Sheryll Murray / Devonport / and the need to be involved

We need more(d) more detail to put forward the case for Cornwall and we can longer rely on rhetoric and history.

Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall, used her maiden speech to emphasise the importance of Devonport to the economy of Cornwall. She stated that the naval base provided 24,000 jobs and warned that without the base Saltash and Torpoint could become 'ghost towns'. A fair point.

In a previous post I argued the case for locals to do more individual research into the political problems and to directly feed into the Westminster debate through our MPs. This is a classic example of the need for this; Ms Murray’s speech – whilst putting forward a good point – was hardly convincing on the detail. At times it varied its purpose away from the key problem of the closure of Devonport and towards issues such as the nuclear deterrent and the role of the Royal Navy.

But the speech did not provide nearly enough evidence of the benefits of requirement to keep Devonport. In a parliament debating the need to cut c. 600,000 public sector workers will lose their jobs, and in the process turning many towns in the public sector dependent north into ghost towns, that South East Cornwall is facing the loss of a mere 24,000 could easily be considered small beer.

So, I call out to you, provide Sheryll Murray with the evidence she needs to convincingly put this case across. What skills are kept alive by the navy? How many? How much? The argument that its closure will disastrous is not sufficient with so much scrutiny upon the public purse. Together we have to do better than this.