Cornwall couldn’t be better placed for the future

I love the period after the election. It becomes all-consuming at the time and culminates, for us, in a 36-hour working extravaganza that’s a mix of trying to turn things around as fast as possible and contemplation of what the new order means to us. The latter had a three-day delay for us this time, of course, but the coalition is in itself tremendously exciting. And then the dust settles and we can start to anticipate what the future may hold.

I believe Cornwall has everything to gain from the result in this election, although of course the timing is lousy.

Cuts to public spending are no great surprise and would, despite what some would have us believe, have come regardless of who formed the government. The priorities might have been different, but I think it is fair to say that most people felt we were in desperate need of a change in direction. And I say this regardless of individuals’ party political leanings: I’d be surprised if numerous card-carrying members of the Labour Party (and MPs) hadn’t been feeling that the administration had run out of steam and lost its way ideologically in recent times.

Cornwall now has an equal numbers of Conservative and Lib-Dem MPs, reflecting perfectly the coalition – and so it is fair to say that now we are well represented in both parties in government.

The lack of representation in government has, I believe, historically meant we have been unable to punch our weight in Westminster. Counties like ours have traditionally done badly in spending settlements and you only have to tour the country to see the impact this can have. I have been struck when visiting some Labour heartland areas by just how much investment there has been - when 15 years ago they were pretty shabby and grey. Has anybody been to Manchester recently? Newcastle? They have been transformed and are incredibly vibrant and exciting places.

Of course the slow climb out of recession will mean that there won’t be loads of money to throw around in the early stages of this government. But as long as the two parties can make it work we should be in prime position when things look up. Cornwall has done well and changed in many positive ways. It remains, of course, the best place to live in the UK – as we all know. But what happens when convergence funding dries up is absolutely crucial for Cornwall – it is imperative that we are well placed and that investment has been well targeted as this will impact heavily on the next couple of generations at least.

Cornwall used to be at the forefront of mining research and development, when that industry drove many countries’ economies, and this could be paralleled today with R&D into the technology behind sustainable energy – for example. And I know from conversations with some of our MPs –  and Cornwall Council’s chief executive Kevin Lavery - that they are all thoroughly committed to positioning us in this way.

One of the things that amuses me during an election is the accusations from some quarters that we are not being politically fair and balanced. It has been my mantra for years now that I only know that I have done my job properly when everybody has complained in equal measure about our impartiality. Actually, I haven’t heard from each of the candidates although I have heard supporters on every side saying they thought their candidate was not featured often/highly enough.  If you remember we asked each of the candidates one question a week in the run-up to the election. One of them complained to me that the order in which we ran them, from left to right across the page, was unfair and gave them a disadvantage …  Rarely am I lost for words.

Another claim I hear from time to time is that we have a particular view because we belong to Northcliffe Media. That is a rumour I would like to nail for once and for all: in my four, nearly five years as an editor I have never once received any editorial directive whatsoever from the group, nor indeed even from the managing director of the local company. Northcliffe’s philosophy has always been to hire local editors and to allow them to edit locally, and that is what happens. So if you think I’m getting it wrong, it is entirely my fault.

I would genuinely like to hear from you whether you think we’re getting it right, wrong or somewhere in the middle. The old adage that you can’t please all the people all the time is true, but I am keen to engage and always happy to explain the reasoning behind decisions.  Leave me a comment – I will be happy to reply. Or you can mail me at rbest@c-dm.co.uk

I hope to hear from you soon.

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