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Is MK about to quit national politics?

Graham Smith | 09:50 UK time, Saturday, 8 May 2010

Everyone I have spoken to was surprised that Mebyon Kernow's leader, Dick Cole, did not do better in the St Austell & Newquay constituency. As a local lad, a local councillor for many years and as a hero of the anti-incincerator campaign in St Dennis, all the signs were that he might poll several thousand votes.

In fact, Dick got only 4% of the vote and like every other MK candidate, lost his deposit. Dick himself writes with brutal honesty about this in his own excellent

Dick says:

"We still have a major credibility issue with voters in parliamentary elections. Many people vote for MK candidates in local elections, but fail to support us in General Elections because they believe we cannot win. This is an issue of strategy that we will need to address as a Party in the coming weeks and months..."

It remains true that Mebyon Kernow has three members elected as Cornwall councillors while the Labour Party has none. But now the question must be asked: what exactly is Mebyon Kernow for?

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    It's a shame that you didn't give MK as much coverage during the election as you seem intent on doing at the moment.

    MK is the only party for Cornwall - as can be seen from the horse trading going on at the moment between the Lib Dems and Conservatives. The Lib Dems look likely to give up their campaign for PR in return for a whiff of power.

    Now, more than ever, there is a need for a political party that will always put Cornwall first - that is what MK is all about.

  • Comment number 2.

    What is your problem with political parties that don't fit your establishment view?

    Since when do the results of this election mean MK is about to "quit politics"? Has anyone said this? Has anyone remotely inferred it? Or are you adding 1 plus 1 and getting 2784? This is quite a swing and a miss, Graham.

    It was indeed a disappointing result. But all MK's vote count of 5,379 means is that 5,379 people considered Cornish political nationalism to be the most important issue at this election. People vote for many different reasons, and it is not surprising that in a nationwide election, after 13 years of a tired government, in the middle of a financial crisis, and after a huge political scandal, that many people in Cornwall wanted a say in how the national political scene should look. Cornwall is part of the UK, after all.

    All nationalist parties in the UK - the SNP, Plaid Cymru and MK - don't do well in general elections. This is because of the huge focus on national politics. MK are very strong in local elections - in 2009 they got 15.95% of the vote in the 33 seats it ran in (the majority of people in Cornwall didn't even get a chance to vote for them). They are getting stronger with every election. Why would they quit now?

  • Comment number 3.

    No from the impression I got Mebyon Kernow have no intention of quitting anything. MKs vote share compared to 2005 went up and have no need to be disheartend. They got squeezed out by the pro and anti tory tussle, pure and simple.

    If as a point of fact you can find evidence of MK quitting Westminster elections I'd love to see it, or to use your phrase from another blog "Time to put up or shut up".

  • Comment number 4.

    To be fair davetnt, Graham was speculating about MK quitting national politics, not all politics.

    But is interesting how Graham has made more posts mentioning MK during the three days since the election than he did during the entire election period. Whatever happened to "proportionate levels of coverage"?

  • Comment number 5.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 6.

    Of what relevance are MK ? Cornwall is in England and to vote MK is a complete and utterly wasted vote. If they were that relevant, they would have polled more votes than UKIP in the county and they didn't. Any other party with this sort of result would be closed down before being ridiculed. What sort of leadership do these people have? Cornish nationalism is a myth and if you doubt that watch what happens when the world cup comes next month. If it weren't for these clowns, we could have had Liberal MP's back. Thanks MK - what a joke. I suggest you disband now before you make further fools of yourselves and the people in the county who bother to vote for you.

  • Comment number 7.

    Oh BTW Graham, a well written piece.

  • Comment number 8.

    Now as A Cornisman or should I say son of Kernow. The please please stop baching Mebyon Kernwow like I have just been reading about.

    And get back behind what they stand for, And I am stick and fed-up with hearing about the Elections as far as I am cocern it is yesterday news.

    As there are far more important matters to be put right in Kernow such as what is goiung on At Carlyon Bay with the Development up there,

    Chris from Redruth.

  • Comment number 9.

    Will - you don't need your Lib Dem MPs back - you have your Tory buddies instead. Vote Lib Dem and get Tory. MK are a progressive party (that won't sell their souls to the Tories)and are working for the good of ALL the people of Cornwall - even those that don't yet appreciate that. A vote for any other party in Cornwall is a vote for London centered policy detrimental to Cornwall.

  • Comment number 10.

    I am extremely surprised that this type of comment is allowed on a ´óÏó´«Ã½ website.

    I thought the ´óÏó´«Ã½ were meant to be unbiased ?

    I am glad to say that I shall not be renewing my ´óÏó´«Ã½ Licence Fee because rarely have I encountered such bias. It would not have been quite so bad if the ´óÏó´«Ã½ had given Mebyon Kernow and Dick Cole equitable coverage in the run up to the election. They did not and perversely have given the party more coverage since the election.

    I must ask if there is a hidden agenda here ?

    I look forward to seeing you all at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ in Truro a little later this year. I assure you there will be some straight speaking.

  • Comment number 11.

    Erm, Will, MK got 15.95% of the vote across the 33 seats it ran in at the 2009 local election. It may have only got 4.3% across Cornwall, but the majority of people didn't get a chance to vote for them. Labour got 3.4% across all 123 seats! MK are more relevant than Labour in local elections in Cornwall, and they will be even more relevant at the next one.

  • Comment number 12.

    I should correct my post above, Labour ran in 57 seats, not all 123. It got 7.5% of the vote in the seats it ran in, less than half of MK's 15.95%.

  • Comment number 13.

    Rather than your less than complete quote given above perhaps you should read what Mr Cole has to say at It is more than clear that MK are ready to go any time the next election is called.

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