Had no information in Cheshire about who’s standing either. I’ve never not voted before and feel wrong about doing so now but if those standing for election are the apathetic about it now what are they going to be like once they get into the position where they should be doing something.

What worries me even more however is that Teresa May said on the radio this morning that the new Commissioners will have absolutely no powers over the day to day front line policing of the forces.

So what’s the point then? 70k a year for sitting at a desk, pushing a pen around but with no real power? Sounds like a job I’d love to do if my conscience would let me do it.

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to vote it would have to be for a politically independant (assuming someone like that is standing for my area)

As that is currenly unlikely to happen, I’m struggling to decide between not turning out and a spoilt ballot.
Trouble is a spoilt ballot shows that I do care and do actually have an opinion and thus giving the vote some small legitimacy, but by not voting I struggle to accept someone landing a £70k a year job on the back of apathy!

In the end it’ll probably come down to 2 things
1) Is it raining?
2) Do I fancy a pint on the way home?

Good article in the Guardian today that pretty much sums it up. Advocating spoiling your ballot paper.

I had every intention of doing this.
However, I oppose the media manipulation of democracy more strongly than I oppose the idea of choosing a police commissionaire, and so will now be forced to select a candidate. Bar stewards.

Funny, I keep hearing everyone saying that they would vote for the independent (ie non-party political) candidates, but since there’s no chance they’ll win they’ll not bother… well, maybe, just maybe, there’s others who want the independent candidate to win as well 😉

Nice raido 4 interview with the Home secretary struggling to explain how it matter sgiven they have cast iron agreements the police will remain independent

Does anyone think another politician suggesting stuff is the solution to whatever the percieved problem is?

There was community involvement and from more than one mouthpiece and not just one froma political party

Utter waste of money

Does anyone think it isn’t a waste of time and money?

We have an independent candidate.

Somehow, he’s been able to fund a mailshot to every house in the area and to travel around in van. How?

He’s not independent, he’s just not a political candidate. So, who’s funding it and why?

I was not given the chance to say if I wanted a Police Commissioner or not and I can’t see how adding another layer of bureaucracy will improve things so when my postal vote turned up yesterday, with a choice of 4 political party and 2 random candidates that I can’t relate too but all clearly want to earn £80k of my hard earned money, I decided to pop it back in the post box this morning with two lines and void written on the ballot paper.

Complete waste of money driven by my mate Dave and his side kick…

The Liberal standing is harping on about female genital mutilation

What he means is they’re all just a bunch of ****s.

Who’s voted, or intends to vote today then?

I’ve just had another look, and we’ve now got an independent candidate standing, as well as the motley collection of failed career politicians, looking for their next seat on the gravy train.

He’s a magistrate, so may actually know something about the criminal justice system, and is standing on the platform of keeping politics out of policing and letting them get on with their job.

So I’m undecided whether to vote for him, or spoil my ballot paper, later. The main problem is the system means you have a 1st and second choice, which would mean a second vote for one of the motley collection of failed career politicians, looking for their next seat on the gravy train. Arse! Looks like its the crude, scrawled cock and balls drawing then 🙁

I shall be spoiling in the local primary school this evening

The best thing you can do is to boycott the whole process.

You don’t have to put a second choice apparently, if non are suitable…

None are suitable for a first choice round here and fall into the “…failed career politicians/gravy train…” category

You may not have to specify a second choice, but the votes are still counted under AVPR, the system rejected in last year’s refferendum. I’m suprised that so little is made of this contempt for the clearly expressed will of the people.

I think ohnohesback has it.

Funnily enough the local radio is full of ads this week. Bit effin’ late…

Normally scathing of people who don’t vote but am worried that by actually turning up I might be seen as expressing enthusiasm for the bloody thing

This. The whole idea is absurd, but it’s in place and someone is going to get the job. If I refuse to have my say in who that might be, I absolve myself from being able to criticise them.

Grr. It’s just such a **** dumb idea.

Don’t know whether to boycott or spoil the ballot. Local choices are Labour, Lib Dem, Tory or UKIP affiliated. Great.

The best worst thing you can do is to boycott the whole process.

IMHO, of course.
Even a spoilt paper sends a message that must be counted.

@independant’ candidates are not– they hope to fool you by this declaration of ‘neutrality’- we have one, he’s got buckets of money—what is his motivation– ego/power- ??

can never trust someone who hides their politics!

Four or five independent candiates for Devon & Cornwall.

Email-shot from 38 Degrees is either politicising something that need not be party political, or warning us that this may be another stealth move towards further privatisation/outsourcing of police staff. I’ve no idea how much influence a new police commissioner could bring to bear on this or not.

