Farce

So the elections for the new Police and Crime Commissioners were a resounding success... errr clearly not.  Looks like most of the population didn't even know about them.  The predicted turn out is... *Dramatic pause, like they do on shows where someone is about to leave the competition....*  just a smidge over 18%!  Are you kidding me?  What an utter waste of time and money.  How now can any commissioner take up their new role with any sense of a "mandate from the local community".  About the only real publicity we had on it in our area was a slanging match between two of the candidates over whether one of them had been reprimanded over saying the new system was a waste of money on their blog.  Great bit of positive campaigning all round that was...

So we are fighting wars to give people democracy - there are uprisings throughout the world against dictators so people can vote - we have that, we commemorated the dead last weekend who gave their lives so we can vote and... we don't bother!  Makes you wonder doesn't it about what we really truly hold dear or not.


Comments

  1. Nic 16 November 2012 at 12:38

    I wrote a long comment and then deleted it. Adding my spoon won't help. But I do understand why people have given up voting and have become complacent, and I think your example of the slanging match sums it up really: it's a pantomime. I'll wait until the intelligent folk come out of the woodwork and then I'll start voting again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Furtheron16 November 2012 at 12:46

      Indeed Nic - we get the politicians we deserve and all that I suppose. I don't know I just feel that we seem to ignore the responsibility that comes within a democracy at times.

      Delete
  2. Choleesa16 November 2012 at 17:41

    I feel Ive earned the right to complain about who is in charge only if Ive actually voted.
    So I vote, so that I can rightfully complain.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous16 November 2012 at 21:53

    This is exactly what I was griping about on my blog about our elections. It's so frustrating!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous17 November 2012 at 03:03

    18%? that's pretty bad, even by US standards. due to the polarisation and extremeism on both sides of the chasm, our presidential election got nearly 70% of the voters out in my "swing" state, but that is FAR from usual turnout. for a local/regional election we will typically get 30% of registered voters... and that doesn't even include those who are so disenfranchised with the process that they don't bother to register.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Suburbia19 November 2012 at 21:10

    I feel your pain. I would never not go to the polling station...as you say, people have fought for our right to it.

    However I found this election (and we had to vote for mayor too, even though only an eighth of the local population voted in favour of having one back in May -only a quarter of the population took part in that vote)very depressing, and as I had no other way to protest, I spoilt my paper. Never thought I'd do that.

    ReplyDelete
  6. John Medd21 November 2012 at 12:49

    Maybe the electorate aren't that jazzed about the Police (or, as people call them these days, the Pleece) being an extension of the political system. Like you, probably, I'd like to see them spending more time getting collars than rabble rousing for potential voters.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Candy Minx23 November 2012 at 15:15

    It is weird how cmplacent people feel about voting...once they have it. I wonder if people just have burn out. It's too much trouble to go vote and they are tired from working tow or three jobs...??? And they just don't believe it makes any difference who does what job. People have been betrayed and now they are cynical...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous24 November 2012 at 14:04

    I worked at teh elections and the constant refrain from people was that they weren't informed at all about the point of these elections. It almost felt like an abuse of process--exploiting people's desire to vote out of principle, but asking such a pointless question.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Furtheron24 November 2012 at 22:48

      Top comment Looby - hit the nail on the head there!

      Delete
  9. Heff30 November 2012 at 15:00

    No shit ! Over here in the good ol' US of A we Republicans could have used about 3 million voters that didn't even bother to get out that day to help "throw" the current pitiful administration.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Liz Hinds2 December 2012 at 09:10

    I voted! I always think about the suffragettes who suffered so I could.

    ReplyDelete

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