Dick Cole (politician)

Richard "Dick" Cole (born 6 April 1968) is a Cornish politician, currently serving as an elected member of Cornwall Council and the leader of the Cornish devolutionist political party, Mebyon Kernow, a role he has held since 1997. He lives in Fraddon, a village in Mid-Cornwall.

Early life

Cole grew up in Cornwall on the edge of the Goss Moor and was educated at the Treviglas School, Newquay and University of Wales, Lampeter^[1]

Political career

Before becoming party leader in 1997, Cole had been Mebyon Kernow's press officer for the previous five years. Previous to that he had also campaigned for Plaid Cymru whilst at University in Wales.

In 1999, he was elected as a member of the borough council of Restormel, representing St Enoder, retaining his seat until the council was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes.^[2]

In the 2005 general election, he stood for parliament in North Cornwall and gained 1351 votes, coming fifth of six candidates standing.

In 2009, a new unitary authority called Cornwall Council was formed.^[3] In order to stand at the 2009 elections to it, Cole had to resign his post as an archaeologist working for the County archaeological unit based in Truro, which had become a department of the new unitary council, as employees of a local authority are not allowed to be elected members of it as well as employees.

On 4 June 2009, Cole contested both elections held in Cornwall on that day. In the European Parliament election, he headed the Mebyon Kernow party list for the South West England constituency.^[2] In the Cornwall Council election held on the same day, he fought the St Enoder county division, achieving a 78 per cent of the vote, comfortably beating the Conservative and Lib Dem candidates into second and third places respectively.^[4]

In 2010 Cole was Mebyon Kernow's prospective parliamentary candidate for the newly formed St Austell and Newquay constituency in the United Kingdom general election. He gained 2,007 votes (4.2% of votes cast), placing him in fourth position.^[5]

In 2015 Cole again stood as Mebyon Kernow's parliamentary candidate for the St Austell and Newquay constituency in the United Kingdom general election. He gained 2,063 votes (4.1% of votes cast) placing him in last position (out of 6 candidates). Although he increased his vote total, his percentage of the votes cast declined by 0.2%.^[6]

He lives in Fraddon, in Mid-Cornwall, where he is a member of St Enoder parish council, a governor of Summercourt Primary School, and a trustee of the Fraddon Millennium Green and the Indian Queens Pit.^[7]

In Cornwall Council, Cole leads the Mebyon Kernow political group, chairs the Planning Policy Advisory Panel, and represents the council in the Local Government Association's County Councils Network Special Interest Group.^[8]

Publications

• Mebyon Kernow and Cornish nationalism (with Bernard Deacon and Garry Tregidga) (Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press, 2003, ISBN 1-86057-075-5 )

References

External links

• Dick Cole's blog

Cornish nationalism
History	1497 Uprising Prayer Book Rebellion Constitutional status Michael An Gof Thomas Flamank
Organisations	An Gof Cornish Assembly Cornish Constitutional Convention Cornish National Liberation Army Cornish Nationalist Party Cornish Solidarity Cornwall 2000 Mebyon Kernow Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament
Figures	John Angarrack Loveday Carlyon Helena Charles Dick Cole Loveday Jenkin Richard Jenkin Philip Payton Pedyr Prior James Whetter
Cornwall Portal