As I write these words, the world is waiting for the results of an election which will affect the lives of us all.

I am of course referring to the US Presidential contest, where Mr Obama looks likely to earn himself another four years in the most important job in the world, much to the relief of most outside observers.

Sadly, I cannot imagine that there will be similar levels of interest shown when we go to the polls in Cornwall next week.

I guarantee there are people who just read that last sentence and thought ‘what is he talking about?’ Well, if you don’t know already, and no one would blame you if you didn’t, we are going to elect our brand-new, all singing, all dancing Police and Crime Commissioner next Thursday, November 15.

The new role, dreamt up by politicians seemingly to justify their own existence, has captured the imagination of precisely no-one, and we look set to witness one of the lowest turnouts for a national election ever seen when the polls open next week.

Some experts have suggested as few as ten per cent of voters could bother to cast their ballot in what is clearly a monumental waste of time.

What is most worrying is the cost of the whole affair. It is estimated that the government will have spent £75 million of taxpayers money on the elections by the time the winners are announced to the apathetic populace next Friday.

Surely, when the police service is facing a 20 per cent cut to its budget thanks to the austerity cuts, it is the wrong time to bring in idealogy led expensive changes to the system.

These elections are a waste of time, the public are simply not interested, and they are simply wasting vital millions of taxpayers cash