Information lacking on commissioners

From: Ian Barnes, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York.

I HAVE received my polling card for the election of the police and crime commissioner for the North Yorkshire Police area. However, to date I have received no information as to who is standing or what they might stand for, or their views on being a commissioner.

I went to the Electoral Commissions website and although there is information about the election I was unable to find any details as to who was standing in my area, however a cartoon character called Victor showed me how to fill in my voting card.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There has been a lot of publicity regarding the appointments over the last few months, but the only name I keep hearing about is John Prescott who is standing in Humberside.

How on earth does the Government expect the people to make an informed decision when voting on the candidates, not knowing who is standing, what they stand for, or what their role is supposed to entail? I also suspect the lack of information is not unique to North Yorkshire.

This only goes to prove, as I have written before to this column, we do not live in a democracy.

For a candidate to stand they have to pay a deposit of £5,000, which they would forfeit unless they polled a certain percentage of the votes. This means you have got very few independent people putting their names forward, plus they have no financial help so they can inform us of their views, via mailing direct to our homes, or leaflet drops (it’s called disinformation).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The best thing we can do is to boycott the election and not vote at all, which would kill it off completely.

From: Martin Fletcher, Savile Close, Emley, Huddersfield.

I RECENTLY received my voting form for the West Yorkshire police commissioner.

I do not even know who the candidates are and no one has even been near us. I looked them up on the internet and all I can see is four useless nonentities.

You will not see me anywhere near the polling booth. This should not be a political thing but the votes are for people who represent parties rather than the people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What good is that? They will only put forward their party’s view. They should all be independent.

From: Barry Foster, High Stakesby, Whitby.

CONGRATULATIONS to Tom Richmond for his excellent comments (Yorkshire Post, October 20) regarding the elections of police commissioners. Is there any wonder that there is such a lack of interest in this stupid idea this Government has come up with?

One has only to look at some of those wishing to be elected. Out of work former politicians who failed miserably in the role of MP and lots of other no-hopers with no experience of crime in any shape of form.

As for the likes of John Prescott, well, enough said.

Heaven help the voters of Hull, but being the eternal optimists they will be bound to see some sense.

Plain facts, not allegations

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

From: John Bolton, Gregory Springs Mount, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.

AT the risk of sounding presumptuous, I feel I must respond to His Honour James Stewart QC’s letter (Yorkshire Post, October 22) regarding Sir Norman Bettison.

Since the publication of the latest Hillsborough report I have felt that the three main allegations His Honour sets out, innocent or not, do not alter the fact that Sir Norman was at the time of the disaster and, more importantly, during the subsequent gathering of police evidence, a senior ranking officer in South Yorkshire.

He headed the team given the task of drawing together the statements, including the ones now found to have been altered. At some stage he must have realised there was a degree of collusion and repetitive phrasing. If he did, surely he was senior enough to break ranks, blow the whistle and do the right thing. If he did not realise, then I have to question his suitability for his subsequent rise to Chief Constable of any police force.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The buck has to stop somewhere, usually at the top, but, perhaps this was more like pass-the-parcel as is often found during such inquiries involving uniformed organisations subject to tiers of ranking.

These few observations seem to me to be plain facts; not allegations against any individual.

Time to tackle energy firms

From: Danny Myers, Lees Lane, Northallerton.

IN common with millions of other people, I have received notification from my domestic fuel supplier (nPower) that the cost of gas and electricity will increase on November 26.

This rise is not in line with CPI (2.2 per cent), not in line with RPI (2.6 per cent), not in line with British Gas (eight per cent) and not even in line with their own published price increase of 9.1 per cent. The cost of my Sign On-line 24 Tariff gas will increase by 17.1 per cent and electricity by 16.8 per cent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If David Cameron and his cronies believe that the price increases announced by the energy companies are factual, then they are truly totally out of touch with reality.

It is high time that Mr Cameron and the rest of the spineless jobsworths that comprise the Government tackled the likes of the energy companies (and the banks and oil companies), most of which are largely foreign owned and regularly declare obscene profits, before they drive this once great country into becoming a Third World nation.