MR and Mrs Cullimore and their colleagues may have overlooked the small contributions to Cornish history made by Bob Dylan. The first where he chronicled the story of a Cornish miner in Minnesota at the time when the iron mines shut and went over to open cast methods. The song tells the story of the wife of John Thomas. It tells that: The summer is gone The ground's turning cold, The stores one by one they're a foldin'.

My children will go Just as soon as they grow.

Well, there ain't nothing here to hold them.

(North Country Blues - Times They Are a changin') Dylan's second contribution is more philosophical and enigmatic. It asks the question why, when it seems that a path has been found, unity of purpose achieved, and relationships with those who can effect peaceful, positive and profound change are good, there remains the potential for those who seek change to fall out amongst themselves, to allow judgement to become clouded, to let the long-sought-after prize to slip through their fingers. Dylan wrote: There's no success like failure And failure's no success at all.

(Love Minus Zero, No Limit - Bringing it all Back Home).

As the captain of the Titanic discovered, the main principle of navigation is to arrive at your destination without trying to drive through solid objects. The course towards the sort of change in governance which 50,000 people signed a petition for in 2000-01, if it is to be delivered and is to be practical and effective, will only be achieved by careful navigation, with the whole crew working together to avoid the rocks of confrontation. The Cornish Constitutional Convention has worked hard and patiently to build a consensus within Cornwall which will be persuasive outside Cornwall. With agreement on common goals between Cornwall council and the district councils, we are now in a position to mount a strong, well-considered and persuasive campaign to achieve the practical delivery of our objective.

The real challenge at this moment, as we seek to win the confidence of the government, and to persuade ministers with a clear and compelling case that a particular governance structure for Cornwall will repay the investment and the perceived risks, is that we work together, and contribute positively to achieving the objective.

That means combining the passion of idealism with the compromise of pragmatism, and it means turning to the task of persuading the Cornish district councils to sit down with their colleagues at Cornwall council and with other partners in the public sector, to take advantage of the proposition which was approved by the elected members of Cornwall council, to open a dialogue with the Secretary of State to consider a radical programme of reform for Cornwall (and the Isles of Scilly, if it wishes to participate) that will deliver what the 50,000 called for.

If we are to achieve a radical reform of governance for Cornwall, and we are to sustain our economic progress, address the needs of the elderly, the young, the disadvantaged and the isolated, if we are to invest in innovation, creativity and build a unique knowledge-based economy in the spirit of Trevithick and with the technology of the 21st century, and achieve the vision which our community has for its future, including the conservation and evolution of our culture and heritage, then we must seek change which will purposefully manage public services, promote Cornwall positively, set clear strategy, be accountable by being genuinely democratic, and fit comfortably with the emerging picture of modern Britain.

Bert Biscoe, chair, Cornish Constitutional Convention, Lower Rosewin Row, Truro