Regional Assembly: yay or nay?

[Kentish]

It's voting time. We've seen the pathetic political broadcasts on TV, we've had the propaganda through the door, now it's decision time.

Does anyone have any views on the latest white elephant?

Is it going to make those in the north east any more involved in local affairs?

[morrocan roll]

i don't realy see the point myself.
if you have these assemblies but they have no actual power ...what IS the point?
IF REGIONAL ASSEMBLIES WERE GIVEN REAL POWER ...oops caps ...then i'd be all for them.
the power to make/change laws.
lancashire decides to legalise pot. cheshire doesn't ...would be very interesting.

[JsT]

If its given any power its got the potential to succeed.

I'd vote for one in Yorkshire should it go ahead.

[Disillusioned]

I don’t know much about them but I am pretty sure that most people don’t really care. In which case I’m against them because it’s obvious that few people will vote, less than half no doubt and it’s likely that they’ll achieve nothing and prove to be an enormous waste of money.

[Sparklie]

Surely it's just another tier of government that we don't really need.

I won't be voting for a North East assembly

[patterndelta]

Originally posted by Kentish
It's voting time. We've seen the pathetic political broadcasts on TV, we've had the propaganda through the door, now it's decision time.

Does anyone have any views on the latest white elephant?

Is it going to make those in the north east any more involved in local affairs?

If there is a demand for devolution in the North East, them why not?!

[morrocan roll]

Originally posted by patterndelta
If there is a demand for devolution in the North East, them why not?! care to explain what the point would be?

[patterndelta]

The point of devolution is to bring government closer to people.

[morrocan roll]

Originally posted by patterndelta
The point of devolution is to bring government closer to people. we know the bullshit but without power ...whats the point?

[stargalaxy]

Regional assemblies already exist, except they are unaccountable and unelected bodies at the moment.

[morrocan roll]

at the end of the day ...just a bigger townhall ...bigger it gets the less people will be interested ...unless of course these things actualy have REAL power.
anyone know any details about the powers that may or may not be envisioned?

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by patterndelta
If there is a demand for devolution in the North East, them why not?!

And District Councils/County Councils don't give that already?

[pedr]

Originally posted by Man Of Kent
And District Councils/County Councils don't give that already?

No they don't ... as was said by stargalaxy each region already has a 'regional development office' or something like that, which is responsible for distributing the money the government gives to support business and development in that region. Let me say that clearly: that money does not go through the county councils, district councils or unitary authorities. It goes through the RDO, which is an appointed, unrepresentative body with no democratic link to the region.

The proposal is to replace these with regional assemblies where there that's what the region wants - so it's not extra government, it's replacing quangos with democratically elected bodies. And look at what is happening in Wales - once elected bodies exist their power increases over time. These regional assemblies will take power away from the control-freakery of the UK Government and bring it far closer to the people.

[Captain Slog]

Originally posted by xXxHelzxXx
Surely it's just another tier of government that we don't really need.

I won't be voting for a North East assembly Good for you. We have had an assembly in Scotland for a while now and all it is is an expensive talking shop. We don't really need another layer of government. It just means more time and money is spent debating things than getting anything actually done. I certainly haven't felt any real benefit from devolution. Life goes on regardless.

As for all this "bringing government closer to the people" bollocks I'd be more happy with a government in Westminster that kept its nose out of my business. At least it would be cheaper.

[patterndelta]

Originally posted by Man Of Kent
And District Councils/County Councils don't give that already?

No they don't.

[Jim V]

Originally posted by patterndelta
No they don't.

:wave: :cool:

[Fiend_85]

Originally posted by Jim V
:wave: :cool:

Remarkably quick this time Jim, I bow to you sir.

[BumbleBee]

I'll be voting no.

Personally I see it as just another expensive waste of time. The taxpayer will be paying for more politicians and more bureaucratic crap.

I don't believe for one moment it will have any power over jobs.

