JOHN Prescott has bowed to the inevitable and abandoned the Yorkshire Assembly referendum.

Despite New Labour's fondness for opinion polls and focus groups, the party failed to detect an overwhelming surge of apathy for this proposal. Or perhaps Mr Prescott felt he could change mass scepticism by the sheer force of his bulldog personality.

But the massive vote against a North East assembly despatched the Deputy Prime Minister back to Whitehall with his tail between his legs.

Half defiant, half sulky, Mr Prescott's Commons performance yesterday suggested he has not dwelled on the implications of his very public failure. He should. People rejected regional devolution for sound reasons.

Reason one: trust. When the Prime Minister has dragged us to war on highly dubious evidence, when MPs vote themselves hefty pay and pensions packages, why would the public wish to bankroll yet more self-serving politicians?

Reason two: power. A toothless talking shop is not devolution.

Reason three: money. Householders facing huge hikes in council tax bills are not prepared to pay even more for another layer of bureaucracy.

Real devolution would see local councils wrest back planning and transport powers from Whitehall. No sign of that on New Labour's "radical" agenda.

Some good came out of the aborted assembly campaign, however. North Yorkshire County Council, forced to fight for its survival, has responded with a series of impressive initiatives. Hopefully it can build on this momentum.

Updated: 11:46 Tuesday, November 09, 2004