Politics PCC Elections

[Zenith.UK]

Anyone bothering with the PCC elections today? I did a search for a thread but couldn't find anything current.

I went in this morning and put the following on the paper...

None of the candidates has made any effort to engage with the electorate in this pointless exercise.
I am therefore not engaging in this voting process.
None of the candidates has my vote.

I believe spoiling your ballot sends as much of a message to the candidates as a protest vote. The number of spoiled ballots is read out by the Returning Officer when he announces the results and you know that ALL the candidates (or their agents) will read what you've put on the sheet. If only so that the candidates can all agree the ballot is invalid.
http://lauramcinerney.com/2012/11/0...llot-paper-is-more-important-than-not-voting/

 

[Raven]

Nope, the polling station is next door to my house though. I am surprised they bothered and will be more surprised if anyone bothers voting.

 

[DaGaffer]

You didn't look very hard: https://forums.freddyshouse.com/threads/voting-for-the-police.249219/#post-3913192

 

[Moriath]

Nope not voting here ... waste of my time stupid position imo

 

[rynnor]

What a ridiculous extra chunk of beurocracy - I am not participating in the vote but if there had been a vote to decide if we need these posts I would have voted against.

 

[opticle]

It's literally mad. These days governments and managers don't improve things in the public sector, because they would involve actually making a decision and changing something (and probably highlight how their job is no longer necessary) - which involves some kind of risk.

So they just create something else to tack onto what's already there. A new office, a new system, a new group, a new team, a new manager. Which adds nothing, it just increases the incongruous bullshit, confuses the whole system further, and drains even more cash out of it.

This literally adds nothing, it's just been another unnecessary money sink - they keep saying there's no money and they have to make cuts and save, but they still seem to find the cash for this kind of shit??

 

[sayward]

Out of the country thankfully.

 

[Zenith.UK]

You didn't look very hard: https://forums.freddyshouse.com/threads/voting-for-the-police.249219/#post-3913192

I said "I couldn't find anything current".

I also forgot to mention that I was the 11th person to vote at my polling station this morning, and that was 3.5 hours after polls opened.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Yeah, last month is SO last year.

 

[Gwadien]

This is the first thing I can vote on

and I cannot be arsed.

I think my lack of interest may see some local nutter in.

 

[Embattle]

I suspect a lot of people will feel it is kind of pointless.

 

[opticle]

I just realised the Commissioners standing for election are all openly politically affiliated to different parties - i.e. each candidate has a political party next to his name.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT ???????

I thought the law was supposed to be impartial? This is fucking idiotic. I literally can't believe it was allowed to happen.

Livid.

 

[Gumbo]

In Norfolk the PCC is replacing an unelected body of 17 individuals, many with party affiliations, who have a staff of 10 to support them. Have you ever tried to get anything done with a committee of 17 trying to come to a decision? Responsibility will now lay with one man, who is accountable and can be booted out if he doesn't do his job.

The candidate which I think will win is a Colonel, who spent much of his 35 year army career with the Gurkhas and later running a training regiment. Some of the people who were on the old Police Authority were serial committee setters, not people who can get shit done!

I'm all in favour of this, so many of the arguments are misinformed bollocks. Do you think it was better to waste hundreds of thousands on seat polishing twats, or put one person in charge, who can make decisions and has to stand behind them or he'll lose his job when the election comes around again?

Of course there's politics in it, there's politics in everything, again you're a misguided naive fool if you don't understand that.

 

[Raven]

Might have been nice for them to tell us then.

I haven't seen a single pamphlet, let alone seen the candidates. I don't even know who is standing... Or much care tbh.

 

[opticle]

Politics might be involved in everything these days, but that doesn't mean it should be. I think it's pretty sad that's the case. I don't understand why people have to have political affiliations - I go with the best ideas regardless of who has them.

It seems a lot of people still seem to think you have to form a tribe and hate anyone different..

 

[Scouse]

The candidate which I think will win is a Colonel......
I'm all in favour of this....

Terrible idea allowing someone from the military to have a position of power in a civilian policing role.

Terrible idea.

 

[Tilda]

In Norfolk the PCC is replacing an unelected body of 17 individuals, many with party affiliations, who have a staff of 10 to support them. Have you ever tried to get anything done with a committee of 17 trying to come to a decision? Responsibility will now lay with one man, who is accountable and can be booted out if he doesn't do his job.

The candidate which I think will win is a Colonel, who spent much of his 35 year army career with the Gurkhas and later running a training regiment. Some of the people who were on the old Police Authority were serial committee setters, not people who can get shit done!

I'm all in favour of this, so many of the arguments are misinformed bollocks. Do you think it was better to waste hundreds of thousands on seat polishing twats, or put one person in charge, who can make decisions and has to stand behind them or he'll lose his job when the election comes around again?

