| Eileen Carter | Perranzabuloe | |
| Mike Champion | Camborne | 2007 |
| Dick Cole | St Enoder | 1999 |
| Derek Collins | St Austell | defected from Liberal Democrats in 2011 |
| Helen Cullimore | Camborne | 2002 |
| Stuart Cullimore | Camborne | 2000 |
| Charlotte Evans | Constantine | |
| Mike Hall | Redruth | |
| Roger Holmes | Liskeard | |
| Conan Jenkin | Truro | |
| Loveday Jenkin | Crowan | |
| Chris Lawrence | Carn Brea | |
| Andrew Long | Callington | |
| Matt Luke | Treverbyn | |
| Phil Rendle | Penzance | |
| Stephen Richardson | Illogan | |
| John Rowe | Carn Brea | |
| Alan Sanders | Camborne | 1999 |
| Chris Thomas | Callington |
Electoral performance
[edit]Cornwall Council elections
[edit]Includes elections to both the former Cornwall County Council and the new unitary authority created in 2009:
| Year | Percentage of vote (number of votes) | Seats won (Number of candidates) | Average vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | (/) | ||
| 2001 | (/) | ||
| 2005 | 0 (/82) | ||
| 2009 | 4.3% (7,290) | 3 (33/123) | 16% |
Since the last election, Mebyon Kernow has gained one councillor as a result of a defection from the Independent group.
District council elections
[edit]At the time of the district councils' abolition in 2009, there were nine elected district councillors from Mebyon Kernow.
| Year | Percentage of vote (number of votes) | Seats won (Number of candidates) | Average vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| () | (/) | ||
| () | (/) | ||
| 2003 | () | (/) | |
| 2007 | () | 7 (/) |
UK general elections
[edit]| Year | Percentage of vote (number of votes) | Seats won (Number of candidates) | Average vote % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1.2% (1,151) | 0 (2/5) | ||
| 1997 | 0.8% (1,906) | 0 (4/5) | ||
| 2001 | 1.3% (3,199) | 0 (3/5) | ||
| 2005 | 1.7% (3,552) | 0 (4/5) | Electoral pact with the Greens | |
| 2010 | 1.9% (5,379) | 0 (6/6) | 1.9% | First time contesting all Cornish seats |
European Parliament elections
[edit]| Year | Percentage of vote (number of votes) | Seats won | Constituency contested |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 5.9% (10,205) | 0 | Single-seat Cornwall and Plymouth |
| 1989 | 1.9% (4,224) | 0 | Single-seat Cornwall and Plymouth |
| 1994 | 1.5% (3,315) | 0 | Single-seat Cornwall and West Plymouth |
| 2009 | 1.0% (14,922) | 0 | Six-seat South West England (only campaigned in Cornwall) |
Further reading
[edit]- Deacon, Bernard; Cole, Dick; Tregidga, Garry (2003). Mebyon Kernow and Cornish Nationalism: The Concise History. Welsh Academic Press. ISBN 978-1860570759.
External links
[edit]- Mebyon Kernow — official website
| Politics | |
|---|---|
| Political parties | |
| Political establishments | |
| History | |
| Other organisations | |
| Figures | |
- ^ Keith Edkins (30 November 2009). "Local Council Political Compositions". Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Nicholas Whyte (10 May 2005). "The 2005 Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland". Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive. Retrieved 8 December 2009.