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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22083032

The background: A couple of years ago the government had the brainwave of creating a new post of elected local Police and Crime Commissioners to introduce some democratic accountability into the UK police force system.

The public was deeply uninterested and showed its contempt for the idea by entering a new record low turnout in the elections for these posts.

Nevertheless the newly elected PCCs got to work and started to appoint people to help them.

In Kent, the PCC appointed 17-year old Paris Brown on a salary of £15,000 as a kind of youth advisor. She has now resigned after it was found she had made a number of seemingly racist and homophobic Twitter comments in the past few years.

Of course, teenagers often make silly mistakes like that. Which is one reason for not appointing them to public office.

Here we have the spectacle of a well-meaning democratic idea which wasn't wanted, being used to create "jobs for the boys" at public expense, involving the idea of getting "down wiv da yoof", which backfires and results in the tearful resignation of a 17 year old.

In my opinion society is to blame.

That's an interesting thread title you've got there.
Anyway, on topic; Eh. Honestly, the scheme was bound to drag up something like this sooner or later.
Like you say, teenagers tend to make shocking statements and stupid mistakes. We've all done it at one time or another. Unfortunately, when you're in office, you don't get the liberty to make such mistakes.
Still, I hope she isn't getting hounded for it. That's what tends to happen when this sort of story breaks.

A minor tweeted something offensive? Jesus Christ, better get the police on the ca...oh. Already taken care of. Well done, UK.

The whole Police and Crime Commissioner thing is turning into a massive clusterfeth, my local one has been facing calls to resign from about a month into the job for giving jobs to his mates.

I don't know who mine is. In fact I had forgotten they existed until this case came up in the news.

Utter waste of time and tax payers resources. An obscene wage in some cases. Some of them get 100'000

Not nessacery. I'd take 4 additional police constables

The police and crime commissioners will replace police authorities in 41 areas and will be paid a salary between £65,000 and £100,000.

She should have been checked before she was given the position. To give her the job and then give her this much public attention is just sickening.

 4oursword wrote:
She should have been checked before she was given the position. To give her the job and then give her this much public attention is just sickening.

It's especially unfortunate, really. Now that she's taken a media mauling, she's gonna have a hard time of it for the next few years, I reckon.

The appointment of this girl was a silly idea and I hope the post will be quashed and no one else bought in to replace her.

But police investigations into misjudged twitter posts? Ludicrous.

 LuciusAR wrote:
The appointment of this girl was a silly idea and I hope the post will be quashed and no one else bought in to replace her.

But police investigations into misjudged twitter posts? Ludicrous.

I'd get used to it.

Hopefully they don't send her to jail, like the last example of this sort of thing that came up here.

 Seaward wrote:

 LuciusAR wrote:
The appointment of this girl was a silly idea and I hope the post will be quashed and no one else bought in to replace her.

But police investigations into misjudged twitter posts? Ludicrous.

I'd get used to it.

Hopefully they don't send her to jail, like the last example of this sort of thing that came up here.

I highly doubt she will be charged with a criminal offence, her twitter posts were political suicide but not the level of offensiveness that warrants an arrest warrant.

 dæl wrote:

 Seaward wrote:

 LuciusAR wrote:
The appointment of this girl was a silly idea and I hope the post will be quashed and no one else bought in to replace her.

But police investigations into misjudged twitter posts? Ludicrous.

I'd get used to it.

Hopefully they don't send her to jail, like the last example of this sort of thing that came up here.

I highly doubt she will be charged with a criminal offence, her twitter posts were political suicide but not the level of offensiveness that warrants an arrest warrant.

I would've said the same about Liam Stacey.

The real messed up thing, and yet, to be expected with the media, is that when the story broke it was implied the tweets were recent.

There was media and public outrage, a tearful 17 year old on the TV and then oh, the tweets are years old.....

Feth sake, this is what some kids get up to.

 Seaward wrote:

 dæl wrote:

 Seaward wrote:

 LuciusAR wrote:
The appointment of this girl was a silly idea and I hope the post will be quashed and no one else bought in to replace her.

But police investigations into misjudged twitter posts? Ludicrous.

I'd get used to it.

Hopefully they don't send her to jail, like the last example of this sort of thing that came up here.

I highly doubt she will be charged with a criminal offence, her twitter posts were political suicide but not the level of offensiveness that warrants an arrest warrant.

I would've said the same about Liam Stacey.

That was a crime with a victim. This wasn't.

There is a vast amount of difference between directing racist abuse at a person, and saying how you would like to make hash brownies, or complaining about sleeping alone when single.

 dæl wrote:
That was a crime with a victim. This wasn't.

There is a vast amount of difference between directing racist abuse at a person, and saying how you would like to make hash brownies, or complaining about sleeping alone when single.

I just don't get ironic British humor.

 Seaward wrote:

 dæl wrote:
That was a crime with a victim. This wasn't.

There is a vast amount of difference between directing racist abuse at a person, and saying how you would like to make hash brownies, or complaining about sleeping alone when single.

I just don't get ironic British humor.

Apparently you also don't get British law.

 Seaward wrote:

I just don't get ironic British humor.

Don't worry, it takes a certain something...

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

 Seaward wrote:

I just don't get ironic British humor.

Don't worry, it takes a certain something...

Cold rain and warm beer.

It's ok seaward, you are not the only American with an irony difficiancy.

As for Paris whatserface, I remember watching her being interviewed on Breakfast News a few weeks ago and thinking, "This will not end well"

A 17 year old, fresh out of college being given a job that pays £15,000 a year? Oh my goodness.. Yet another gross waste of money by a council that really should know better.

If the Police want to 'Get down wiv Da yoof' as kilkrazy so elegantly put it, maybe they should be a little nicer to kids in general. Nor every 12-18 year old is a drug dealer/thief/loanshark/murderer/rapist etc etc. Take a look at what some police forces in America do. Open a drag racing strip, modify a police car and invite local kids to try and beat them. It would get them off the streets for sure, and be a laugh as well...

Of course there are some little gaks out there, I blame the parents. But the majority of 'yoof' are actually ok.

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
It's ok seaward, you are not the only American with an irony difficiancy.

I was being...ironic. Or possibly just sarcastic. Potentially even simply snarky.

Ultimately, I'm okay with not understanding throwing people in jail for saying dumb gak on Twitter.

Not surprising.

I'm left wing, but the British left wing make me slightly nauseous. The whole thing has been co-opted by a bunch of middle class tossers who are completely disconnected from the real world, and spend far too much time dreaming and not enough time doing.

(The Irish left is worse, by the way. Your left wing is at least competent at the stupid stuff it gets up to, as in, it actually gets things done. Stupid things, but they happen. Our left might as well not exist.)

 Da Boss wrote:
Not surprising.

I'm left wing, but the British left wing make me slightly nauseous. The whole thing has been co-opted by a bunch of middle class tossers who are completely disconnected from the real world, and spend far too much time dreaming and not enough time doing.

(The Irish left is worse, by the way. Your left wing is at least competent at the stupid stuff it gets up to, as in, it actually gets things done. Stupid things, but they happen. Our left might as well not exist.)

Eh, I dunno, have you seen our lot? I have no interest in voting for Ed MilliBland, not that Labour are a Left party any more. That hasn't been the case for a long time now.

I meant more the general populace who are left wing rather than the parties. The left wing people in the civil service making policy decisions in education, for example. My experience of those kinds of people was not positive.

Ah, fair enough. My mistake.

Feel sorry for the girl, but she kinda brought it on herself.