And so...

Here we are. Election day has arrived.

With this post may I wish all the candidates standing for election today well. (All the PCC candidates, the by election candidates and the mayoral contest in Bristol.) It takes a strange mix of courage, confidence, vanity and masochism to stand for election and I applaud all those who are taking the risk today. There are many who never pass by an opportunity to have a go at politicians. I often wonder how many of those people would take the risk the be so very publicly counted.

And like Sam Chapman, I hope that the best people win and go on to make an extraordinary contribution to policing and public life following their election. (Although, unlike Sam, I am less than enthusiastic about the PCC governance model: I think it dangerously concentrates power in the hands of a single individual and is anything but 'local'.)

Moreover, I wish all supporters, party workers, letterbox stuffers, telephone canvassers, GOTVers and polling station tellers well too. This is democracy in action. Long may it continue to thrive.

And now to action... 30 minutes and counting!