The biggest pulling point seems to be the plans to improve sections of the A1. I can't see they'll have any powers to do that.

Nope, I'll be voting no.

I know there are a lot of people though who are going to vote yes in the 'hope' that they'll do something good for the region. Yawn.

[Kentish]

The main reason I'll be voting no is that I can't see it improving things for the people of the north east. I think it will be a faceless institution on which the government in Whitehall can blame everything that goes wrong north of York.

I think more emphasis should be placed on making people feel connected to central politics rather than pointless, powerless regional government. By singling out the 'North East' as a separate part of the country, the regional assembly can only further disenfranchise ordinary voters from the Commons.

Originally posted by BumbleBee
The biggest pulling point seems to be the plans to improve sections of the A1. I can't see they'll have any powers to do that.
I really can't understand how this has become a major argument in the debate. It just shows how pathetic the powers of the assembly would be.

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by Kentish
By singling out the 'North East' as a separate part of the country, the regional assembly can only further disenfranchise ordinary voters from the Commons.


I couldn't agree more. Some people in the north east, to be blunt, piss me off. They seem to think that they're different from the rest of the country. I suppose it is a bit like what Boris had to say, the north east likes to wallow in a sense of self pity that it is neglected and looked down on, when really it is a rather vibrant place to live right now.

May I ask Kentish, where do you live?

[BlackArab]

Originally posted by BumbleBee


May I ask Kentish, where do you live?

Using my psychic powers, I have feeling he maybe from Kent. :p

[BlackArab]

Can we get English devolution instead? I quite like the idea of us getting the same education policies as the Welsh and Scots.

[wheresmyplacebo]

Originally posted by BlackArab
Can we get English devolution instead? I quite like the idea of us getting the same education policies as the Welsh and Scots.
if your on aobut higher education, then firstly you should know universities are independant they choose to accept uk students with subsidy from the government

if we took the same system as scotland, then eventually theyd all go go completly private market as there are more than enough foreign students that are wanting to come here

[morrocan roll]

Originally posted by BumbleBee
I suppose it is a bit like what Boris had to say, the north east likes to wallow in a sense of self pity that it is neglected and looked down on, when really it is a rather vibrant place to live right now.

May I ask Kentish, where do you live? boris was talking about liverpool ...liverpool is in the north west.
i'm psychic like BA ... kent.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[BlackArab]

Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
But to vote in the North East he must live in the North East :p

I seem to remember that he was at Durham University, so perhaps he lives in Durham?

Maybe but as your location says Newcastle, I assume you live in Newcastle...;)

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by BlackArab

Using my psychic powers, I have feeling he maybe from Kent.


Yes, I kinda realised he was from Kent but quite obviously, if he is talking about voting in a north east election he lives in the north east. Honestly. *sigh*

boris was talking about liverpool ...liverpool is in the north west.

Yes, I know he was talking about Liverpool, I am simply applying his theory to the north east. And yes, I am also well aware Liverpool is in the north west. Honestly. *sigh*

[Kermit]

Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
I seem to remember that he was at Durham University, so perhaps he lives in Durham?

DU Queen's Campus in fact.

Obviously Cleveland is part of the North East. Which is odd, because south of the Tees is Yorkshire, dammit.

For those who think a "no" vote will be found, you should go and admire the new GO-NE offices opposite St James Metro (where the old coach station was on Gallowgate).

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by Kermit
DU Queen's Campus in fact.

Obviously Cleveland is part of the North East. Which is odd, because south of the Tees is Yorkshire, dammit.

For those who think a "no" vote will be found, you should go and admire the new GO-NE offices opposite St James Metro (where the old coach station was on Gallowgate).


I thought Cleveland was renamed Teesside?

I reckon 'yes' will win hands down.

[Kermit]

Originally posted by BumbleBee
I thought Cleveland was renamed Teesside?

The Tees Valley. Yeah, that's right. Kind of; they're all unitary authorities now.

The police are still called Cleveland;)

I reckon 'yes' will win hands down.

