John Prescott the unstoppable campaign phenomenon?
LORD Prescott has been hailed as an "unstoppable phenomenon" as Labour launched its campaign for November's police and crime commissioner elections.
In her keynote speech to the Labour Party conference in Manchester, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the former Deputy Prime Minister and Humberside candidate as one of several "talented candidates".
And Shadow Police Minister David Hanson, a graduate of the University of Hull, said he would back Lord Prescott if he still lived in the city, "not because he's Labour, but because he's the best candidate".
Voters in the force area will choose from seven candidates bidding for the £75,000-a-year role on November 15.
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The winning candidate will replace Humberside Police Authority, which is being abolished, and take charge of its £180 million budget.
Ms Cooper admitted Labour had not supported the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners, but told conference policing was "too important to turn our backs on these elections now".
The Shadow Home Secretary also announced Labour would replace the Independent Police Complaints Commission with a stronger Police Standards Authority.
Private sector involvement in policing, meanwhile, would be subject to "tough tests" or "blue lines".
"We don't want private companies patrolling the public streets of Britain," Ms Cooper said. "We want police officers and commissioners doing the job."
Mr Hanson, who was also vice-president of the university's students' union in the late 1970s, said he thought Lord Prescott would do "a great job" but that he needed to "break out of the traditional Labour support base in Hull and Grimsby" in order to appeal more broadly.
"He's well known in the area," said Mr Hanson. "People know him, they know what they're going to get and they will make a judgment if they like what they see."
Mr Hanson admitted voter turnout could be as low as 15 to 20 per cent, with the winning candidate elected on less than 10 per cent of the vote.
"That's not going to be good for democracy," he said, "But we're committed to making this work."
Lord Prescott, former MP for Hull East, is one of seven candidates vying for the position.
The others are Conservative candidate Matthew Grove, Liberal Democrat Simone Butterworth, UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom and independent candidates Paul Davison, Walter Sweeney and Neil Eyre.
Comments
by mickey_luv3
Sunday, October 07 2012, 5:17PM
“Seems to me that thicky prescott actually believes that this job is his god given entitlement.But if been a proven womaniser and hypocrite, that somehow still managed to cling on to his obscenely well paid job is a gifted abilty. Then maybe he is "talented".
Teflon John, or so it would seem.”
by David_Nivea
Sunday, October 07 2012, 2:14PM
“I still can't understand why someone, opposed to the very notion of police commissioners, would even consider standing for such a post.
Assuming that the salary is not a factor, it can only be as a 'spoiler' can't it or for reasons of obfuscation, so popular with the Common Purpose brigade?”
by tonybo
Saturday, October 06 2012, 10:10PM
“There is no limit to Prescotts cheek.Hes the bigest chancer i ever met in my life ,i cannot believe this uneducated idiot as reached the position he his in now.All thanks to the idiots who voted for this self seeking Chancer he as been a member of a labour goverment which as almost destroyed this country and as changed it in to land of idiocy,The job he really should be looking for is the one hes qualified for and thats a pot washer at misterChu.s”
by jezhull
Friday, October 05 2012, 8:10PM
“Why on earth does the HDM give so much free advertising to fatty 2 jags prescott, the biggest hypocrite to have ever been an MP?
All this fat bully has done all his career is to feather his own nest.
He left parliament with a huge nest egg and a gold plated pension, worth far more per year than most people in hull earn, especially those on the large council estates who kept him in power for years, and now wants a £75k annual salary, doing a job he was totally opposed to in the 1st place.
I just hope the voters in e hull either stay away or see him for what he is and vote for a more suitable candidate.”
by queenlucy
Friday, October 05 2012, 6:37PM
“keep john prescott out”
by beverleybard
Friday, October 05 2012, 6:04PM
“It is up to us voters to turn out and make Labour's complacency hollow words. This is another unnecessary tier of administration, but as it looks like going ahead we must choose the right person and that person is definitely not Lord John Prescott or anyone else aligned to apolitical party. To do the job properly the holder of the post should be free of political allegiance or political pressure.”
by RabbitFord
Friday, October 05 2012, 3:23PM
“A member of Labour who accelerated the program of our genocide via their genocidal policies of flooding us with millions of third worlders and bringing in laws to force 'assimilation'.
Being complicit in this international crime so grand that is difficult for some to believe(Which anti-racists/anti-Whites only insist happens to EVERY White country and ONLY White countries), Prezza should be the last person to oversee our policing.”
by queenlucy
Friday, October 05 2012, 2:23PM
“what about UKIP guy
or better still why do we have to waste money on a commisionar”
by ErnestDeadman
Friday, October 05 2012, 9:14AM
“Just thought I would re-add this as its dropped off the end and seems to have brought amusement to a few.
"What are you kidding the Lard of Hull "Talented" the only reason he may be unstoppable is because of Newton's First Law and his gross Mass."”
by queenlucy
Thursday, October 04 2012, 8:37PM
“I dont agree with having a police commisioner let alone have john prescot
how can this be justified ? we are loosing police officers on the beat
but look at the money the commisioner will cost his salary, an over the top office and equipment, staff ect now I wonder why dont I trust this consept”