"Ball's in your Court"

6th January 2005
Article for the Conservative Way Forward

"The People Have Spoken...Politicians beware!"
by Neil Herron

In the early hours of the morning of the 5th November 2004 the enormity of the verdict delivered by the people of the North East had visibly shaken the Deputy Prime Minister. An emphatic and overwhelming 78% had voted 'No' in the referendum on whether the North East should have an elected regional assembly. We at the No Campaign had predicted the landslide from the outset. How could Prescott and the stunned Yes Campaign have got it so wrong? The answer is quite simple. They were not listening to the people, but simply listening to what they wanted to hear. A lot of this came from vested interest 'stakeholder' groups, the BBC and the press and media who, in an attempt to appear impartial and create a balance failed to accurately report the true mood on the streets.
The North East electorate bought and understood the No Campaign's message, and they emphatically rejected this ill-conceived, ill-thought out political con trick.
A con trick that in the end saw the Government, and Prescott in particular resort to desperate measures.
A con trick in which the BBC and also the Electoral Commission were complicit.
A con trick because the North East Assembly still exists in an unelected form on the Quayside in Newcastle. These unelected Assemblies remain in place across the country representing the artificial 'Euro-Regions.' Many Conservative councillors continue to sit on these unaccountable bodies which are partly funded by 'voluntary' contributions from local authorities totalling many tens of thousands of pounds. Money which could be better spent in the local authority areas where there is true democratic accountability. These conservative councillors must be challenged to stand down on principle from these expensive, unwanted, toothless illegitimate bodies which are no more than expensive talking shops. It stinks of crass hypocrisy from some who have responded and said that they must continue to sit on these bodies to ensure are not as bad as what they could be. Resigning on block across the country as a party and it will bring these bodies crashing down and gain respect from the public who admire principle and can see through hypocritical weasel words.
No doubt political analysts will scrutinise the result and the reasons in the NE for many years to come, but there is no doubt that this was the biggest political upset in recent history and will be a major turning point… a new dawn politically where people woke up to the power that they hold.
The turnout was 47.7%. The result cannot be ignored.
The actual result was: YES 197,310 (22%) NO 696,519 (78%)The overwhelming landslide does not come as a surprise to us (as Ladbrokes will confirm) and both Colin Moran (Strategy Director) and myself predicted this result a long time ago. It is somewhat satisfying that we appeared to know more than the political commentators and even the Deputy Prime Minister. Our winnings from the bookmakers were shared with a couple of local charities. How did we know and the politicos didn't?Well, after over 50 public debates with the Yes Campaigners over the last two years, including those with Government Ministers, massive press and media coverage throughout the campaign of all the People's No Campaign's activities, we saw behind, and also exposed the spin and deceit.
The BBC Poll in 2002 which said that 72% of the people in the North East were in favour of an elected assembly was contemptible and a mass distortion, and produced before the White Paper and before anyone knew the powers an assembly would have.
But it was the White Paper, which gave the game away and gave the Yes Campaign the hardest task of all. All they could sell was a dream and a promise of jam tomorrow, and up here we don't buy bottled fog from snake oil salesmen. The public in the end not only rejected an assembly they stuck two fingers up to an arrogant and patronising political elite and this was, as the referendum on the European Constitution will also be, a chance for the electorate to indulge themselves.
The White Paper brought 38 responses from the North East...hardly the will of the people. Yet Prescott’s agenda continued regardless.
He then conducted 'Soundings Exercises' to determine the level of interest in the regions not for an elected assembly, but to see whether we wanted a referendum! Less than a thousand people out of 2,600,000 in the North East responded, despite massive efforts and consultations by the local authorities and other bodies, but Prescott still drove the agenda on regardless.
The deceit continued and the public money continued to be spent on the propaganda campaign, billed as 'information.' So outrageous were the claims in the 'Have Your Say' Information leaflet that we attempted to challenge it in court only to be threatened with a massive cost order. The Government admitted the errors and they were later corrected but not in the 1,900,000 leaflets that had already gone out.
The decision by the Electoral Commission to give 'official' status, and £100,000 to another 'No' campaign (NESNO), which was only formed in July of 2004, was bizarre to say the least. It went against all logic, not to mention the track record of the two campaigns, aroused deep suspicions not just amongst the public but the press and media as well. In our view and many others around the country, an unforgivable act to marginalise a campaign run by the people, for the people. But, when it was clear that this other campaign was a Conservative construct then the Electoral Commission’s decision was crystal clear. Prescott and the Yes Campaign immediately polarised the debate into a party political one. Why another campaign group saw fit to challenge the effective People's Campaign will become clearer in time but the Electoral Commission's handling of the whole affair and the monitoring of the referendum has been incompetent and possibly corrupt, to say the least. There is no transparency with regard to their decision and a veil of secrecy has been drawn over the decision. It is likely that only legal action will uncover the truth.
The Government threw everything towards the North East towards the end when they knew they faced a potential upset, and we have never seen so many Ministers in the region. All this did however, was to reinforce the public's cynicism. The purdah period (where 28 days prior to the referendum Government is prevented from campaigning) was blatantly abused and totally ignored by the Ministers and the Electoral Commission were spineless, useless and nowhere to be seen.
In the end it made no difference and actually helped the result. It made no difference that the Yes Campaign had more celebrities or money than you could shake a stick at. People were being asked to buy into a dream...but it was Prescott's Dream and the dream ticket was for the politician's and their apparatchik on an expensive gravy train and not the people. They were the ones who would simply have to pay for it.
So at 1am on Friday the 5th November Prescott's Dream had turned into a Nightmare of Elm Street proportions. For a man who used over £10m of public money to fund his personal ambition, and one, which, was so emphatically rejected, he has been humiliated and severely embarrassed. Elected assemblies are dead in the water. Our attention must now focus on the unelected bodies, funded indirectly and unknowingly by the ratepayers, and force them to disband.
November 5th will perhaps now be remembered for the day that there was a successful attempt by the people to bring the political elite to their knees.The people of the North East have sent the loudest message to the politicians. We have found our voice and this is just the beginning. Next stop…the European Constitution and here's the prediction...the landslide will be even bigger. Off to find a bookies to take the bet.
ENDS