Yeah, so do I.

The shiny offices by my bus stop prove it :yes:

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by Kermit
The shiny offices by my bus stop prove it :yes:

'Cos they're shiny?

[Kermit]

Originally posted by BumbleBee
'Cos they're shiny?

And mahoosive.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[Kentish]

Originally posted by BumbleBee
May I ask Kentish, where do you live?
Originally posted by BlackArab
Using my psychic powers, I have feeling he maybe from Kent. :p
Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
I seem to remember that he was at Durham University, so perhaps he lives in Durham?
Originally posted by Kermit
DU Queen's Campus in fact
From Kent, now living in Newcastle upon Tyne, having lived in Stockton (actually Yarm, which is in North Yorkshire :p ). I was indeed at Durham university and went to Durham, ooh, 3 times? That's how integrated the two campuses (campi?) are :D.

[Kentish]

Originally posted by Kermit
The Tees Valley. Yeah, that's right. Kind of; they're all unitary authorities now.

The police are still called Cleveland;)
It's all very confusing. Cleveland doesn't officially exist any more. Nor does Teesside although it's on all the motorway signs. The river Tees used to be the border of North Yorkshire and County Durham, but now Tees Valley is the preferred term for everything on the banks of the Tees, including Darlington which is a unitary authority.

Even more bizarre is that Teesside Intl airport is now Durham Tees Valley airport despite it being further from Durham than Newcastle airport is.

Maybe we need a regional assembly to sort out all the names.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[Kentish]

The north east in general is beautiful. County Durham could be wonderful, it's just the towns that let it down. And the lack of jobs and all that...

North Yorkshire and Northumberland are my favourite counties so far.

Durham Tees Valley Airport (http://www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com/devel/location/index.shtml). It's not really Teesside though. It's nearer Darlington. It should be County Durham Tees Valley airport to avoid confusion.

[BlackArab]

Cheers for the geography lesson chappies, Bumblebee don't take my comments too seriously ;)

Down here we also like to confuse things with Bristol Airport being in North Somerset and our the continued use of the name Avon by the emergency services even though Avon as a unitary authority was abolished.

Maybe its all a cunning plan to confuse any foreign powers who tried to invade this country.

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by rachie004
I do believe Newcastle airport is farther away from Durham, than Teesside airport. Takes an hours drive to Newcastle airport and 30 mins to Teesside


It takes 15 minutes from where I live to drive to Newcastle airport. It takes 10 minutes to drive to Durham City in the opposite direction. If I started at Durham City I would pass my house in ten minutes and then another 15 to the airport. That is 25, perhaps a half hour. If traffic is at a standstill on the A1 I would add maybe 20 minutes to that. Or are you taking it from where you live in County Durham, father away from the city itself?

[BeckyBoo]

Im not sure at the moment on what i will be voting for, but am going towards no.

How I see it is that if I vote Yes then its gonna cost me more money every year, but on the other hand would things be better for the North East ?

Help.......come on you political lot, you know the inns and outs of all this.........tell me the reasons why I should vote NO....cos thats what im swaying with at the minuite.

[BeckyBoo]

Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
Oh did they actually go for that name?

and quite a pathetic name in my opinion.

[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by BeckyBoo
Im not sure at the moment on what i will be voting for, but am going towards no.

How I see it is that if I vote Yes then its gonna cost me more money every year, but on the other hand would things be better for the North East ?

Help.......come on you political lot, you know the inns and outs of all this.........tell me the reasons why I should vote NO....cos thats what im swaying with at the minuite.

Personally I don't want to pay towards yet another ineffective tier of government. I don't think that it will do anymore for the north east than is already being done and I think it will create yet another barrier between the north east and the rest of the UK. I personally think it will be a waste of money and a waste of time. I've already posted my vote back, as have my parents and they all say the same thing.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[Kermit]

Teesside Airport is now called Durham Tees Valley.

I wonder if the train station at the airport will ever get used now?

