It's polling day in England and Wales...

Priene

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..and I nearly missed it.

Elected police commissioners are a pretty stupid idea in my boo. Couple that with the date (no other elections taking place) and the publicity (no funded leaflets, so there hasn't been any at all) and you've got a recipe for a farcically low turnout, but someone's going to get elected whether you like it or not. The Guardian blog gives a good idea of just how few people are voting.
 

seun

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I don't think I know anyone's who voting. Or who cares. Or who's been able to find out much about it.

Stupid question - what are the commissioners actually going to do?
 
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Priene

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Stupid question - what are the commissioners actually going to do?

Hopefully nothing. I presume these are just joking offices so the coalition can pay lip service to localism.

The worrying alternative is that they'll actually have power. Imagine some UKIP tosser elected on nought point bugger-all of the vote actually ordering police officers around.
 

waylander

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I may vote on the way home if I'm not too late.
 

fireluxlou

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Eh I'm not voting. Didn't even know until just now.
 

Fallen

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I wouldn't mind, but all we got was a voting card. Even if I went, I wouldn't know whom I'm voting for, or why (other than the obvious 'I want to be your elected police commissioner').

Don't know you, mate. Move on. Nothing to see here.
 

Priene

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I voted. That way, if a UKIP candidate does get in (and on the turnouts reported being by the BBC and the Guardian it's not impossible) at least I can say, 'Hey, not my fault'.
 

fireluxlou

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I voted. That way, if a UKIP candidate does get in (and on the turnouts reported being by the BBC and the Guardian it's not impossible) at least I can say, 'Hey, not my fault'.

It wasn't promoted at all where I live so i never voted. Pity I'm not at home.
 

Priene

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It wasn't promoted at all where I live so i never voted. Pity I'm not at home.

It wasn't promoted anywhere. The Tories and Liberals decided not to allow free postage for election leaflets, unlike every other election. Result: no-one knows their candidates and most don't even know there's an election on. Another fantastic coalition success.
 

Shakesbear

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I met one of the candidates for Norfolk - only he had the sense to withdraw from the farce. He was probably the only reason I knew about the whole thing. And getting a voting card which I have not used.
 

mirandashell

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I did think about voting but could find out hardly anything about the candidates in my area. Then I had a really busy day and totally forgot about it until this morning.

I doubt it matters. From what I have found out, the PC will mainly be a front man with little power.
 

mirandashell

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So .... the average turnout was what? 8 - 10%? Quite a lot of them spoiled.....

What a waste of time.
 

Priene

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I did think about voting but could find out hardly anything about the candidates in my area. Then I had a really busy day and totally forgot about it until this morning.

I doubt it matters. From what I have found out, the PC will mainly be a front man with little power.

They apparently will have the power to hire and fire the heads of their local forces.
 

Evaine

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They also have the power to set budgets - and there are people who are very concerned that this will mean privatising the police by the back door, by putting various police activities out to tender. G4S (who made such a hash of security at the Olympics that the Army had to be called in) already have contracts to run various services for Lincolnshire police, for example.
 

Catalyn

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I didn't vote, and neither did anyone I know.

Our local BBC site had short profiles of all the candidates, but they all pretty much promised to do exactly the same thing - be tough on crime, with no real specifics. An independent candidate ended up winning in my area; she was the only one who seemed to have any experience of management within the police force, which I'm sure played a huge part in her getting elected. My sister in law works for the police and she was given no more information than anyone else as to who she should elect to run her department.

Part of the reason I didn't vote was in protest of party affiliations being dragged into the whole process. The main reason though is that I worked all day then had a pub quiz to go to in the evening, wasn't about to sacrifice that just to go and vote.;)
 

Priene

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The first action by Avon and Somerset's new commissioner (Sue Mountstevens, Independent, voted in on a 20% turnout,) is to get the Chief Constable to resign after telling him he must reapply for his own job.

Well done, the Coalition, for this startling demonstration of local democracy in action.