How the sharp differences scare away the Cornish idyll that celebrates the G7 summit

Next week when Joe Biden breathes Atlantic air on Air Force One’s first trip abroad as US president, he will be the last visitor to the rugged peninsula at the southwestern tip of the British Peninsula. already full: Cornwall.

This corner of the UK hardly needs any more publicity. It was already one of the UK’s most popular holiday home destinations, and pandemic restrictions on foreign travel have ensured hotels and restaurants are packed.

The arrival of Biden and other foreign leaders at a boutique hotel in Carbis Bay next Friday, the arrival of a foreign boutique hotel in Carbis Bay, will strengthen the region’s reputation as a prime destination.

The wedge of granite that rises to the Atlantic, the attraction of the Celtic region is built on myths and legends. The G7 will add another layer to Cornish folklore as world leaders come together to try to solve world problems.

Already stories are spreading about how Biden’s surroundings will have to exchange his Bleast Peast limousine for a “mini-Beast” that is better suited to the narrow, winding roads of Cornwall.

Local police are concerned that nearby seagulls are very aggressive and could damage drones to guard a huge security operation.

Cornwall provides a miniature background of the main themes that will dominate the summit.

Climate change: The county has geothermal energy. Industries of the future: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson the county has been named a “lithium Klondike.” Inequality: There are many examples of poverty in Cornwall and Johnson is one of the regions on the post-Brexit agenda.

The G7 summit will highlight the link between the people staying at the Carbis Bay Hotel and the millions of pounds of houses stretched out on the stunning coast of Cornwall and those living in one of Britain’s poorest places.

Locals, who often work in low-wage hospitality jobs and face housing costs, have little hope that a brief visit from Biden and other world leaders will change much.

10 miles by car from Carbis Bay, in the Pengegon estate in Camborn – officially one of the poorest neighborhoods in England – residents were not surprised when the G7 diplomatic circus arrived. They complained that world leaders are capable of flying to Cornwall in a pandemic, however, they could not see their loved ones for months.

“They’re famous people. There seems to be one rule for them and another for us, “said caretaker Heidi Chesterfield. Anna Francis is skeptical of her friend because organizing a county summit will reap long-term benefits.” It’s the end of the Cornwall line – we always forget. “

Downing Street has tried to embrace this awkward combination of wealth and poverty. Johnson claims that the G7’s agenda of green growth and new technologies will benefit remote regions such as Cornwall, with the aim of leading renewable energy, green tourism and even space. planak To build the first spaceport in the UK.

But some are skeptical. The resentment of a remote EU elite in Cornwall in 2016 in Cornwall has echoed the usual frustration with wealthy incomes, which have raised house prices and turned homes into holiday homes.

Bailey Tomkinson, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from St Ives, has written a song inspired by the G7 summit around it. He says the “Red Blood” catches the anger over the incident. It is said to be dedicated to sustainable development, but leaders are being transported by plane and helicopter to the hotel to remove all the trees that were removed.

“It’s like Joni Mitchell – they spread paradise,” he said. “There are people who can hit the world with a pen, but what are they doing to help us? One mile from Carbis Bay, one in three children are born into poverty. “

In the nearby St Ives harbor, 70-year-old John Harry, who was born and raised in the village, made gestures along the promenade. “This place is full by 11:00 in the morning. St Ives is no longer extinguished. It’s like this 12 months of the year. ”

One of the local cafes is taking visitors away, and they have been informed that their next reservation for the next meal is July 28th. Linda Taylor, the Conservative head of Cornwall council, says at some tourist sites “a mouse couldn’t find a small bed”; asked visitors to explore lesser-known areas of the region.

Malcolm Bell, head of the tourism organization Visit Cornwall, said his industry has a turnover of £ 2 billion a year, 12% of the region’s GDP and one-fifth of employment. He says most people there consider tourism to be an economic need: “It’s like doctors say that if the hospital weren’t for all the patients it would work much better.”

Londoners have begun to become the first headquarters in Cornwall, working from home, perhaps maintaining a weight in the capital. Homes are becoming Airbnb rentals. The county, which was seen as the traditional destination of the family, the “vessel and spade,” has risen.

Bell suggested that the opening of the Tate station in St Ives in 1993 was a factor. David Cameron, the former prime minister, has been on holiday on the north coast for a holiday – a town dripping with money and elegant surfing in the summer – and has renovated the region’s hotel and holiday parks. “We’ve become a premium product,” Bell said.

Johnson is well aware that the G7 is not generally popular in Cornwall. Business has had to close, the Carbis Bay hotel is still a construction site and the Biden security team has nothing left to do with the road closure.

But the UK Prime Minister has promised to invest in the county and leave the summit bequeathed. Taylor said it was crucial to help residents of places like Pengegon, not just places visited by G7 leaders, “We need to make sure that this legacy extends to the whole of Cornwall.”