Nightmare for Cornwall

Good for the fishermen? Perhaps. One young man, on the BBC news, said that security men had stopped him from going out to check his lobster pots. Have any other workers been restricted from their normal activities, I wonder.

Ellianne

^Devon and Cornwall Police are well prepared!!^

You have to be joking.

That is a very unfair comment Oopsadaisy. Do you work for the Devon and Cornwall constabulary by chance? If not, I can find many who are proud of their force and who can enlighten you.

The Chief Constable is a friend of mine and I can assure you that from what he said to us a couple of weeks ago, they are astoundingly well prepared.

I live in Cornwall for quite a lot of the time and from over 40 years of experience, I'm convinced that if the entire county can find something to moan about, then it surely will. They grumble about people coming down there and then grumble when they don't. It's only for a few days, so take advantage where possible and get on with it. It's not as if it's even the school holidays so the roads won't be so bad (those that aren't blocked off..) and it's not as if the residents haven't had fair warning.

For those who want something to giggle about though, currently the Italian plane is circling Newquay airport (plane spotting OH says it's on its 4th circuit) and the German one is heading in to join it. The weather is probably to blame: I don't think anyone counted in the Cornish mizzle and sea frets.

It’s the usual norm here when any president comes it’s just the same.

Cornwall has very limited hospital beds and derriford (the closest large hospital in Devon) is currently overflowing (15 hour waits in A&E a few weeks ago).

Let’s hope if delta spreads within the local population there is support for treatment.

Such a drama about nothing
apart from the american guy who has to bring bigger and better helicopters and vehicules what's the fuss about?
Cornwall will get over it in a few days.

MaizieD

It's a bit nimbyish, isn't it? International summits happen all over the world and whichever place is chosen as a venue will experience the same disruption. Why should Cornwall be any different?

Yes, 'bout time our country cousins took some of the strain off us in London!

Maybe not relevant but three years ago I was at the open air Shakespeare in Regents Park -As You Like It . D was working on it and told me how they had had to stop rehearsals every time Trump’s (or Secret Service) huge helicopters flew in and out of the US Ambassador’s residence, and it wasn’t just to ferry DT in and out.
And yes it blighted the production as well. Nothing comes between world leaders, their security detail and the schedule. ?

Lucca

I’m afraid I look at it from a very simplistic view. Why have people travelling from far afield while the pandemic is still flourishing? But yes the vaccination thing is particularly wrong.

Absolutely Lucca. It’s totally ridiculous to bring people from all over the world and all over the country to do something that doesn’t need doing right at this moment. I know life must go on, but how stupid is this! At the last meeting, the pre G7 meeting, whatever that was, two members of the Indian delegation tested positive for Covid and the whole group had to go into isolation. Now we have the potential for this to happen again. Why do politicians think it’s their right to travel and do exactly what they want to despite the pandemic? We have been told not to travel to Greater Manchester and people living in Greater Manchester have been told not to travel out of Greater Manchester. We have been told not to travel to Europe. Why are these people allowed to travel from across the world, possibly bringing infections with them?

I have just read that President Biden has brought a smaller version of The Beast! Even that could have problems negotiating the narrow roads.

I’m sure many locals do find it all exciting, and it’s not for long.

I have some friends with young children who live down there. They are finding it all rather exciting. It's not for long.

Daisend1. I live 15 mins drive from the airport. They landed at just before midnight. For the sake of 5 days I'm not venturing to drive that way now. The signs have been up for over a week about roads closed and the diversions. I drove to Newquay last Wednesday and Friday and the signs were up.

The Bidden motorcade had to use The Chiverton Cross Roundabout. It's pretty much every Cornwall motorist's worst nightmare. Locals were out videoing and taking photos last night. ?

Olddudders It takes 2 hours. I live mid Cornwall and the slowest part is from me to Penzance. Retired folk do move here but the majority of the housing goes into second homes. Not as bad as when I lived in Derbyshire though. It took me 3 hours to drive from north to south and that's using a motorway. A30 has been widened quite a lot up to mid point.

I recently found out that Cornwall has 13,642 empty houses. This is more than any other authority in England. The majority of these are second homes, the majority of which are holiday homes.

There was a UN summit in Newport a few years ago, and although it caused chaos on the roads, to local businesses etc. it did bring some much needed short term prosperity to the area, hotels were fully booked and trade was good. It was very short term though..

As noted above, Cornwall is England's poorest county, being full of people our age enjoying their retirement. Employment opportunities are few beyond the hospitality sector, currently under-resourced due to Brexit, and now the pandemic forcing gig-economy workers to seek more stable employment. Locals could not afford to buy a home due to overheated market forces before the pandemic encouraged people to move to the South West, and now it is worse. It is one of few English counties not to have any motorway. It takes a surprisingly long time to get from the Devon border to Penzance at the far end. Money for Camborne is particularly welcome - it felt very down at heel before Covid put further nails into the British High Street.

Hosting G7 is a prestige statement, and putting up Pres Biden at the almost-250-year-old Tregenna Castle Hotel is sure to put the place on the US tourist map - if such people ever get to the UK again.

Implausibly, Cornwall CC has had an office in - yes - Brussels. It will be closing shortly.

Our local news channel has advised Airforce One landed at Newquay Airport last night local time.
I, thankfully, live twenty five miles from this airport but friends living much closer have informed me that it took them two hours to get home from a night out that normally takes twenty minutes as various roads had been closed off.

25Avalon Only three towns are getting the funding. Redruth is not one. Nothing is going to the rest of the deprived areas. The Clay Pits area desperately need funds, in particular St Austell and Bodmin. I live 10 mins from these places.

Was it Stanley Johnson? He has a home in Carbis Bay

JenniferEccles

I am amazed at all the negativity on here. It’s important to look at the bigger picture.
Cornwall would benefit massively from international tourism, and in my experience Cornwall is not widely known in other countries.

Talking of inconvenience, a BBC reporter in Carbis Bay was talking to a chap who had travelled down from Scotland and was bemused to find that he couldn’t get his car out of his (presumably) holiday home.
Apparently he knew nothing about the Summit!
Where do the reporters find these people?!

In my experience Cornwall is very well known in other countries when people are considering visiting the U.K.

I am amazed at all the negativity on here. It’s important to look at the bigger picture.
Cornwall would benefit massively from international tourism, and in my experience Cornwall is not widely known in other countries.

Talking of inconvenience, a BBC reporter in Carbis Bay was talking to a chap who had travelled down from Scotland and was bemused to find that he couldn’t get his car out of his (presumably) holiday home.
Apparently he knew nothing about the Summit!
Where do the reporters find these people?!

Whitewavemark2

Cornwall benefited enormously from EU funding.

I live in Cornwall and this is what the EU funding provided:
Improved airport
Improved A30
Superfast Broadband
Combined universities
Aerohub
Innovation Centre
Newlyn Fish Market
Advice centres for unemployed, those made redundant and new business

Very little of this actual helped the most deprived areas. These neighbourhoods among the poorest 10% in England. There are hardly any full time jobs with decent salaries . There are very few affordable houses or flats to buy or rent.

Glad I am not on the roads though

This could and should have been a virtual conference.

Urmstongran

Pity this 'ring of steel' hasn't been moved further up the coast near Dover.

Then everyone would be complaining that the govt were London/South East centric (if that’s a word).

Cornwall benefited enormously from EU funding.

What do Cornish Gransnetters think?