Oh, and for a DH1 postcode, Newcastle Airport is the closest according to multimap. But if you go down the road to Shincliffe then Durham Airport is closer.

[Kermit]

Originally posted by BumbleBee
Personally I don't want to pay towards yet another ineffective tier of government. I don't think that it will do anymore for the north east than is already being done and I think it will create yet another barrier between the north east and the rest of the UK. I personally think it will be a waste of money and a waste of time. I've already posted my vote back, as have my parents and they all say the same thing.

But you are already paying for it, and it already exists.

All the regional assembly will do is give a democratic element to the Go-Ne quango, and take a lot of powers away from the quite frankly terrible county councils. The unitary authorities probably won't lose that much- the RA will take control of Nexus and that'd be about it I presume.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
Sir John Hall (former chairman of Newcastle United)

I think that links in nicely with what I said earlier in the thread. The north east people (<i>some</i> of whom are 'Geordies' :rolleyes: ) seem as a collective to want to think they're hard done by, which I don't believe for one moment and I've lived here all my life.

[girl with sharp teeth]

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[BumbleBee]

Originally posted by girl with sharp teeth
Along with Cumbria and rural North Yorkshire, there is a distinct separate culture to the generic 'Englishness' that's found everywhere else. On official forms I always say I'm British because to me, English doesn't cover where I'm from. If it comes up in conversation I stress that I'm from Cumbria, or that I live in Newcastle. I tend to identify more almost with the Scots because I'm closer to their capital. I never say I'm English. I don't feel English. I don't think a lot of people from the north of England do, because everything revolves around the capitals and we are pretty much as far away from London as it's possible to be in this country.

I'm not saying that this is a fantastic reason to vote for a regional assembly. But I do think it's an important factor.

I've never found that. I don't know anyone personally who wouldn't identify with a sense of being English (as well as British... I don't want to get into that debate here, hehe!) just because of where they're from. I don't feel 'cut off' from the rest of Britain although I do agree that we have a slightly different culture from the south east. The same could be said about those living in the south west, or even the midlands though. Isn't that just natural diversity?

I don't want the north east to have another reason for being 'different'. And I've just never been convinced by the claims that have been made in favour of a regional assembly. It is all well and good saying they'll have powers to do x and y, but they have failed time and time again to say how they would do it. How will they create jobs?

Too late now anyway, I've voted and sent the ballot paper back.

[mrheathcliff]

Democracy, in my opinion depends upon active participation; the more elected bodies there are the greater the public control of the state is.

We have a bi-cameral legislature, with one elected chamber. Our executive is split between a hereditary monarchy, and the internally elected leader of the majority party in the Commons. Our judiciary are appointed by the government. We also have various elected local governance – in the countryside, I believe there is a County, District and Parish structure, whereas in most urban areas there is a unitary authority; the members of which are elected. Supra-nationally, we have the European Parliament. To me this doesn’t seem like much, in the US, and other states, the entire executive and legislative offices are elected directly, and in many states the judiciary are also, although I do accept that the US and UK are totally different countries, the many levels and various elective bodies in the US do give the voters more control over what goes on.

In the UK, power has been devolved from the Monarch over the years, to the Barons, to Parliament, which crew from the Curia Regis (1066ish) – an appointed body of advisors to the King, to the present semi elected, Sovereign law making body in the UK. I believe that, over time a regional assembly would grow in influence and authority as its Westminster father has.

The ‘debate’ has, I agree been pathetic, however, the more direct accountability in the system, the more power we, the electorate have to demand change. If nothing else, the regional assembly would offer the holistic electorally endorsed voice of the region; which would by nature have greater influence on central government, and in the media, than the voices of a plethora of local authorities, which are heavily dominated financially by the centre.

We, as a region have the opportunity to take greater control of the region, a minor rise in tax, in my opinion is worth it.

As someone from the North East, I usually put my nationality down as British, I don’t particularly see myself as much else, perhaps European, but that is a very broad label.