Elections tomorrow
Discussion
The cost of these Police and Crime Commissioner elections would have been far better spent on supporting the police force and providing funds for more officers on the beat. Why does this PCC post exist? Let the Police constables do their job and support them instead of having another layer of politics getting involved.
marshalla said:
Abstain = I don't care enough about it to go and vote
Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
Spoilt mine. Wrote "waste of taxes" across it.Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
Thing is, at the end of a count and the returning officer announces the winner, spoilt papers get a cursory mention. At least for council ours and MPs etc.
If it were compulsory with "none of the above" then the smarmy gits would have to acknowledge there is an issue and the candidate is not the chosen one in a 30% turnout.
marshalla said:
Abstain = I don't care enough about it to go and vote
Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
Yes it will be ignored unfortunately, a low turn out in an otherwise active political (It's all relative) area may carry more dis satisfaction weight. But I doubt it :sigh:Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
jmorgan said:
marshalla said:
Abstain = I don't care enough about it to go and vote
Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
Spoilt mine. Wrote "waste of taxes" across it.Spoilt paper = I made the effort to protest even though they'll probably ignore it
Thing is, at the end of a count and the returning officer announces the winner, spoilt papers get a cursory mention. At least for council ours and MPs etc.
If it were compulsory with "none of the above" then the smarmy gits would have to acknowledge there is an issue and the candidate is not the chosen one in a 30% turnout.
condor said:
The cost of these Police and Crime Commissioner elections would have been far better spent on supporting the police force and providing funds for more officers on the beat. Why does this PCC post exist? Let the Police constables do their job and support them instead of having another layer of politics getting involved.
This in spades.PRTVR said:
I have to agree about the none of the above, but really it doesn't go far enough,we need something like I disagree with the need for such a position/ job.
£250 a year from my council tax goes on this I seem to remember from the last demand with meneces from the local Kremlin.Must check that figure, seems a tad high.
I wandered off to a speech by the current PCC for my area. When asked she readily admitted to being politically motivated and saw nothing wrong in political control of a police force, or at least the CC, which in many ways amounts to the same thing.
In my area we have a fat oaf who seems to care little for his constituency as our sitting MP but, as he wears a blue rosette and there are five trays for the DM in WHS and one tray for all the others, he's nodded through. And so was she as she wore the same badge. And she will be again.
What has she done in her time? She is especially proud of her part in local beat officers, or whatever the current term is. She called it an 'initiative' and 'revolutionary'. When I mentioned that I'd heard identical systems being proposed at least three times in my time in the force she smiled and said this one was 'different'. There would be, I said, tight control? That's what they always said so I assume it was part of the new different initiative.
She admitted to knowing nothing about police work when elected, never having anything to do with the police, but was a 'quick learner'.
Two of the other candidates at the last elections had plans for changes that they would institute, which is an improvement over 'I'll learn stuff', but their ideas had been tried before and had failed before, all for the same reasons. Nowadays, these reasons are more prohibitive of such initiatives, and flexibility of staff is vital. Yet the sitting tenant was proposing dreams that cannot be fulfilled.
The only bloke who had anything worthwhile to say last time was an independent who reckoned that he would put pressure of the CC to prioritise for local needs and damn the Home Secretary. Like that'd work. Mind you, I agreed with damning the HomSec.
In my area we have a fat oaf who seems to care little for his constituency as our sitting MP but, as he wears a blue rosette and there are five trays for the DM in WHS and one tray for all the others, he's nodded through. And so was she as she wore the same badge. And she will be again.
What has she done in her time? She is especially proud of her part in local beat officers, or whatever the current term is. She called it an 'initiative' and 'revolutionary'. When I mentioned that I'd heard identical systems being proposed at least three times in my time in the force she smiled and said this one was 'different'. There would be, I said, tight control? That's what they always said so I assume it was part of the new different initiative.
She admitted to knowing nothing about police work when elected, never having anything to do with the police, but was a 'quick learner'.
Two of the other candidates at the last elections had plans for changes that they would institute, which is an improvement over 'I'll learn stuff', but their ideas had been tried before and had failed before, all for the same reasons. Nowadays, these reasons are more prohibitive of such initiatives, and flexibility of staff is vital. Yet the sitting tenant was proposing dreams that cannot be fulfilled.
The only bloke who had anything worthwhile to say last time was an independent who reckoned that he would put pressure of the CC to prioritise for local needs and damn the Home Secretary. Like that'd work. Mind you, I agreed with damning the HomSec.
Lucas CAV said:
condor said:
The cost of these Police and Crime Commissioner elections would have been far better spent on supporting the police force and providing funds for more officers on the beat. Why does this PCC post exist? Let the Police constables do their job and support them instead of having another layer of politics getting involved.
This in spades.Although historically I have ALWAYS voted, I have decided not to on this occasion (in the PCC elections, here in Bath & North East Somerset).
I thought about spoiling my vote, but a spoiled vote won't affect the outcome and I didn't want to add to the 'credibility' of PCC elections by increasing the turnout figure.
Sadly I think the whole PCC thing is just another unnecessary layer of unwanted, politically motivated, bureaucracy. I was pleased that the good folks of Bath voted NOT to have a (similarly pointless) city mayor recently, but it looks like George Osbourne is determined to impose regional ones anyway
chemistry
I thought about spoiling my vote, but a spoiled vote won't affect the outcome and I didn't want to add to the 'credibility' of PCC elections by increasing the turnout figure.
Sadly I think the whole PCC thing is just another unnecessary layer of unwanted, politically motivated, bureaucracy. I was pleased that the good folks of Bath voted NOT to have a (similarly pointless) city mayor recently, but it looks like George Osbourne is determined to impose regional ones anyway
chemistry
I agree with the sentiment here that PCC's should not exist and sympathise with vote spoilers. However I will probably take the opportunity to use it at a protest vote. The way I see it is when smaller parties do ok in other elections it lends credibility for ones that actually matter.
In our area we have 4 possible candidates;
3 political
1 retired detective inspector
Out of the political candidates, one of them is campaigning on the premise of scrapping the PCC as a waste of money.
However, put a pig in red lipstick round here and it'll be voted in. We could have Batman on the ballot but if he wore blue, nobody would be interested.
Needless to say, the retired copper is the Tory. You know, the only one who isn't in it for political gain...
3 political
1 retired detective inspector
Out of the political candidates, one of them is campaigning on the premise of scrapping the PCC as a waste of money.
However, put a pig in red lipstick round here and it'll be voted in. We could have Batman on the ballot but if he wore blue, nobody would be interested.
Needless to say, the retired copper is the Tory. You know, the only one who isn't in it for political gain...
te to the local devolution strategy and a distinct quesy feeling of dictat comes rushing in from the horizon.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff