News1 min ago
Elected Police Commissioners
It seems less than 15% voted for them. It has been a huge waste of money.
Would you support scrapping them in future?
Would you support scrapping them in future?
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Absolutely.
It has been a bedrock of Tory policy for decades that people have a 'choice' wherther that be for their child's school, their GP, surgeon, and now, Police Commissioner.
What they have a vested interest in refusing to see is that a 'choice' is only remotely valid if a) people are actually interested in making a choice, and b) if that choice is appropriately informed.
In most cases, the criteria are not met on either of these to provisos, and this is another example.
People don't really care who their Commisioner is, and they know nothing about the candidates that actually helps them to choose - such as who the candidates are in most cases, never mind what their intended policies will be.
The fact that John Prescott is even considered as being within shouting distance of one of these posts (don't know if he got it, God forbid!) but that shows this 'election' for the expensive farce it is.
The bureuacoracy this potentate is supposed to replace may not have been perfect, but a failed politico working alone is scarcely an improvement.
It has been a bedrock of Tory policy for decades that people have a 'choice' wherther that be for their child's school, their GP, surgeon, and now, Police Commissioner.
What they have a vested interest in refusing to see is that a 'choice' is only remotely valid if a) people are actually interested in making a choice, and b) if that choice is appropriately informed.
In most cases, the criteria are not met on either of these to provisos, and this is another example.
People don't really care who their Commisioner is, and they know nothing about the candidates that actually helps them to choose - such as who the candidates are in most cases, never mind what their intended policies will be.
The fact that John Prescott is even considered as being within shouting distance of one of these posts (don't know if he got it, God forbid!) but that shows this 'election' for the expensive farce it is.
The bureuacoracy this potentate is supposed to replace may not have been perfect, but a failed politico working alone is scarcely an improvement.
you can't cut bureauocracy here someone needs to oversee regional police forces.
However having that the responsibility of one person rather than a steering group doesn't seem a very good idea to me.
It puts too much power in the hands of someone who will be guaranteed to be a politician.
The old system of police authorities wasn't broken but they thought they should fix it anyway
However having that the responsibility of one person rather than a steering group doesn't seem a very good idea to me.
It puts too much power in the hands of someone who will be guaranteed to be a politician.
The old system of police authorities wasn't broken but they thought they should fix it anyway
The low tirnout is because this power (to elect a Police Commissioner) was never asked for in the first place. No one has every campaigned for such powers. No one has championed the idea. There was no ground swell of public opinion clammering for it. The power to elect has been bestowed on us when we didn't really want it.
A 10-15% turnout does not make Policing more democratic or more accountable, probably the reverse.
It seems to be a cancer in the current Government. A poor idea, poorly implemented for zero return.
A 10-15% turnout does not make Policing more democratic or more accountable, probably the reverse.
It seems to be a cancer in the current Government. A poor idea, poorly implemented for zero return.
I didn't vote for the first time I can remember because I didn't like any of the candidates and I have met 2 of them personally. One of them in my area has failed to become an MP failed even to become a Councillor so is having a go at this.The last thing we need is more politicians, I agree this is a total waste of time and money scrap it please!
andy # but a failed politico working alone is scarcely an improvement. #
Alone ? You are joking ? They will require a PA and secretaries, who in turn will need a manager . As a department the commissioner will need a deputy who will also need a secretary.
They will require offices , equipment and of course cars. and first class travel when using public transport. They will also be junketing around the world to see how it works in other countries.
Alone ? You are joking ? They will require a PA and secretaries, who in turn will need a manager . As a department the commissioner will need a deputy who will also need a secretary.
They will require offices , equipment and of course cars. and first class travel when using public transport. They will also be junketing around the world to see how it works in other countries.
In May 2011 the UK voted against the Alternative Vote(AV) system.
This election for Police Commissioners used the AV system only they called it preference vote system. However It had it a good point, If it had been first passed the post John Prescott would have won in Humberside. As he didn't get a 50% majority the first count the second preference votes were counted, and the Tory candidate won. Shame.
http://
This election for Police Commissioners used the AV system only they called it preference vote system. However It had it a good point, If it had been first passed the post John Prescott would have won in Humberside. As he didn't get a 50% majority the first count the second preference votes were counted, and the Tory candidate won. Shame.
http://
You are right Dodger we voted to keep our first past the post system but the government seems to ignore us and use AV or SV or similar systems where ever possible. This latest election is an example . It was a new post so there was no reason to ignore our wishes. Here is a web site that shows many examples of where these unwanted systems are imposed on us.
http://
http://
No, not scrapping them because I do think an initiative to offer greater transparency and accountability of the police to the public at a local level was necessary.What this government signally failed to do was to handle the process. There should have been far more explanation of the current system of local police authorities - how many were on the committee, how they were elected, numbers of staff, powers and budgets - and most importantly, why this was not working, or why it could not simply be amended without the costs of an election and complete reorganisation.
I am very angry at the way this coalition have completely mismanaged the whole thing though. We now get representatives from the coalition desperately defending their inaction by blaming the electorate for not understanding, the time of year. when it was they who set the date. and the national media, for being to london-centric.
They have spent 100 million on this whole sorry saga, but could not be bothered to spend a few million pounds more to ensure the voters received reminders and flyers detailing the different candidates for the PCC.
They dismiss the low turnout by saying, effectively, nevermind, it will be better next time. Well of course it will, it could hardly be worse!
These PCCs will have large budgets and important and far reaching powers, and it should have been the government, for whom this was a flagship project, to do everything they possibly could to ensure that they had a popular mandate. Instead they sat on their hands and did nothing. Its criminal.
So now we have 40 odd individuals. largely party political candidates, of variable experience in law and order, control of large budgets, and representing the public,controlling budgets of public money worth 100s of millions of pounds. this government have tried to do democracy on the cheap and that is shameful.
In a mature democracy, one that advertises itself as the mother of all parliaments, it is a joke and a source of national embarassment that we have elected officials on turnouts of less than 20% - some places are recording turnouts as low as 10%.
I am very angry at the way this coalition have completely mismanaged the whole thing though. We now get representatives from the coalition desperately defending their inaction by blaming the electorate for not understanding, the time of year. when it was they who set the date. and the national media, for being to london-centric.
They have spent 100 million on this whole sorry saga, but could not be bothered to spend a few million pounds more to ensure the voters received reminders and flyers detailing the different candidates for the PCC.
They dismiss the low turnout by saying, effectively, nevermind, it will be better next time. Well of course it will, it could hardly be worse!
These PCCs will have large budgets and important and far reaching powers, and it should have been the government, for whom this was a flagship project, to do everything they possibly could to ensure that they had a popular mandate. Instead they sat on their hands and did nothing. Its criminal.
So now we have 40 odd individuals. largely party political candidates, of variable experience in law and order, control of large budgets, and representing the public,controlling budgets of public money worth 100s of millions of pounds. this government have tried to do democracy on the cheap and that is shameful.
In a mature democracy, one that advertises itself as the mother of all parliaments, it is a joke and a source of national embarassment that we have elected officials on turnouts of less than 20% - some places are recording turnouts as low as 10%.
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