THE government has decided that before big changes are made in the way the country is run, voters should approve them.

The introduction of the euro and a new European constitution are both subjects which could be put to the people for approval at a referendum.

Before that, electors in the region will have to give their verdict on an elected North West Assembly and residents of the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside will go through the same decision-making process.

But if turnouts at these polls are anything like those of local authority elections, a minority of voters - perhaps as low as 30% - will be deciding on major structural changes.

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who is against a North West Regional Assembly, believes such low figures will make the polls illegitimate.

But his bid to bring in a Private Members Bill requiring a minumum vote of 50% before any referendum could lead to changes has failed to get through the Commons.

It is up to the government to build public interest in issues like the regional assembly and widespread public apathy at voting time will be a reflection of their failure to do that.

But it would be wrong to insist on arbitrary turnout figures before change can take place in a democratic system which has always operated on the basis of simple majorities.