Police Commissioners

As usual Government ministers blustered their way through interviews. Theresa May re-asserted the rationale for this policy - that it was more democratic than the existing Police Authorities. Police Authorities mostly had 17 members:
Nine local councillors appointed by the local council
Eight independent members selected following local advertisements, at least one of whom must be a magistrate
Given that more than half of these members were democratically elected councillors, appointed by their fellow councillors to serve on the Authority, how is this less democratic than giving all of the power to a person elected by little more than 50% of, perhaps, 15% of eligible voters?

annodomini, without knowing much about it all I had rather come to the conclusion that it was a committee doing the work. Whilst I appreciate that the committee format is not always the most dynamic method at least there is a greater chance of it being more of a considered approach. Committees have to come to some sort of a consensus before they can act thus reducing the chance of radical or irrational views.

And if we want to really worry ourselves - what if one of these new elected commissioners has his/her own private agenda? Who are they answerable to? Can you imagine the fuss that would be caused if one of them supported a less than honourable Chief Constable?

Oh and was watching news this evening and according to Cameron, the reason for the reduced turnout was all the fault of the poor press coverage.....thats rich, criticising press for not supporting their daft ideas. They get very hot under the collar when press criticise their ideas!

Peter Allen, interviewing Theresa May on 5 Live, asked what she would say if a Trade Union claimed a mandate on a vote by such a small percentage of the electorate. She had no answer to that, managed to change the subject, as usual.

That and the weather, HildaW.
I was told by someone that my vote was spoilt because I voted for the same person in both columns.
I had been going to do that anyway until I found out that the only person who was not going to part-privatise the police was the Labour candidate.
Do not want A4E to run the police.
Still do not know if that did spoil the vote for me. Anyone know officially?
The one I wanted got in anyway.

Your vote would have been counted in the first count but not the second if your candidate was in the second count. Ermmmm I think.

It wasn't really made clear.

Have just found out the answer to my own question by searching. It took over ten minutes to find out something simple.
Anyway, my first vote counted, but my second did not. That's exactly how I would have wanted it. Didn't want to vote for any of the others, anyway.

It's going to be interesting fom now on, as the only Tory in the North East is North Yorkshire. So we will see how the Govt. try and take powers away from the new PCCs.

Jendurham For future reference when there is a preferential vote, you don't have to make a second, third, fourth choice. You are entitled to vote for just one candidate as first.

jen I was a polling Clerk and the information we were given in the briefing was that yes you could vote for your nomination and use your second vote for the same person as this was a new count under the 50% rule.

That's interesting Glassortwo, because it actually goes against what was said on the govt website for this vote. Does this mean they do not know themselves?
Par for the course. Or was it a very quick u-turn, so quick they hoped we would not notice?

The candidate I voted for was elected anyway.

A usual Government mix up, nothing unusual there then

I think the Electoral Commission is pretty pissed off with the way this election was run as the government went against many of its recommendations and the whole thing has proved to be a ludicrous fiasco.

I have to confess that I spoilt my ballot paper by writing over it that I objected to the idea of political control of the police.

All the candidates in our area were from political parties. We had no information at all through the door at all about the participants.

I live in an area where the constituency MP has never been anyway near to meeting my political views. So I generally vote Lib Dem as they have a slightly better chance than my preferred option.

Another instance of a Tory government aping American systems. I hope the low voter turnout and expense of it all has taught them, but I doubt it.

We are having our own outrageous Tory policies to deal with here in Queensland. The latest:

THE Newman Government has hired Queensland's top silk to fight a constitutional challenge by unions to its industrial relations legislation, which ends job security and allows key areas of the public service to be outsourced.

The Newman government was elected in a landslide to punish the previous Labour government for selling assets. There is no upper house so they have open slather. Oh, and they are selling assets and privatising everything they can.

Well - I started this thread and I have to report that in Surrey we somehow elected the only candidate in the land who was representing the 'Zero tolerance party'.Heaven help us all.

Yes quite joan they do it on cowboy movies (elect the sheriff)so it must be a good idea. bit like Gove and his free schools.
Queensland always did have a far right streak didn't it. Hanson etc.
Are you serious gmajen - just off to check....

Gosh indeed gmajen another ex policeman...
Well you'll be alright in Surrey then wont you.
There will be some interesting conversations between the new commissioners and their chief constables won,t there... The chap who retired, convinced he knew better than his bosses, and now he's been elected as commissioner. that kind of thing. Fertile ground for a good scriptwriter to write a satirical drama?

The Electoral Reform Society has sent an email asking people to sign an letter to the party leaders. I quote:
"On Thursday the British Government made history. They gave us the lowest turnout in any major election of modern times.

Since then we’ve gathered the evidence. And more of us disagreed with the idea of elected Police Commissioners than bothered heading to the polls last week. [1]

It’s time to ask David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg what they intend to do about it.

From start to finish this election has been a comedy of errors. [2] But this is about more than one bungled vote.

November’s Police Elections. May’s referendums on elected mayors. They are just the latest in a string of failed policies that were meant to bring power closer to the people.

A piecemeal ‘Localism Agenda’ is in tatters. And the question for party leaders is what they plan to do about it.

So click here to sign our letter to Cameron, Clegg and Miliband"

electoral-reform.org.uk/worst-election-ever

Thank you Anno Domini - I have signed

What has really been irritating me beyond measure about government response to last weeks fiasco is the way they blame voter apathy for the low turn out and spoiled ballot papers on people confused by the system.

Most people I know who didnt vote, didnt vote as an active act of protest against the whole policy of having police commissioners and many people, like me, who deliberately spoiled their ballot papers, usually by writing a message opposing the elections on the paper, did so, again, as an active act of protest against the elections.

FlicketyB Of course they blame voter apathy and confusion, plus insufficient coverage in the media. They are hardly going to say, "Whoops! we c****d that up. No one wanted it and no one knew what was going on." Look – there goes another flying pig!

I've signed too - although I nearly gave up, it took so long to upload...