Deputy PCC, Rachel Frosh: 'I want to be able to comment on national political issues'

12:41pm Wednesday 13th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

Hertfordshire’s former Deputy Police Crime Commissioner, Rachel Frosh, says she resigned because she did not feel able to comment on national political issues while continuing in the role.

Dr Frosh stepped down as Police PCC David Lloyd’s deputy this morning following intense criticism of her decision to retweet a quote from Adolf Hitler on her Twitter account.

She initially retweeted a post on January 31 which said "Dear Socialists embrace your inner Nazism" and had a picture of the Nazi leader with a quote from 1927 before deleting it.

However a screen shot of the tweet on her Twitter feed emerged on the social networking site this week prompting the deputy police commissioner to post an explanation distancing herself from its content.

Writing on her personal website this morning Dr Frosh, who was paid £20,000 for the two-day a week role, said: "I have been frustrated in the last two days that I have not been fully able to answer the press and twitter enquiries about that retweet - where I retweeted someone else’s link to Nazi-ism and Socialism.

"I am conscious that the Police and Crime Commissioner needs to have constructive working relations with local politicians of all parties.

"Working for him has made it difficult to answer the questions about why I retweeted the comment in the first place.

"So I have therefore resigned - because he needs to get on with his job, and I want to answer these questions, and also be able to comment on national political issues."

Dr Frosh, who was appointed to the £20,000 a year two-day a week role by Mr Lloyd following his election in November, concluded: "My considered view is that the origins of Nazi-ism do lie in traditional socialism, and when the BNP do well it is with disaffected Labour voters.

"That does not however mean that people in the Labour party or any other mainstream party have views that are in any way akin to the BNP or other racist parties.

"They should be placed apart from other parties on the spectrum - but it is still important to understand the origins of any support they have, or used to have to ensure such parties never gain power again."

Comments(6)

John Dowdle says...
3:27pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Until such time as she does something about her lamentable ignorance of political history and theory, I suggest that any thoughts Ms Frosh may have on political developments at any level - whether local, regional, national, international, or even possibly inter-planetary - she keeps to herself.
I also hope that David Lloyd, the PCC for Hertfordshire, will learn to be much more careful about who he appoints as his deputy in future and that he stops treating the position as some sort of "jolly" which he can use as a form of personal patronage.
Hertfordshire expects a responsible approach from any person in such a position of responsibility.
If he cannot or will not exercise that level of responsibility, then he too should go for the good of Hertfordshire.

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Mohandas says...
4:17pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Dear John you are absolutely correct to question the acumen / wisdom of our PCC who was elected with about 5% of the electorate who is busy cutting crime by cutting the police. That's an interesting question to ponder. Maybe the opposite is true.

One wonders whether in this growing political class in order to succeed one needs to display such contemptous behaviour. Perhaps even any attempt at sensible objective dialogue which is soundly based is frowned upon as they would rather pander to tribal politics because that's what they believe the voters understand, accept and expect.

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Wacko Jacko says...
6:01pm Wed 13 Feb 13

There's an old saying that the public gets the politicians it deserves. That's true in this case where they could have done something about getting a better candidate and actually voted, or dare I say it stood for election themselves. There are too many armchair moaners out there, and in the comments pages here. If people aren't happy with politicians of whatever kind they have the power to do something about it, get off the sofa, go and use your vote.

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John Dowdle says...
7:15pm Wed 13 Feb 13

I am surprised to read Whacko saying 'or dare I say it stood for election themselves' with regard to the public.
I had previously assumed s/he must have some sort of political knowledge and/or understanding.
However, Whacko has not mentioned the fact that PCC candidates were required to pay £5,000 to stand as a candidate in the PCC election.
I wonder how many members of the public have a spare £5,000 lying around and are prepared to risk losing it in the event of receiving less than 5% of the votes cast?
I previously wondered if Whacko really knew what s/he was talking about. This latest lapse indicates clearly - and not for the first time - that s/he does not.

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LSC says...
9:34pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Wacko Jacko wrote:
There's an old saying that the public gets the politicians it deserves. That's true in this case where they could have done something about getting a better candidate and actually voted, or dare I say it stood for election themselves. There are too many armchair moaners out there, and in the comments pages here. If people aren't happy with politicians of whatever kind they have the power to do something about it, get off the sofa, go and use your vote.
I do not remember having the opportunity to vote for this woman, nor even that the post even existed. £20k for two days work a week? So pro rata, a £50k pa job none of us was aware of or asked for, on top of the 70k he earns.

Gravy train.

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John Dowdle says...
9:51pm Wed 13 Feb 13

You did not have any opportunity to vote for this woman to be Deputy PCC. The appointment was solely in the gift of David Lloyd, the elected PCC.
Why he felt it necessary to appoint her at a cost of £20,000 per year is something you will need to take up with him.
Clearly, his judgement in the matter was poor - to say the least. Let us all hope he now decides to get on with the job he is being paid to do without trying to enlarge his own personal fiefdom at our expense.
Alternatively, he could just stand down and make way for someone equipped with better judgement.

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