Fear of Democracy

Forgive me if I’m behind the times, but I thought it was a shame when Home Secretary Jacqui Smith decided against the direct election of a portion of members of Police Authorities. The greatest shame is that the Police are probably the least accountable public service. In a move that was extremely unusual for the current government, they were forced to drop the plans amid pressure from Labour council leaders.

When it comes to crime, the Conservative party will always have the upper hand electorally. They are portrayed as a party that seeks justice for victims where there is a perception, probably produced by the right-wing media that the Labour party is soft on criminals. Regardless of the policies and priorities of the different parties, it should be within both their interests to create a more democratically driven nation.

The primary reason given by Labour council chiefs is that members of extremist parties may be elected onto Police Authorities. I simply don’t accept that in a democracy the public can elect the ‘wrong’ people. Voting for extremist parties is simply a way that votes register concern or protest against mainstream parties. Additionally, it is simply fiction to assume that the police would suddenly become racist after an election because their authority reflects that politics. There is the subtle point of the illegality of executing those policies.

People in Wales are getting used to voting three times in an electoral cycle. I doubt that an extra election would make them more apathetic, especially one as interesting as a Police Authority election. Jacqui Smith’s problem is that she has not gone far enough. Electors should have the right to vote for a civilian Sheriff to run their local police service. That person should have the power to determine local priorities and ensure that the Police Service is working in the way that best serves the community. And as a matter of course, if the Sheriff has failed in the eyes of the public, he or she will get the chop in four years time.

People, especially liberals will argue that electing a Sheriff to determine police priorities could see some crazy (non-extreme) right-wing criminal hating maniac get the job. I can trump their argument by saying that that is the very nature of democracy. And, on a less eloquent level, a person of such character might actually help cut crime.

So I say lets have more elections, lots more elections. Let’s elect local authority Mayors, hell, even a President of Europe.