PETER Mandelson makes a couple of very pertinent points in his article about regional government on this page.

Firstly, he notes: "Unless we can show how regional government will make the lives of North-East people genuinely better in the long term, they are unlikely to vote."

How true - and of Yorkshire, as well. So what exactly are these directly-elected assemblies going to do?

We understand the need for strategic partnerships and visions, but we also need some real examples of decisions that are currently taken in Whitehall that can be better taken up here. We also need some concrete evidence of real powers - what control over transport and job creation is this assembly really going to have?

People are not going to vote for something that costs £25m unless they can see at least £25m of real benefits.

Mr Mandelson also says: "No one wants to exchange domination from London for domination by Newcastle."

How true - and North Yorkshire does not want to become dominated by Leeds, Sheffield or Hull.

So these assemblies will have to be based on neutral grounds which are symbolic of their inclusiveness. For Yorkshire, York seems a fair site, and for the North-East, Durham - as Mr Mandelson says - is the obvious choice.

However, yesterday when there was a chance to show how the North-East was learning the lesson of inclusiveness, the unelected regional assembly called journalists to the Newcastle side of the Millennium Bridge to photograph its chairman, who happens to be the leader of Newcastle City Council.

There could have been just as atmospheric photo-opportunities in front of Durham Cathedral, Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge, Sunderland's Glass Centre, or even Croft Bridge to the south or Lindisfarne to the north.

But yet again, just to confirm the impression of a "Geordie Parliament" we are given another Newcastle scene.

As Mr Mandelson says, we don't want to be dominated by Newcastle. Then why can't the people running the campaign to get us to vote 'yes' lose their fixation with the Tyne and come south in a bid to persuade the whole region of the potential benefits we all stand to gain?