Anyway, 38 Degrees have collated all our local candidates’ own words on who they would like to run Police services and who they think should employ them to. Locally the independents and Lib Dem bloke talk of being very opposed to any further privatisation (custody Nurses and FME at least have already been outsourced for a couple of years), Labour bloke seems to be vaguely on the fence and Conservative person seems to be making a poor show of not lying but also not being seen to be dead keen on outsourcing. (ie it looks as though he could be if plied with enough golf and dinner 😆 )

I wasn’t going to bother …. and i usually beleive in voting as it is normally important…..

HOWEVER….

My mind was changed by a piece on local tele last night, it had never crossed my mind till I heard a lady say she was going to spoil her ballot in protest… seems to be a popular idea as well

#spoilyourballot

Just been to vote. Now I know we’re not the biggest ward in the country, but apparently after the polls being opened for 4 hours about 10 other people had been in to vote. I suspect the turnout may not be large…

I’ll be absolutely amazed if turnout get anywhere near 20%. I reckon closer to 10%. Not exactly a ‘mandate from the people’?

Not that I can see any of this sorry bunch of journeyman, political opportunists giving a flying one about that! The expense accounts is open again! KER-****ING-CHING!!!

I was the 7th person to vote at our polling station today, after it’d been open for 1 1/4 hours. Doesn’t bode well for a large turnout.

I was the closest I’ve every been to just spoiling the ballot, as it’s a botch job of an election for a post that doesn’t need to exist and as such is a colossal waste of money.

But I couldn’t bring myself to spoil the ballot paper, so voted for the candidate who stated that they would fight against privatisation of the police first and the independent candidate second.

Like Mike I am spoiling for a spoiling. Will see what occurs when I get there this evening.

Bonus extra mile on the Endomondo Winter Warrior challenge.

My wife, my son and I voted at lunchtime… well, we collectively spoiled our ballot papers. We were the 3rd, 4th and fifth people to vote!

Going down a storm this one.

We’ve got the choice of three politicians and one ex copper. Cyril ftw (in a pointless role which will achieve nothing more than pushing banknotes into a toilet)

Edit: 4th vote in our ward

Just out of a random interest I thought I will have a look at http://www.policecrimecommissioner.co.uk/ and its blocked by our web security at work?

Must be some right iffy bods standing for election.

Im gonna draw a todger on mine.

edit- just tried that website, apparentlyt its crashing cos of traffic. Oh hohohoho, where to begin.

I voted after 8 Hours and was the 41st (out of about 900). Less than 5% turnout isn’t very impressive.

I voted, after reading about one candidate in a Facebook page linked from a close friend of mine. He’s an independent, one of only two, and was the only candidate who replied to a request for info, and actually replied at length.
He even has a website, liamsilcocks.co.uk which gives further info.
He apparently drives an Evo8, and track races an RX8, so not averse to being a bit of a petrolhead either.
If it had just been a list of party hacks, then I would have spoiled my ballot, but he at least seems to have a clear and fairly sensible idea about how policing should work within the community.

I voted for the one that has Dear Leader quality …

Just been to cast my vote, 58th out of approx 1100 eligible to vote!

I voted for the independent candidate. The first I knew about a second choice was when I saw it on the ballot paper. I panicked and my tribal instinct kicked in and I went for the Labour candidate as my second choice – to make sure a Tory doesn’t get in. Now I wish I hadn’t put a second choice because i don’t believe that party politics and career politcians should be anything to do with this role.

Oh and I was the only punter anywhere near, let alone in the polling station at 7pm.

I spoiled my ballot.

I voted this afternoon, I was voter number 11 at my local polling station and my wife was number 12. Piss poor turnout = no mandate in my opinion.

This is the first time that I simply CBA to vote at an election. Even spoiling a ballot paper would count in total turnout. I hope someone in the Tory party will be out of work over this fiasco, but have to admit it’s unlikely.

Just did the math the 12 voters by 16:00 at the polling station equates to a turnout of 2.9%

Voted by post earlier in the week. I’m not sure how much influence they’ll have, but I wanted to do my bit to keep it out of the hands of politicians – voted for independents for both 1st and 2nd choices.

Lots of people on radio saying they wouldn’t vote as no one had told them anything about the candidates. Apologies but this really riles me – fair play if you don’t agree with the whole idea, fair play if you want a “none of the above” option, but to say you’re not voting because nobody told you about the candidates is just pathetic. Look on the net FFS! Take some f######g responsibility for your choices!

I voted this evening, but I think it was a veeeeeeeeeery low turnout judging by how many names they’d ruled-through at the polling station. Couldn’t help but think it was a colossal waste of their (our?) time and money.