On my LibDem soap box!

On my LibDem soap box to Scrap Police & Crime Commissioner posts & Offices. This is my 90 sec speech to conference in Exeter.

For my soap box item, the doors should be locked, BECAUSE it is a topic that attracts great indifference BUT it consumes a significant amount of public resources and is about to use what Paddy described as our diminishing Political resource. I’m talking of course about the flawed concept of elected POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONERS & their rather costly offices.

I’m going to draw heavily on what we were told yesterday. Those 15% who voted in the elections in 2012 were described as dedicated voters who will ALWAYS vote BUT I would assert that most of them are Tories so we should be focusing on meeting the needs of the 85%.

Paddy told us he was not for Political pacts but that he was for coalescing around common issues and was against tribalism. Don’t we have cross party agreement to Scrap the Police & Crime Commissioner elections and if I’m right, should our National leaders, across political parties, agree to put up single candidates against the Tories, to speak to the 85% and give them the chance to vote for that Scrap Police & Crime Commissioners policy? Wouldn’t that be a powerful message to Government? It would also enable all the parties that coalesced to conserve their resources for more significant fights against the Tories BUT make the Tories put resources in to prove us all wrong.

If you think I’m talking sense & have influence in the party you can steel & share this idea. In the meantime sign my e-petition calling on the Government to Scrap this ridiculous post!

Scrap Police & Crime Commissioners petition