Police Commisioner Elections

[Colinjb]

Honestly, what a farce. Did anyone actually bother voting?

 

My own feelings on the matter have been echoed by someone on the BBC news feed.

 

the police should be independent and not affiliated to any political party

 

Naive? Maybe, but could you imagine the uproar if a BNP candidate was elected into this role?

[Pancake]

Honestly, what a farce. Did anyone actually bother voting?

 

My own feelings on the matter have been echoed by someone on the BBC news feed.

 

 

 

Naive? Maybe, but could you imagine the uproar if a BNP candidate was elected into this role?

 

 

I did. We had a few UKIP, Christian Front, right-wing nutters up here; so votes for others were needed.

[pap]

I voted, but it is a farce.

 

This bright idea cost one hundred million, or as Labour's Yvette Cooper is keen to point out, could have paid for 3,000 coppers.

 

This is just another path to privatisation imo; any decision made by a police commissioner can be defended on the premise that he or she has a democratic mandate to do so, even with the turnout as shocking as it is.

 

Expect Omni Consumer Products to run Wiltshire in 20 years

[Lord Duckhunter]

"the police should be independent and not affiliated to any political party"

 

If that's the case, why does the London Mayor have the same responsibilities as the new Police commissioners with regard to policing in London? Is that not political, or is it ok in London, but not the rest of us plebs.

 

It was a good idea, badly explained and managed by this Government. The Lib/Dems refused to allow a vote on the same day as other elections to maximise turnout and the Torys didn't do the leg work to explain it to the people. Local people voting on and holding the person who oversees the police in their area to account is a good thing. At the moment a faceless quango do the job I see no issue whatsoever in electing someone. The problem was it was hijacked by the parties and just became another political bun fight, with old has been likes Two Jags and Michael Mates standing. There should have been local businessmen, excoppers, ex senior forces people ect standing as independents, not the same tired old faces. Hopefully It'll grow on people when they realise people can be held to account.

[dinger]

Does anyone know when we're likely to get some results in?

[Durleyfos]

We didn't get one flyer trough the post from those that put themselves forward for the position.

 

If they can't be bothered to canvas for my vote, I can't be bothered to vote for them.

 

The whole thing seems a bit of a farce. Very badly advertised.

[um pahars]

An appalling policy, appallingly implemented and quite rightly snubbed by the electorate.

 

Not wanted and not necessary.

 

The first PCC got 5% of the vote!!!!!!!! That is no mandate and an insult to our democracy.

 

The regions overwhelmingly voted against an elected mayor, and this snub should be seen as a clear rejection of this crass policy.

[charliegeorgesflymo]

I voted, but it is a farce.

 

This bright idea cost one hundred million, or as Labour's Yvette Cooper is keen to point out, could have paid for 3,000 coppers.

 

This is just another path to privatisation imo; any decision made by a police commissioner can be defended on the premise that he or she has a democratic mandate to do so, even with the turnout as shocking as it is.

 

Expect Omni Consumer Products to run Wiltshire in 20 years

 

Dead or alive you are coming with me

[pap]

"the police should be independent and not affiliated to any political party"

 

If that's the case, why does the London Mayor have the same responsibilities as the new Police commissioners with regard to policing in London? Is that not political, or is it ok in London, but not the rest of us plebs.

 

It was a good idea, badly explained and managed by this Government. The Lib/Dems refused to allow a vote on the same day as other elections to maximise turnout and the Torys didn't do the leg work to explain it to the people. Local people voting on and holding the person who oversees the police in their area to account is a good thing. At the moment a faceless quango do the job I see no issue whatsoever in electing someone. The problem was it was hijacked by the parties and just became another political bun fight, with old has been likes Two Jags and Michael Mates standing. There should have been local businessmen, excoppers, ex senior forces people ect standing as independents, not the same tired old faces. Hopefully It'll grow on people when they realise people can be held to account.

 

This independent opinion was brought to you by the Conservative Party.

