People's No Campaign Harnesses the Grey Vote

Press Release

North East No Campaign

EMBARGOED UNTIL 9am. Monday 25th October, 2004 (Photo op. Monday 12 noon)

Yes Campaign Group Moves Over to Join the No Campaign

"Don't Back a Donkey. Get on the Right Horse"

Today sees a massive coup as the Senior Citizen's Party moves across the floor and backs the People's North East No Campaign.

Registered with the Electoral Commission as a Permitted Participant for the Yes perspective, they have decided not to back a donkey, and to get on the right horse, and join the No Campaign.

The Senior Citizen's Party which represents 20.6 million people aged 50 or over throughout the UK - 43% of the voting population (figures in the NE ... 43% of 1.9m is 817,000people), originally intended to support the idea of a regional assembly in the North East because it believed that the Government genuinely intended to devolve current central Government powers to the regional assemblies and to devolve county council powers to the much smaller unitary authorities which would bring decision making much closer to the people.

Grahame Leon-Smith, Founder and Senior Citizen's Party Leader says, " We believe in the restoration of genuine democracy and the reversal of the increasing centralisation and emasculation of local government that has been carried out in recent years. We believe that more power should be given to the people by ensuring that all decision making should be taken at the level closest to the people and by their own elected representatives who are democratically accountable rather than by non-elected quangos. The failure of the government to give more power to the people has been a major factor in the electorate's disillusionment of politics and the decreasing number of people who bother to vote. The Government is now proposing that whole counties should become unitary authorities so if the people in the North East vote Yes and for option A they will lose all the local democracy that they now enjoy. It is a thoroughly hypocritical scenario disguised as an increase in democracy which will increase centralisation and removes the very local councils that the people know and appreciate. We are therefore now recommening that a Senior's vote with a resounding No to this appalling attempt to destroy local democracy."

Neil Herron, Campaign Director of the North East No Campaign, " Our long standing arguments are winning through. We may have been seen at the start of the race as a rank outsider up against a very well funded and well trained Government backed horse but it can be seen that the Government's fancied favourite was nothing more than a donkey. The People's No Campaign has had the stamina, breeding and tactics to come good at the end backed by the 'smart' money. It is great to have the Senior Citizens on board. This is about the people of the North East and their democracy, and having an expensive twenty five person talking shop to represent 1,900,000 is not bringing democracy closer to the people. There are many Senior Citizens in the North East on fixed incomes who will not relish rises in Council taxes to pay for a political talking shop. We are urging them to use their vote to VOTE NO and send a clear message that we do not wish to have another cost burden imposed upon us."

ENDS



PRESS CONFERENCE AND PICTURE OPPORTUNITY:
12 Noon Monday 25th October, 2004
"Don't Back a Donkey. Get on the Right Horse."
Location:
Stepney Bank Stables
Stepney Bank,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE1 2NP (View map here)
(Note: Stepney Bank Stables are merely providing the location for the photo opportunity. They do not have an opinion on the referendum)


CONTACTS

Neil Herron
Campaign Director
North East No Campaign
Tel. 0191 565 7143
Mob. 07776 202045
mail@northeastnocampaign.co.uk
Website www.northeastnocampaign.co.uk

Grahame Leon-Smith
Senior Citizens Party
Tel. 01932 874 303
Mob. 07956 111 848
grahame.leon-smith@senior-citizens-party.org.uk

To View the Senior Citizen's Party website click here