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55% say No to Prescott's parliament for region
Yorkshire Post - 16 January
2004
John Prescott faces a massive uphill battle to prevent his
dream of a Yorkshire mini-parliament ending in humiliating defeat, it
emerges today.
An opinion survey has raised the spectre of the Deputy Prime
Minister losing the referendum on a regional assembly by not much short
of a landslide.
But the survey, carried out by on-line pollsters YouGov and
published today, also suggested that Mr Prescott will lose in all three
of this autumn's referendums with the North-West and even the North-East
voting against.
After putting both pro- and anti-devolution arguments, the survey reported
a 13 per cent majority in the North-East against a regional assembly and
a 25 per cent "no" margin in the North-West.
But it was in Hull East MP Mr Prescott's home region of Yorkshire
and the Humber that opposition was greatest - with only 19 per cent in
favour and 55 against - a majority of 36 per cent.
The Deputy Prime Minister, a passionate believer in the power
of devolution to narrow the North/South gap, arrives in Leeds tomorrow
to launch the Yorkshire Labour Party's assembly campaign.
And last night pro-assembly campaigners both played down the
significance of the new survey and highlighted the fact that it was commissioned
by the Local Government Association's group of Conservative councillors.
With Liberal Democrats largely supportive of Labour's devolution
drive, Tories are the only main party to oppose it.
And Jane Thomas, director of the pro-assembly Campaign for Yorkshire,
said: "We recognise this is a Conservative-commissioned poll".
Ms Thomas's organisation, due to launch its formal campaign at the beginning
of next month, conceded that the results - especially in the traditional
devolution stronghold of the North-East - were interesting.
But in a reference to the region-wide referendums this autumn, she insisted:
"The only poll that counts is the one that's going to take place
in October".
Tory regions spokesman David Curry, MP for Skipton and Ripon, seized
on the results as proof that people, especially in Yorkshire, did not
want "another layer of politicians".
He said: "Yorkshire does not want a regional assembly".
However, the Tory spokesman warned that the pro-campaign - backed by
Mr Prescott and Government policy publicity - would be able to outspend
the anti-assembly movement including the Yorkshire Says No group.
"The dice are loaded against us - Prescott is desperate to get a
'yes' vote," Mr Curry told the Yorkshire Post.
In Leeds next week Mr Prescott will address an audience of business leaders
and trade union representatives over his proposals for an elected regional
assembly of up to 35 members.
Mr Prescott has long argued that creating an assembly, albeit of limited
powers now but able to oversee the region's economy, transport and housing
needs, will make a vital difference to Yorkshire's prosperity and future.
But yesterday's YouGov poll found opposition to his dream strongest in
this region.
Interviewing 478 people across the region, the pollsters first briefly
outlined Mr Prescott's plans and asked respondents "should there
be an elected assembly for your region?"
In Yorkshire and the Humber 35 per cent said "yes", 39 per
cent "no" and 26 were undecided.
But after a series of arguments both pro and anti-devolution were put,
the rejection increased dramatically to: 19 per cent in favour, 55 against
and 26 still undecided.
In both the North-East and the North-West there was a "yes"
majority before supporting and opposing arguments were made.
But after those details were provided, the North-East reported 34 in
favour, 47 against and the North-West 27 in favour, 52 against.
Yesterday Mr Prescott's officials privately scoffed at the 478 sample
taken by the pollsters in Yorkshire.
But last year's Government "soundings exercise" on the issue
of having a referendum elicited fewer than 1,000 individual responses
over several months. YouGov insisted its sample was of a perfectly respectable
size.
n YouGov interviewed 3,220 people across the eight English regions (not
including London) as a whole between last Thursday and Monday.
© Yorkshire Post
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