Is Robin now Cornwall's most powerful politician?

Cornwall councillor Robin Teverson, member of the House of Lords, former member of the European Parliament, is also a member of the Liberal Democrats' Federal Executive.
As such he is one of about 35 people who will be invited constitutionally to comment on any potential coalition deal which might (or might not) enable David Cameron to become Prime Minister. No such luck for any of the three new Conservative MPs elected in Cornwall last week - the closest they get to "consultation" is what they read in the media.
Robin's wife, Terrye, was the defeated Lib Dem candidate in the Truro & Falmouth constituency. Yet opinions discussed in the Teverson household this morning quite possibly count for more than any number of votes cast by Conservative supporters on Thursday. It's a funny old world.

Is MK about to quit national politics?

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 blog.

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?

Bad losers

Word reaches me of disturbing scenes at the Carn Brea Leisure Centre, where television crews were trying to record the reaction of Liberal Democrat supporters, as it dawned on them that Julia Goldsworthy had lost her seat (in Parliament, not the rocking chair.)

One Lib Dem apparatchik, apparently unaware of his party's line on freedom of information, tried aggressively to prevent a BBC crew from filming. "They're very upset and I don't want this on TV," he shouted, thrusting his shoulder into the camera lens.

A colleague gently explained to him that scenes of distress, from war zones, famines and earthquakes, were all part and parcel of the daily news cycle. Cry baby political activists who must now seek real jobs are not even punctuation marks in the long unfinished draft of history.

Popular Front for the Liberation of St Ives?

In only one constituency, St Ives, was there a tussle over which political party was the true voice of Cornish nationalism. The Cornish Democrats just edged it, with a mighty 396 votes, pushing Mebyon Kernow into bottom place with 387.

Labour's lost causes

Labour appears to have lost its deposit in North Cornwall. I'm aware of Eastbourne. Anywhere else?

Voted yellow but now got the blues?

Experts wanted on Liberal Democrat party rules

It's unlikely that so many of us have ever taken such an interest in a meeting of the Liberal Democrat's party executive. Tomorrow's gathering will consider the consequences of making David Cameron Prime Minister.

So did it matter that there had to be a re-count in Camborne & Redruth? Or that there was such a narrow Tory victory in Truro & Falmouth? Or the similarly close Lib Dem triumph in St Austell & Newquay? Disappointed activists from both Lib Dems and Conservatives in St Ives, North Cornwall and South East Cornwall can perhaps console themselves that they've "won" anyway.

In constituencies where the Lib Dems were second to Labour, there might be some enthusiasm for a Conservative minority government. In Cornwall this seems highly unlikely. Will the Liberal Democrats tear themselves apart over this? And if not, why not?

Mebyon Kernow - an apology

A few weeks ago, in common with some other media commentators and a number of bookmakers, I might have inadvertantly given the impresson that Mebyon Kernow was poised to make some sort of breakthrough in the 2010 general election. Broadcastling live last night, I suggested that MK might even beat the Labour Party in some constituencies in Cornwall. But now the people of Cornwall have spoken. They have delivered their verdict. And that verdict is: "Mebyon Kernow's contribution to the Cornish political scene is to donate £3,000 in lost deposits. Thanks very much." I therefore accept that there is not a jot nor scintilla of truth in anything I might have thought as recently as yesterday and that I got it hopelessly wrong on this one. I would lke to apologise for any distress or embarrassment caused to anyone by my inaccurate punditry, particularly myself.