If you're from Cornwall, how do you personally feel about tourists and second home owners?

[Beerlovingwalker]

Genuinely curious really, as an outsider that loves Cornwall.

On the one hand, it must be nice to know that so many people love the beauty of your county and I'm sure it's nice to share it. However, it also must be difficult to adjust from living fairly quietly in the Autumn/winter months, to suddenly have to share your space with so many million tourists and second home owners in the summer.

One of the reasons young locals can be reluctant to leave Cornwall to find cheaper property or more lucrative work is because moving ‘upcountry’ feels like moving to a different country.

This may seem small minded if you live in England and visit Cornwall. Maybe you don’t see the difference. But culturally and lifestyle wise there is quite a gap.

Imagine telling Scots or Welsh they have to leave their country to move to England to find work or a place to live. And that’s what it’s like. It’s not the same as just moving from Oxfordshire to Northamptonshire, or zone 2 to zone 4, for example.

What about someone who is born to African immigrant parents & raised in Brixton who then gets shipped out to Thanet due to reduced social housing, no cultural & lifestyle difference?

Trust me, zone 2 to zone 4 is a cultural leap.

Big time!

@rarzy

Trust me, zone 2 to zone 4 is a cultural leap.

Big time!

Yes Brixton to Thanet would be a far greater shock to the system then Cornwall to Norfolk.

Are Cornwall and Norfolk that different, really?

Yes this otherworldliness of Cornwall and how special it is compared to the rest of the country just seems bizarre.
People move across the UK All. The. Time.

Imagine being born to immigrant parents from a commonwealth country, moving to the UK, being raised in a community and then having to move elsewhere because house prices have driven you out of your multi ethnic multicultural community. That’s london life for most of us.

I wonder @NursePye how many of these people you know from all walks of life living in Cornwall are not white?

I think if the Cornish think they’re closer in culture to xenophobic and Islamaphobic France they should reconsider. The UK has a strong and rich history of immigration and migration and maybe they should just get with the times and roll with it.

I don’t feel that way either @LubaLuca but it’s not beyond the stretch of imagination to think that others do.

And for all those who seem to find it so incredulous that Cornwall might share some cultural links, heritage and similarities with France, I suggest you read up on Cornwall and Brittany.

What about someone who is born to African immigrant parents & raised in Brixton who then gets shipped out to Thanet due to reduced social housing, no cultural & lifestyle difference?

Yes I imagine that would be shit.

This is whatboutery though. Maybe start a separate thread about this if it’s an issue that concerns you.

I'm not going to answer that question @Faffandahalf because again you have clearly drawn your own conclusion with no evidence from me and are showing your own prejudice by making a sweeping statement not only about the Cornish but also about the French.

This thread was not about that, but yet again someone who doesn't live here is telling people who live here what they must be thinking and feeling.

And as for pps saying that housing is a problem in other parts of the UK, that is obviously true BUT the OP said "If you live in Cornwall....".

If you want a discussion on the dysfunctional state of the UK property market then have one, but that was not the OP.

@OrangeSamphire

What about someone who is born to African immigrant parents & raised in Brixton who then gets shipped out to Thanet due to reduced social housing, no cultural & lifestyle difference?

Yes I imagine that would be shit.

This is whatboutery though. Maybe start a separate thread about this if it’s an issue that concerns you.

It’s not whataboutery.

It’s a relevant comparator from the same country as the people of Cornwall inhabit.

Why is it culturally unacceptable in Cornwall but not culturally unacceptable elsewhere in the UK?

What’s special about Cornwall that means they shouldn’t experience life as the rest of us do?

@NursePye

I'm not going to answer that question *@Faffandahalf* because again you have clearly drawn your own conclusion with no evidence from me and are showing your own prejudice by making a sweeping statement not only about the Cornish but also about the French.

This thread was not about that, but yet again someone who doesn't live here is telling people who live here what they must be thinking and feeling.

And as for pps saying that housing is a problem in other parts of the UK, that is obviously true BUT the OP said "If you live in Cornwall....".

If you want a discussion on the dysfunctional state of the UK property market then have one, but that was not the OP.

That’s a fair point! Will leave the thread to the Cornish folk. Or Cornwallians. Depending on their preference!

Is it culturally acceptable anywhere in the U.K. for external wealth to displace people who are culturally settled? I don’t think so.

Cornwall isn’t special. But it does have its own distinct culture, identity and way of life that is under threat and deserves to be protected. And it’s ok to talk about that without being vilified by others for ‘thinking we’re special’.

Beginning to bang head against wall. The question was how do people who live in Cornwall feel about second homes.

We've told you and you don't like the answers.

My parents village, during the winter months is practically deserted. No lights in windows, it's eerie. This is the impact of second homes on our communities. It's sucked the heart out of them.

Cornwall is not unique in this but the op asked about my home and that's how it is.

98.2% of Cornwall is white. They might be a distinct culture/minority that deserves to be protected but when I hear that I’m afraid I do have to scoff while thinking of the British Empire and how it decimated the culture across the occupied commonwealth.
In the end millions of those whose cultures and identities were destroyed/exploited were desperately needed in the UK ergo mass immigration of the mid 20th century.
That then created new rich cultural heritage across swathes of the UK (not Cornwall obvs
)
Culture changes, identities change, people migrate, new communities are forged often from the struggle of huge displacement.

And yet the Cornish think they have the monopoly on trauma from displacement and struggle for identity.

