BALKANIZATION

Deputy Prime Minister John 'Two Jabs' Prescott's plan to force E.U. regional parliaments ('Balkanization') on the English came fatally and deservedly unstuck on November 4, 2004. Having previously announced votes in three areas, those in Yorkshire-Humber and the North-West were scrapped because the government felt their best chance of winning was in the North-East. Of course the whole election process was totally one-sided; the supposedly neutral Electoral Commission showed its true colours by deliberately picking the weakest anti-assembly campaign group to receive what little government funding the No cause got. The Yes vote got £10 million+, the support of the anti-English BBC (whose polls were right in that they predicted 78% but wrong in they predicted 78% for the 'wrong' side!) and frequent visits from government ministers. Voters in the North-East took one look at the plans and delivered a loud and resounding raspberry.

In the table below, the colour-coding in the left column indicates whether the region is in Northumberland, Durham or Yorkshire.

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Votes Yes

Votes No

%Yes

%No

Turnout

Overall

197,310

696,519

22.1%

77.9%

47.75%



Local authority

Yes%

No%

DARLINGTON

12.9

87.1

REDCAR & CLEVELAND

16.4

83.6

HARTLEPOOL

16.8

83.2

STOCKTON-ON-TEES

17.5

82.5

TEESDALE

18.4

81.6

ALNWICK

19.2

80.8

MIDDLESBROUGH

19.2

80.8

TYNEDALE

19.7%

80.3%

SUNDERLAND

20.0%

80.0%

BERWICK-UPON-TWEED

20.7%

79.3%

NORTH TYNESIDE

21.6%

78.4%

SOUTH TYNESIDE

21.6%

78.4%

CASTLE MORPETH

22.0%

78.0%

GATESHEAD

24.5%

75.5%

NEWCASTLE-U.-TYNE

24.5%

75.5%

WEAR VALLEY

25.8%

74.2%

CHESTER-LE-STREET

26.0%

74.0%

BLYTH VALLEY

26.2%

73.8%

EASINGTON

27.3%

72.7%

WANSBECK (Ashington)

27.7%

72.3%

SEDGEFIELD

27.7%

72.3%

DURHAM

28.9%

71.1%

DEWENTSIDE (Consett)

29.8%

70.2%


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