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A Little Bit of Slanted Reporting in the Times

Now I wonder which side Jill Sherman finds herself on; by this slanted bit of reporting I don’t think there can be much doubt.

In the first place there is no mention of the “real No campaign” which has been in the forefront in fight against the assembly for the past two years. Then although Ms Sherman goes to great lengths to make play of the Conservative and Eusceptic links of NESNO she fails to mention that the leader of the Yes campaign Professor John Tomaney, 41, who just happens to be “a genial academic” is funded by the EU at his university.

The £150,000 funding from the from Rowntree Foundation among others is interesting; perhaps a more alert, or less biased journalist, would have questioned why it was that a member board of the self same Rowntree Foundation, is also a member of Tony Blair’s Electorial Commision, this Commision chose the newly formed NESNO to be the official opposition and handed them £100,000 ignoring the real No Campaign, and in the process handing the yes side a propaganda coup on a plate, ever since as we see in this article the no Campaign has been portrayed as Tory backed strangers to the North East, and of course wouldn’t you know the Tories are not popular in that area.

Our intrepid Ms Sherman also failed to bother to mention that although the Deputy Prime Minister and Gordon Brown were drafted into Newcastle to boost the “yes” vote, the Government is not allowed by the rules of the referendum to boost any side in the weeks before the referendum and there is already and outstanding case against Peter Hain who was doing just that last week.

The Times
October 13, 2004
North East turns against ‘white elephant’ assembly
By Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor

JOHN PRESCOTT`S dream of setting up elected regional assemblies across England has been thrown into jeopardy after polling showed a dramatic shift against the idea in the North East.
With only three weeks to go before a referendum, the Deputy Prime Minister and Gordon Brown were drafted into Newcastle to boost the “yes” vote, amid signs that the proposal to devolve power to the North East region could be rejected.

A poll published today in the Newcastle regional newspaper The Journal shows that 36 per cent of people would vote against the mini-parliament for the North East, 27.5 per cent would vote in favour and 36 per cent are undecided.

Polls in recent months had shown the “yes” camp leading by two to one. But the tables have turned with the “no” camp staging a series of stunts to galvanise opposition before the vote on November 4.

Last week, the group burned thousands of fake £20 notes, which they claimed would be wasted if the 25-strong assembly, to be based in Durham, were set up. This week it is deploying a 12 ft inflatable white elephant at regional events.

The referendum is being carried out by an all-postal ballot, despite Electoral Commission misgivings. The ballot will be sent out on Monday.

The “no” group is fronted by former members of the Business for Sterling campaign, which fought against the euro, and is backed by Tory and UKIP-supporting businessmen.

The group, led by John Elliott, 60, chairman of Ebac, a water-cooler manufacturer, says that the assembly will cost more than present local government, will create an additional tier of bureaucracy, will result in higher levels of council tax and will have few powers.

“The ‘yes’ campaign is struggling to convince people that this assembly will have any real power,” said Mr Elliott of the latest poll, which was conducted by Wood Holmes, a market research company.
“They have got no message and just rely on warm words. That is a problem, when people believe that more politicians means higher council tax.”

The ‘yes’ camp, led by Professor John Tomaney, 41, a genial academic, who has worked for a North East assembly for more than 12 years, runs a slick, conventional campaign with roadshows, glossy leaflets and two dozen experienced volunteers. Professor Tomaney said of the poll, which surveyed 400 people: “It was a relatively small sample size and its results are completely out of line with others conducted recently. There is still everything to play for.”

The ‘yes’ group, backed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats and academics and regional artists, is more knowledgeable, better organised, better financed, but, so far, less aggressive than its opponents.
Its organisers also privately admit that they are trying to distance themselves from the new Labour hierarchy, and high profile North East MPs such as Alan Milburn and Stephen Byers, who are not popular locally.

Both camps face apathy and ignorance among the region’s 1.9 million voters. “Apathy, not the Tories, is our enemy” said Professor Tomaney, who travels daily across the region to try to spread his message.

He argues that the proposed regional assembly will create jobs, boost investment and give the North East a bigger say over tourism, transport, public health, skills and culture. But he admits that the powers proposed by the Government, which mainly cover those presently held by the Regional Development Agency, are disappointing and need to be improved.

He claims that the young are the most enthusiastic supporters of the proposed assembly. But, when his roadshow arrived in Seaham, Co Durham, a former mining community on the North East coast, most shoppers, young or old, had barely heard of it.

SNIP
THE TWO TRIBES
YES
Chairman: Professor John Tomaney, 41, Newcastle University academic and co-founder of North East Assembly campaign.
Funding: £100,000 from Electoral Commission; £150,000 from Rowntree Foundation and others.
Politics: Independent, but has Labour and Liberal Democrat support and is backed by trade unions, Greens and Respect.
Member profile: All local. Some have worked for more than ten years for a North East assembly.
Main message: The North will gain more powers from regional assembly. Family businesses in particular would benefit.

NO
Chairman: John Elliott, 60, chairman of Ebac Limited, former regional director of Business for Sterling.
Funding: £100,000 from Electoral Commission; £40,000 to £50,000 from other backers.
Politics: Links with Tories and UKIP. Main backers are Tory businessmen. Campaign leaders have strong Eurosceptic links.
Member profile: Have little knowledge of the region but good on gimmicks. Seen as test for referendum on European constitution.
Main message: Assembly will have no powers and will lead to more bureaucrats, more public spending and higher council tax