Sorry my experiences of racism in Cornwall are uncomfortable for you @NursePye

This is whatboutery though. Maybe start a separate thread about this if it’s an issue that concerns you

Why is it whatsboutery? It was in response to you stating that for others moving from X to Y isn't the same because when Cornish people move it's like going to another country, how can you possibly assume that?!

This thread was not about that, but yet again someone who doesn't live here is telling people who live here what they must be thinking and feeling.

The poster I replied to was telling others what they must think & feel but if you correct that it's whatsboutery 🤔

@Faffandahalf - sorry but you will have to show me where anyone on this thread said that the Cornish have a "monopoly on trauma from displacement and struggle for identity "

I am very sorry if you experienced racism in Cornwall. This is unacceptable, as is racism anywhere.

This thread was not about the inhumanity caused by the British Empire. I do not believe that the current population of Cornwall, or the rest of the UK can be held accountable for the sins of their forefathers. All we can do is strive to make the UK a fair and welcoming country for people who have made it their home.

TBH this thread has become quite exhausting and I am not here to answer for colonialism.

To fellow "Cornwallians" and "non-Cornwallians" I say goodnight

@OrangeSamphire

One of the reasons young locals can be reluctant to leave Cornwall to find cheaper property or more lucrative work is because moving ‘upcountry’ feels like moving to a different country.

This may seem small minded if you live in England and visit Cornwall. Maybe you don’t see the difference. But culturally and lifestyle wise there is quite a gap.

Imagine telling Scots or Welsh they have to leave their country to move to England to find work or a place to live. And that’s what it’s like. It’s not the same as just moving from Oxfordshire to Northamptonshire, or zone 2 to zone 4, for example.

Ok I'll bite. Please enlighten us on what massive cultural and lifestyle change takes place when you cross the border to Devon?

Faffandahalf if you knew anything about the history of Cornwall you'd know that The Cornish were also part of the Empirical machine just as the Irish navvies who built the roads etc etc.

I'm very sorry that you suffered racism whilst in Cornwall. That is inexcusable.

@N0tJustY0ga

Interesting views. So to the individuals who live there. If all the second home owners were taxed extra. There wouldn’t be as many second home owners which would bring the price of your property down. Would you be happy with that??

The next generation might have a chance of getting on the housing ladder if prices drop.

@OrangeSamphire

And incidentally, I know of five families that have moved from Cornwall to France when Cornwall became too overcrowded or expensive for them.

Because France felt more culturally akin to Cornwall than England...

As I said earlier in the thread, it's also far more beautiful, has better beaches, much better food, the accommodation is better, everything is better value and service is immeasurably better. Oh and better weather. It's not just the Cornish that have noticed that, hence why many "tourists" already avoid Cornwall and go to France instead. Be careful what you wish for.,

What a lot of hate for Cornwall in a thread that was exploring the impact on them caused by tourism and second home ownership.

So now guilty for colonialism, racism, wrong for selling their property at market prices, wrong for not leaving the county so that it can be bought up for more second homes.

I thought their main gripe was the fact that empty housing meant services funded by council tax, schools and medical services are massively rationed with those that live their full time.

You could ask a Devonian the same question @HalcyonSea and pretty soon into the conversation realise it runs a great deal deeper than whether you put jam or cream on your scone first.

If you’re really interested, have a Google and there’s rich and wonderful things to discover about Cornish culture and it’s differences to our neighbours the other side of the Tamar.

I’ll start with these:

• maritime climate and culture
• recognised identity and status for Cornish people on a par with Scots and Welsh (ie not English)
• Celtic music and traditions are deeply embedded and widely practiced here but not in Devon/elsewhere in England
• own language

Now having seen your latest post @HalcyonSea I wish I hadn’t bothered answering.

How dull. Yet another poster pulling the ‘well other places are better so be careful what you wish for’ argument.

What are we wishing for, that you have such an issue with, exactly?

[quote Mmn654123]@DdraigGoch

Equally, why should they be able to stay where they grew up? I couldn’t. Many people can’t. That’s life.

And as for employers struggling for staff. Yes. Absolutely. Then they will pay more. Isn’t that the aim? Some of you just need to leave to create a market need for increased wages. If you all hunker down and refuse to leave, that won’t happen.[/quote]
And people wonder why the prices in restaurants are higher.

You’re right it’s a total derail. Sorry. We’re not here to talk about colonialism.

No where did I say Cornwall is responsible for colonial sins or racism.

My point was in response to several comments about how Cornish people would struggle to leave Cornwall and how difficult it would be for them to go to England almost like living in another country. That they shouldn’t have to leave is a different point. I was responding to comments about how much of a life altering experience it would be to live in another part of the UK.

And what I was trying to say was that millions of people in this country have had to do exactly that: migrate due to forces beyond their control or because their own homes were decimated by this country and adapt and change etc. And they had an even more difficult time because of race thoigh you’re right that is not the point here at all.

However If they can do it so can the Cornish.
Should they have to? No of course not.
Is displacement due to housing conditions and money hungry govt etc etc happening everywhere in the country? Yes.

Surely the point is no one wants Cornwall to feel like Norfolk or London though . Not because it’s racist or xenophobic but because places having their individual character is better.
Brixton, Brighton, Bristol shouldn’t all end up with nice areas full of wealthy ex Londoners and a second tier of locals who have “adapt”.

Anyone taking money out of London should only be allowed a second home up North. Bridge the north south divide and get some regeneration going using London house prices to do it ( you have them)