Smoke and mirrors

According to the local papers, Camborne's tin mines will once again be seen belching smoke - though not because there is any actual mining going on downstairs. No, this is a "special event", organised by the Mineral Tramways Project, to celebrate Cornwall's mining heritage.

In some ways this is a nice idea - it reminds us that all those empty shells littering the countryside were in fact once the great powerhouses of the Industrial Revolution, which put Cornwall at the centre of world technology. But this kind of nostalgia is also deeply depressing. Because where are we now? The Industrial Revolution ended over 100 years ago, yet Camborne has not benefited from it . We have been left behind.

However, we're now in the midst of a new revolution - and in my view if Camborne is to become great again it should embrace this revolution with the same energy and enthusiasm as our ancestors 200 years ago. I'm talking about the green revolution - using renewable energy to power our lives. I think Camborne is well place for this.

We have, through Tolvaddon Energy Park, started to invest well in green technology; and just down the road in Hayle there is one of the most innovative renewable energy projects on the planet in the Wave Hub. Cornwall was the first county in Britain to embrace wind power, and that should continue. I think we need more wind turbines, not less (as some people of a conservative bent propose). In my view, it is the best way to move forward in a changing and challenging world - and the only way that Camborne will once become a driving force in world innovation.