Raynsford and Prescott tainted forever

Yorkshire Post
Why Prescott was on a loser
Harsh facts of referendum humiliation
CONSIDERING that he intended the creation of English regional assemblies to be his political legacy, John Prescott has been personally humiliated by the North-East referendum result. It must, unquestionably, be one of the lowest points in his career.

The best that can be said of the Deputy Prime Minister's handling of the entire issue, from its inception, was that he accepted the emphatic defeat of a dream that he has faithfully championed for decades.However, in analysing why voters dismissed his assembly vision by such an overwhelming majority in the one region where Ministers, for historical reasons, could have been hopeful of success, it is ironic that Mr Prescott's involvement was the biggest factor in the Government's undoing.

It also explains the near 50 per cent turnout which exceeded all expectations. Without doubt, voters were motivated by the prospect of being saddled with a profligate talking-shop, stuffed full of Government cronies, with ill-conceived powers that would have been insufficient to tackle those issues pivotal to the North-East's future.The manner in which Tony Blair absented himself from the campaign, despite being a North-East MP, and the Whitehall haggling right up to polling day about the assembly's exact remit, also demonstrates why Mr Prescott was fighting a lost cause, despite throwing £11m of public money at the referendum.That the Government, after such a landslide defeat, is doggedly suggesting that a similar vote could still take place in Yorkshire and the Humber is further proof of how far removed from political reality that Mr Blair's administration has become, and how it continues to be blinded by dogma.It is quite proper that Ministers do not walk away from the English-regions issue given that they have delivered devolution to Scotland and Wales. It is also imperative that they address the long-held belief that their policies favour London and the South-East, with areas like this region apparently counting for little in their thinking.Yet staging a referendum on the same half-baked assembly idea is not the right way forward. It will only see more public money wasted and create further political uncertainty at a time when Ministers are already deeply distrusted. This would be like building a house on foundations made entirely of straw.Instead, the Government's only course of action is to go back to the drawing board and start afresh with a new set of proposals, complete with a timetable and budget, forming the centrepiece of next year's election manifesto.It also goes without saying that, after suffering such a resounding defeat, that neither Mr Prescott, nor his loyal sidekick Nick Raynsford, should have any involvement in the process. Many politicians have resigned their positions over far less, and both are fortunate that the past tradition of resigning over such defeats, or matters of principle, has become outdated.
However, for the rest of their careers, they will remain tainted by Thursday's outcome. For that reason, they should have no part in the fresh start that is now so urgently needed, and which Mr Blair must now make a priority.