A Cornish campaigner will publically shred his television licence outside of the BBC studios in Cornwall next month in an attempt to encourage the BBC to reflect the “true nature” of Cornwall.
Branch Secretary of the Celtic League, Mike Chappell, will hold a one man 24
hour `vigil’ outside BBC Radio Cornwall at Phoenix Wharf in Truro, Cornwall on 21st August 2010 to protest against what is perceived to be a lack of coverage of Cornish politics, language and culture. Mr Chappell said that he has received and been copied into scores of complaints made against the BBC by members of the Celtic League and others about the Corporation’s refusal to take into consideration the uniqueness of Cornwall.
Mr Chappell has written to the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, about BBC policies in the Duchy and elsewhere, which he believes does not reflect Cornwall’s distinctive Celtic nature. He said:
“Cornwall is a Celtic nation like Wales and Scotland and deserves to be
recognised as such in their media broadcasting. At every opportunity the BBC describes Cornwall as a `County’, when the Government itself clearly states that Cornwall is a `Duchy’ and has unique rights. Cornwall is not a Somerset or a Devon.
We, the people, have our own distinct culture, language and history for which we are rightly proud. The BBC has a duty to reflect this accurately and not to pursue their own anglocentric political agenda.”
Mr Chappell aims to be sponsored for the vigil with all proceeds going to a
charity for the homeless, which he hopes will highlight the issue of
homelessness in cornwall and also the lack of affordable housing.
The protest will begin at10am on Saturday and will end at 10am the following day. Mr Chappell invites supporters to join him at the venue during his vigil especially at the moment he shreds his licence at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Chappell said:
“A list of complaints made against the BBC has been compiled and will be
available on the day.”
He added:
“The BBC is publically funded and accountable to its licence payers and no
longer reflects the interests of many people in Cornwall. It is out of touch.
Many complaints sent to the BBC remain unanswered.”
Mike Chappell can be contacted on the links below:
Mobile: 07549011269
Email: kernow@celticleague.net
Other useful links:
The Celtic League:
https://www.celticleague.net/
Celtic League News Release:
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/3335
BBC Cornwall:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cornwall/hi/
J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
Celtic League
21/07/10