Civil war among the home rulers

Date : 23/04/2002 Publication : THE JOURNAL

A row has erupted between rival devolution campaigners over claims that an Engli sh parliament has more support in the North-East than a regional assembly. The Campaign for an English Parliament is using St George's Day to publish new f igures showing 44pc of people in the region back the idea compared with 41pc for regional self-rule.
England-wide, 47pc favoured a national parliament compared with 28pc for regiona l government. But the research, just weeks before the Government's devolution White Paper, has come under fire from North-East activists who say it was based on "leading ques tions". The CEP report says: "In the North-East a well-financed campaign has for many years been trying to convince the public that there is widespread backing for a regional assembly.

"Even there, those who favour an English parliament outnumber those who want reg ional assemblies." But Don Price, national campaigns officer for the Newcastle-based Campaign for t he English Regions, attacked the survey as flawed. He said the CEP had carried out the poll by stating that Scotland has its own Pa rliament, Wales its Assembly, and asking respondents if England should have its own Parliament too. "This is clearly a leading question and it contradicts other recent polling trends," he said.

A survey earlier this year found 72pc of people in the North-East backed a regio nal assembly, although the option of an English parliament was not put forward i n that poll. George Morran, national chairman of the CFER, said: "An English par liament would fail to recognise the rich diversity of the regions of England. It would not bring Government closer to the people and deal with what are clearly regional issues."

Home rule campaigners are also retaliating against a stunt by the Scottish Touri st Board to take back Berwick. The Scots are trying to buy it back to redress an ancient injustice but campaign ers are using England's national day to raise a flag of St Oswald - the 7th Cent ury king of Northumbria - to remind them of its ownership.

Executive member of the Campaign for a North-East Assembly Brian James, who live s in Berwick, said: "It is not surprising, given that the Scottish Parliament ha s scrapped tuition fees and is offering free care to the elderly, that the peopl e of Berwick often look enviously across the border to Scotland. "But we want to see a powerful elected regional assembly so the people of Berwic k can feel they are at the heart of their governance rather than on the fringe."

Under the Barnett formula Scotland receives £1.2bn more than the North-East every year for public services such as schools and hospitals. Liberal Democrat Berwick MP Alan Beith said: "What this underlines is that there is more money in Scotland for public services generally because the North-East does not have a Barnett formula or an assembly."

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