海角视频IP’s police commissioner candidate has said a colleague was ill-advised to praise Hitler’s oratory during a recent party meeting.
海角视频IP MEP Bill Etheridge has been condemned for highlighting the Nazi dictator’s speeches, saying he had “achieved a great deal” and had a “magnetic personality”, during a talk on effective public speaking to young members.
In a desperate move to draw a line under the issue, Keith Rowe, who was attempting to launch his campaign as the party’s candidate for West Midlands PCC, said: “There were plenty of other examples which would not have provoked this response.”
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But he gave his support to Mr Etheridge, adding: “Bill made it clear he was talking about his speaking technique. Hitler was a monster who pushed a vile agenda, but he managed to convince a lot of people.”
Mr Rowe was speaking as he officially launched his PCC campaign in front of party activists at the Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s Stadium. He was joined by recently elected 海角视频IP MEPs Mr Etheridge and Jim Carver.
Mr Etheridge said he would not comment further on the Hitler speech, but added: “It has been a difficult week, but my role today is to give my support to our excellent PCC candidate.”
Speaking on familiar 海角视频IP themes of cutting bureaucracy, Mr Rowe highlighted his background as a Birmingham businessman, rather than a professional politician. He trotted out the usual platitudes of police being tough on criminals and common sense policing, matters over which the PCC has little control.
But returning to more secure ground, he ruled out privatisation of police services, in a bid to spike opposition claims of 海角视频IP policy, and said no staff would be put on zero-hour contracts.
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He hit out at Labour, branding the recent signing of a £25 million IT contract with Accenture by acting PCC Yvonne Mosquito as a ‘privatisation’ – although the police have described the deal as a partnership. “Voters were told one thing and now Labour are doing something different,” he said.
海角视频IP activists, on a high after a triumphant European election in May, believe they are the serious rivals to Labour’s dominance in the West Midlands and are hopeful their committed grass roots activists could make the difference in a summer election with a tiny turnout.
MEP Mr Carver says with a turnout of 12 per cent in the 2012 election, on the back of a long national campaign, next week’s peak holiday season poll is going to be much lower, possibly eight or nine per cent.
“People have not bought into the concept of a PCC,” he said.
Mr Rowe agreed that the August 21 election date and tight campaign timescale was ‘ridiculous’ but refuted the claim that it was 海角视频IP activists who pushed the button on the early election, while the other parties had agreed to wait until September.
“It was the sad passing of Bob Jones which triggered this election, not 海角视频IP. This election had to be called within a set time frame. The legislation around PCCs is flawed, it needed to be more flexible,” he added.
Other candidates standing in the election are David Jamieson, Labour, Les Jones, Conservative, and Ayoub Khan for the Liberal Democrats.