[ecuk268]

I see that one polling station in Gwent had precisely zero voters.

[solentstars]

"the police should be independent and not affiliated to any political party"

 

If that's the case, why does the London Mayor have the same responsibilities as the new Police commissioners with regard to policing in London? Is that not political, or is it ok in London, but not the rest of us plebs.

 

It was a good idea, badly explained and managed by this Government. The Lib/Dems refused to allow a vote on the same day as other elections to maximise turnout and the Torys didn't do the leg work to explain it to the people. Local people voting on and holding the person who oversees the police in their area to account is a good thing. At the moment a faceless quango do the job I see no issue whatsoever in electing someone. The problem was it was hijacked by the parties and just became another political bun fight, with old has been likes Two Jags and Michael Mates standing. There should have been local businessmen, excoppers, ex senior forces people ect standing as independents, not the same tired old faces. Hopefully It'll grow on people when they realise people can be held to account.

i agree and its better to have elected people and more demoracy rather than the appointed members of police authoritys and voted by no one already appointed by political party's... i would love the love the american system and elect sheriffs to replace the top policemen in each region .

[Ken Tone]

"the police should be independent and not affiliated to any political party"

 

If that's the case, why does the London Mayor have the same responsibilities as the new Police commissioners with regard to policing in London? Is that not political, or is it ok in London, but not the rest of us plebs.

 

It was a good idea, badly explained and managed by this Government. The Lib/Dems refused to allow a vote on the same day as other elections to maximise turnout and the Torys didn't do the leg work to explain it to the people. Local people voting on and holding the person who oversees the police in their area to account is a good thing. At the moment a faceless quango do the job I see no issue whatsoever in electing someone. The problem was it was hijacked by the parties and just became another political bun fight, with old has been likes Two Jags and Michael Mates standing. There should have been local businessmen, excoppers, ex senior forces people ect standing as independents, not the same tired old faces. Hopefully It'll grow on people when they realise people can be held to account.

 

It was on the same day as several by-elections and it made no difference. Haven't seen all the figures, but the turnout in manchester at the same time as their by-election was still a pathetic 18%. It is a damn silly idea that no one outside of a few Tory politicians wanted. Must have cost a few million quid too --all those poll staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs all day.

[eurosaint]

For the first time in my adult life I did not vote !

Reason - I did not receive one single piece of information regarding any candidate (I still don't even know who the candidates actually are) !

I guess that I was expected to surf the net and do my own legwork but TBH I couldn't be bothered and now expect to have some loony who I've never heard of fighting my corner for justice if I ever have a problem !

The whole thing has been an expensive fiasco !

Hey ho and off we go !!

[Block 18]

We didn't get one flyer trough the post from those that put themselves forward for the position.

 

If they can't be bothered to canvas for my vote, I can't be bothered to vote for them.

 

The whole thing seems a bit of a farce. Very badly advertised.

 

 

This

[Lord Duckhunter]

It was on the same day as several by-elections and it made no difference. Haven't seen all the figures, but the turnout in manchester at the same time as their by-election was still a pathetic 18%..

 

Exactly the same as the by election turnout 18%. I await the calls that her by election victory is somehow "tainted" or "flawed" because of the low turnout. If you watched This Week last night Andrew Neil, Michael Portillio and Alan Johnson ALL said that had elections been held on the same day as Euro or other elections, turnout would have been higher. Johnson, who oppossed the post, even went on to say that it was strange that a newly created vote wasn't paired with another election, as it always was in the past (new votes for mayors ect).

