Independent Minds

I don't know what all the fuss is about over last week's elections for the new forty-one Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales.

To my mind it's a bit strange that the Labour Party is arguing against greater democratic accountability - over important public services such as policing.

When for years Labour - and the trade unions, of course - have been saying the exact opposite - that unelected quangos and faceless joint boards are a bad thing.

So surely it's a big step forward that we get rid of all these joints boards and other bodies - which in Scotland are made up of unelected councillors - and replace them with someone whose job is to connect directly with the public.

Scotland is falling further and further behind developments in England and Wales - where elected mayors and now Police Crime Commissioners are common place.

Yet another encouraging fact to emerge from the PCC elections - is the number of 'independent' candidates who were successful - 12 out of 41 to be precise or 30% which ought to bring a breath of fresh air to proceedings - instead of the usual, boringly partisan, party political debates.

Now I don't know about anyone else but, personally speaking, I would welcome the injection of more independent-minded people into UK politics - at all levels.

How much better would the Scottish Parliament be, for example, for the presence of a few more feisty individuals - like Margo MacDonald. 

The same holds true for local government politics at council level - where certain parts of the country are run as political fiefdoms - and not in the interests of local people.

Now the business of modern politics could not operate without political parties of course - because the parties and their supporters are what make the wheels go around in many ways.

But political parties have a tendency to become lazy, arrogant and complacent - as we all know - which is where the role of more independent-minded candidates comes into its own.