Simply ask the question..."Why does there need to be two No campaigns?"

Newcastle Journal 1st September
Party Lines
by Ross Smith

"anti-regional assembly campaigner Neil Herron squared off against Regions Minister Nick Raynsford in Newcastle yesterday, but it was a distraction from the real battle he's fighting at the moment.

The spirit of co-operation has well and truly ended between his North East Against Regional Assemblies organisation and North East bSays No, run by John Elliott - who may or may not have been NEARA's Chairman earlier this year.

Both are battling it out to become the designated "No" campaign, and be awarded thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to spend on propaganda.

At first, they pledged to work together to fight for a "No" vote in November's referendum.
But the race to lead the campaign is becoming increasingly bitter.Mr. Herron fears an establishment plot to keep him out of it. The anti-devolution Tory Party certainly believes Mr. Herron can only reach a limited number of voters and are relieved to see Mr. Elliott's group in the running.

Meanwhile, the "Yes" side is hardly presenting a united front either. The North East foot soldiers of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties will be at each others throats in the next few weeks as they figt for the Hartlepool by-election.

They are then expected to shake hands and join forces before ballot papers on the referendum go out a few days later. Not likely. One Labour figure due to play a significant role in the campaign grumbled this week: "I am not convinced the Lib Dems are going to make much of an effort anyway."