 

Somebody has to fullfil this role. At the moment it is a unelected faceless quango, with a head nobody knows. Now it'll be a person directly elected to carry out local people's wishes. Take my area, this is what was reported on the BBC

 

"Dorset's first police and crime commissioner, Martyn Underhill, is a former senior detective who led the investigation into the disappearance of missing schoolgirl Sarah Payne 12 years ago. He put keeping politics out of policing at the heart of his campaign, and made pledges to keep officers on the streets and on the supervision of offenders to reduce reoffending"

 

He has made a committment to local people and they voted for him. He will now be held to account and if he fails to do as he promised, he'll be kicked out. Before this local people were kept in the dark and told to like it or lump it. Who would I rather have looking at my local police and dictating their policy. An elected Mr Underhill or timeserving local political bureaucrats elected by nobody and running the policing policy in a way they see fit.

Edited 16 November, 2012 by Lord Duckhunter

[The Cat]

*Does a Michael Mates didn't win dance*

[The Cat]

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/news-events/latest-news/pccelectionday.aspx

[solentstars]

*Does a Michael Mates didn't win dance*

he would have won with the first past the post system we use in westminster elections loved by tory and labour loyalists for their safe seats with 24 % of the vote:lol: so its funny they used a version of pr where the second preference vote counted to make sure the candidate got over 50 % of the vote:) and low and behold we got a independent candidate.

[rooney]

 

"Dorset's first police and crime commissioner, Martyn Underhill, is a former senior detective who led the investigation into the disappearance of missing schoolgirl Sarah Payne 12 years ago. He put keeping politics out of policing at the heart of his campaign, and made pledges to keep officers on the streets and on the supervision of offenders to reduce reoffending"

 

He has made a committment to local people and they voted for him. He will now be held to account and if he fails to do as he promised, he'll be kicked out. Before this local people were kept in the dark and told to like it or lump it. Who would I rather have looking at my local police and dictating their policy. An elected Mr Underhill or timeserving local political bureaucrats elected by nobody and running the policing policy in a way they see fit.

 

Just because he was in the Police, I cannot see what experience he has to run a major business. Also, He lives in Poole and will have no idea what the policing requirements are in West Dorset.

[um pahars]

So the independent candidate who will represent Southamptonshire secured a whopping 3% of the electorate's support.

 

Plus of course despite the tag, he's not actually that independent given he has been a Conservative politician throughout his political career.

 

No mandate

[solentstars]

So the independent candidate who will represent Southamptonshire secured a whopping 3% of the electorate's support.

 

Plus of course despite the tag, he's not actually that independent given he has been a Conservative politician throughout his political career.

 

No mandate

thats democracy for you,people fight wars for the right to vote unfortuneley some people would rather not get off their backsides to vote and anyway so what if he was a conservative before,people change;) if i remember right churchill was a liberal before he joined the then conservative party and he did not do a bad job.

[um pahars]

thats democracy for you,people fight wars for the right to vote unfortuneley some people would rather not get off their backsides to vote and anyway so what if he was a conservative before,people change;) if i remember right churchill was a liberal before he joined the then conservative party and he did not do a bad job.

 

Dont confuse the heroic struggle for democracy and enfranchisement with the debacle we saw yesterday. That was an embarrassment to those who fought that struggle with honour and dignity. As Mark Easton so eruditely points out the electorate felt there was no democratic deficit here that needed correcting.

 

And people can indeed change, but what is different is the describing yourself as an Independent and people believing you truly are independent, when in truth you have been a part of the political establishment.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

Dont confuse the heroic struggle for democracy and enfranchisement with the debacle we saw yesterday. That was an embarrassment to those who fought that struggle with honour and dignity. As Mark Easton so eruditely points out the electorate felt there was no democratic deficit here that needed correcting.

 

Spot on.

 

While the election of State Prosecutors, Police Chiefs, and even the Judiciary has long been a part of the US constitutional system, elections of this type are most certainly not a part of our historical tradition. If this poll is any guide, then the British public apparently posses little or no desire to import it and would prefer to minimize (as far as possible) the role of party politics in the running of this nation. 'Here is wisdom' to quote the Book of Revelation.

 

This ill conceived election does however give the lie to the fallacious idea that our (unwritten) constitution is utterly incapable of change, and that we must thus become another republic in order for any type of constitutional reform to take place.

 

Far from it.