The official turnout figure for the South Wales Police area was 14.7%, with the figure in Bridgend being 14.2%.

The overall figure in Gwent was 14.3%, but included the only 0% turnout ever recorded, with not a single vote cast at one polling station in Malpas, Newport.

The biggest disappointment in the South Wales area was that the unfathomable blind loyalty to Labour returned Wales’ only Labour Police Commissioner in the shameful form of the disgraced former MP Alun Michael ( http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Alun_Michael#Controversy ). How on earth can anybody think he is an appropriate person to run our police force?

As staggering as this result was, at least we have not shared the Dyfed-Powys fate of having a Tory at the helm.

Record numbers of spoilt papers further underline not just the apathy, but the antipathy of people to the whole concept of a politicised running of our police.

So to sum up the farce, here in the South Wales force area we have ended up with an expense fiddling, ex Labour MP, whose morals are confused enough to be the chair of the Christian Socialist Movement (a contradiction in terms, surely), and who has secured the £85k job (plus expenses, no doubt!) with just 47% first preference of a 14.7% turnout – or in other words, just 7% wanting him in the job!!

So a man who confesses (see below) to be prone to clerical errors, poor judgement under stress, and financial irregularities (to be kind), is now going to be the guiding hand of the South Wales Police Force. Welcome to the Asylum of the Universe!

Alun Michael MP expenses claims (as reported in Wikipedia):
Alun Michael was one of the MPs who was investigated by the Daily Telegraph in its probe into MPs Expenses Claims in 2009. The Daily Telegraph reported that “Alun Michael claims £4,800 for food in one year, and £2,600 for repairs to his roof at his constituency home in Penarth. Claims for £1,250 cost of repairing a wall and building a 13ft chain link fence.”. Subsequently it was reported he was among 390 MPs required by Sir Thomas Legg to repay taxpayers’ money which allegedly they had wrongly-claimed. An audit of claims dating back to 2004 revealed that Michael should repay £18,889.56 for mortgage interest on additional loans “not shown to have been for an eligible purpose”. He had also been paid £280 more than he was entitled to claim for council tax in the year 2004/05 – claiming expenses for 12 installments when, in fact,he had only had to pay 10 to the local authority. Michael blamed a “clerical error” for the inflated claim. He said “The council tax payment came at a time when I was under a lot of stress politically”. Michael repaid £19,169.56.