Supporters of the North-East Says No campaign gathered in the shadow of Durham Cathedral yesterday to launch their fight against the proposed regional assembly. Tony Kearney reports.

FOR centuries, Durham Castle and Cathedral were the twin symbols of the all-powerful Prince Bishops, who ruled the lands from the Tyne to the Tees, wielded unprecedented powers and raised their own taxes.

Yesterday, supporters of North-East Says No gathered on Palace Green, the expanse of lawns flanked by the two great monuments, to oppose the establishment of a new power in the region.

In the rather unlikely setting of a former almshouse for 17th Century paupers, three 21st Century businessmen - campaign chairman John Elliott, of Ebac, public relations expert Graham Robb and Ian Dormer of Rosh Engineering - outlined their opposition to the assembly to about 100 supporters.

Then, beneath the famous face of the Cathedral, they unveiled a poster with the simple message, Vote No, which they hope will persuade the region's 1.9 million voters to back their case.

For such an imposing backdrop, it was a fairly low-key launch.

Yesterday's event had none of the glitz of the Yes 4 The North East launch earlier this month, but the No camp are convinced that their campaign - based around the slogan "Politicians Talk, We Pay" - will strike a chord with the man in the street.

They argue that, like a Medieval Prince Bishop, the modern assembly would be able to levy taxes by increasing council tax.

The Government and Yes 4 The North-East agree that the assembly would cost taxpayers an extra £2.50 per year, sceptical No campaigners worry whether the figures would start to rise in subsequent years.

Mr Robb said: "Any scrutiny of the Government's proposals will show this is exactly the point. It is all talk, talk, talk and no power to act on what is said.

"The assembly will talk about regional development but the Government will retain a veto; it will talk about public health, but it can't hire doctors and nurses; it will talk about transport, but it can't make the trains run on time - and under these proposals talk isn't cheap."

North-East Says No, which is backed by the Conservative Party and UKIP, claims supporters from among academics, the professions and farmers, but primarily lays claim to be the voice of North-East business.

Mr Dormer, a director of the campaign and a member of the Institute of Directors, said: "Politicians only create jobs for themselves, they don't create jobs for the North-East.

"The people who are going to create jobs for the North-East are businesses, and if they have this extra layer of bureaucracy it is going to hinder, not create, prosperity.

"We are being given something that will cost more, be another distraction for business and we're going to end up paying to keep politicians on a nice little number."

But it is an argument that still seems to have a way to go before it convinces the electorate.

The latest Mori opinion poll, released on the morning of the launch, shows 39 per cent of the region ready to vote Yes and 22 per cent intending to vote No.

The independent poll was a small one, but appears to be broadly in line with others which show a 2:1 majority in favour of the assembly with less than four weeks to go before the first postal votes are cast.

"The polls demonstrate that an awful lot of people are still undecided," said Mr Robb.

"The most important thing is that people read the Bill - this isn't a debate on pipe- dreams."