Of course there's politics in it, there's politics in everything, again you're a misguided naive fool if you don't understand that.

Thats interesting Gumbo as I'm in Norwich.
At my parents in gloucester, one of the people standing is basically representing G4S - ie if he gets elected, large amounts of Gloucester police could potentially be privately run. wtf is going on with our country today?

 

[Scouse]

one of the people standing is basically representing G4S - ie if he gets elected, large amounts of Gloucester police could potentially be privately run

The conservatives. Opening Britain up for new levels of political corruption

 

[Poag]

Heard this morning less than 10% voter turn out.

Seems like it was a nice waste of time. I didn't even know it was yesterday until i walked past a polling station near the GFs and even then i had to have a guess at what it was...

 

[Job]

Toothless, I'm not arsed about the Police, they do a reasonable job, it's the politicians and the (spits on floor) CPS service and it's blood sucking, fucking useless barristers that I want voting out of the jungle.

 

[Gumbo]

Terrible idea allowing someone from the military to have a position of power in a civilian policing role.

Terrible idea.

Why? Someone with experience of leading a force of people, and latterly developing people to suit their roles. Seems ideal. It doesn't mean he's going to replace all the PCSOs with Gurkhas and sort out Anti Social Behaviour using Kukris.

 

[opticle]

replace all the PCSOs with Gurkhas and sort out Anti Social Behaviour using Kukris.

Not a bad idea.

 

[Scouse]

Someone with experience of leading a force of people, and latterly developing people to suit their roles. Seems ideal.

Same could be said of any business leader - and they've not come from an authoritarian structure.

History shows that military leadership and police leadership should be kept separate - and the politicians know this. Or don't you think the type of person you have in charge of an organisation makes a difference to the overall stance of that organisation?

Not a bad idea.

Q.E.D.

 

[Gumbo]

The police is an authoritarian structure. It's organisational chart would look very similar to the Army's. This is not a military takeover of the police. This is a retired officer who is looking for a new challenge. Anyway, if he's no good and Norfolk don't like him, they can vote him out next time around. I have no doubt that sitting on the old Police Authority is the sort of thing which this fella would have done anyway, and then he could have served 20 years on that without ever having to face public scrutiny.

I imagine we won't agree on this anyway. I have great respect for Army officers, my grandfather was a Colonel, my other halves son is coming up to 3 years in now and it's made a man of him.

You'd probably be suprised how many Policemen are ex army anyway, it's a popular career path. My previous next door neighbours son did 7 years of Parachute regiment, before joining the met and working his way into CO19 now.

Anyway, it's accountability which I like about this new arrangement. If having a capable trained and experienced leader in charge doesn't work, we can always vote in a one armed black lesbian from the Labour party next time around and see how they get on.

 

[Scouse]

Your post is full of the language and intent which shows exactly why the military types and their judgmental values shouldn't be allowed anywhere near civilian policing.

One armed black lesbians from Labour indeed. Glad your military family made a caring-sharing man of you Gumbz

 

[Wazzerphuk]

A ballot box from one of the Doncaster polling stations contained FIVE papers .

 

[opticle]

One box from a polling station was returned empty. Embarrassing.

Apparently £75 million was spent on publicising these elections.

That and these elections alone are enough to mean I'm not voting David Cameron and his chums in again.

They cut everywhere and tell us we have to put up with it, but they justify this.. useless human beings imo.

 

[PLightstar]

Apparently £75 million was spent on publicising these elections.

Really in my area, the one thing I have heard was on Radio 2. That was it, we had no info given to us and finding out who was running, wasn't exactly easy. Didn't end up voting in the end, because I had next to no information to make a decision on.

 

[opticle]

Really in my area, the one thing I have heard was on Radio 2. That was it, we had no info given to us and finding out who was running, wasn't exactly easy. Didn't end up voting in the end, because I had next to no information to make a decision on.

Aye, it's what I read on BBC News - a quote from one of the Conservatives behind the whole thing saying "We will learn lessons from what has happened here" - referring to the £75m spending versus public knowledge.

Ridiculous. I hate politicians.

 

[opticle]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20354044

On the £75m the government spent on publicising the elections Mr Opperman tells BBC 5 live: "That's a judgement call and we'll learn lessons - I don't think there's any doubt you can learn lessons from these things."

Tory MP Guy Opperman - parliamentary private secretary to home office minister Mark Harper - says lessons can be learned from the low turnout in the PCC elections.

They'll spin it to save face. They're completely out of touch, don't listen and think they know better than all the plebs - and I think this debacle demonstrates it.

I'm completely disenchanted with elections and democracy these days because you can't believe a word people say any more - it's all lies and they get away with it.