![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
This is an entirely different problem. Human nature is that people will maximise benefit within the terms of an agreed set of regulations. Just like I'm sure many of the people deriding MP's do every month when submitting expenses themselves - if they are entitled to claim for something they almost always will. The issue here is that the regulations were crap/outdated/otherwise not fit for purpose.
Keeping in the family. Mp's give spouses £1.3m pay rise.
- Thread starter Kronos
- Start date
This is an entirely different problem. Human nature is that people will maximise benefit within the terms of an agreed set of regulations. Just like I'm sure many of the people deriding MP's do every month when submitting expenses themselves - if they are entitled to claim for something they almost always will. The issue here is that the regulations were crap/outdated/otherwise not fit for purpose.
[TW]Fox;27313583 said:
Given the history of the expenses scandal there were almost no rules as to what could be claimed for, some MP's were claiming for horse manure.
I think we would both admit that the private sector is far more stringent on allowances and claims.
Actually it's highly like they are - not many other people will be content to be answering work related questions or sorting something else for admin level salaries at 11pm on a Sunday evening which I'd be amazed if many of the spouses don't do currently. If the MP has a 9am meeting on a Monday and realises at 9pm he needs XYZ for ABC they are going to ask the spouse to assist - and I'd imagine they'd do so happily.
Whereas if you or I were working for them and they called at 9pm on a Sunday and said 'Can you get me XYZ within the next hour?' we'd have a rather different answer
Employing a spouse fits the nature of the role quite well - they are a personal assistant and it's hard to see how somebody to whom you are married or otherwise co-habiting wouldn't be ideally suited if they have the skillset.
It's not a 9-5 office job.
The trouble is they are elected so there is no way to do the first bit without doing the second bit.
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
Do we want mp's who do it for the money or do it for the love of serving thier country though?
I think if it's the latter, then £67k a year is more than adequate. After all, the government and most of the public seem to want to apply the same argument to teachers and nurses.
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
Except £67k isn't peanuts though is it? It puts you in the top 3%
Associate
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Is anyone actually allowed their say in this without being shouted down by the same person?
He's probably just defending his dad's wage and the allowance he receives from expenses. Lol.
[TW]Fox;27313484 said:
6:15 in from this BBC politics video, MP Nadine Dorries explains why many MP's would leave parliament if the wages were capped at 100K and MP's were not allowed to earn money outside their role as an MP.
Cash for honours and cash for questions is a brazen example of why wealthy people in business would seek out anybody in local or national government to tilt the odds in their favour. Even at a local level involving small companies you start to understand the advantages of being friendly with an elected councillor or indeed being in a position with direct influence.
Whether an MP is worth the money is entirely subjective, as people are looking out for their own interests. No doubt you have many MPs who work very hard for their constituents, but they cannot represent everybody in a given area; and to those people that MP is a lazy expenses fiddler.
I don't necessarily believe that paying high wages will attract the best type of person to be an MP, you have thousands of people all over the country doing outstanding work representing their communities for nothing.
Haha, I've never even spoken to an MP in my life (Which is perhaps a silly admission as having zero experience of an MP doesn't exactly add weight to the relevance of my views)
Just thought I might add some balance to the constant anti everything posts that GD is full of these days
We'll that is part of the problem. MPs are so grossly underpaid many of the best will be working elsewhere for 2-3x that amount and much less stress.
So do you agree that we should be driving salaries down across the board or just the "rich" people?
How about losing your job and being jailed?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25492017
That was just the first link on google...
It is laughable to suggest you cannot live in the UK comfortably off of £67K + benefits. So if an MP tells you the most important thing to them is representing constituents in parliament then they will find a way to live off of £67K. If an individual puts a large salary ahead of the responsibilities of an MP then I would suggest they are not the right person for the role anyway. I think you will find that very large numbers of professional people in this country earn less than their potential due to "ethics".
I think its a total myth that simply offering big wages will bring in the best MPs, earning millions for shareholders won't make you a good MP. We already have a problem with diverse representation in parliament, if the pool of potential MPs included even more candidates from wealthy or corporate backgrounds then you have a system that is even more London centric.
So you suggest the way to get the best calibre of people to represent the citizens of the UK, run the country in a global economy through times of peace, war and terrorism and then have to reapply for your job every 5 years for your career is to pay £25k?
Yep, I can see how that would attract capable people...
It's not a problem with MPs, it's a problem with you, and me, the electorate. These people aren't given jobs, people vote 'em in every 5 years, don't like it, do something about it. It's a bit like the scandals for the Sun and Mirror, everyone like to claim the moral high ground and have a moan about these evil newspapers and reporting, the editors have quite clearly said if people stop giving them money to print this stuff, guess what, they'd stop doing it. If everyone in the Uk got up tomorrow morning and said they were no longer buying "the daily mirror" guess how long it would last? The same for politicians. So many people blindly vote tory or labour because their family always have irrespective of the candidates merit its no surprise who we get. Unfortunately you get the politicians you deserve.
Thank god for Sir Humphrey making sure politicians in power don't actually tinker too much with the important stuff
Yep, I can see how that would attract capable people...
It's not a problem with MPs, it's a problem with you, and me, the electorate. These people aren't given jobs, people vote 'em in every 5 years, don't like it, do something about it. It's a bit like the scandals for the Sun and Mirror, everyone like to claim the moral high ground and have a moan about these evil newspapers and reporting, the editors have quite clearly said if people stop giving them money to print this stuff, guess what, they'd stop doing it. If everyone in the Uk got up tomorrow morning and said they were no longer buying "the daily mirror" guess how long it would last? The same for politicians. So many people blindly vote tory or labour because their family always have irrespective of the candidates merit its no surprise who we get. Unfortunately you get the politicians you deserve.
Thank god for Sir Humphrey making sure politicians in power don't actually tinker too much with the important stuff
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Soldato
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Put all MP's on minimum wage. Watch how quickly things change then!
I'd be happy for them to have a pay rise if what they did at work was public knowledge. I'd want a website where we can check what time they clocked in and out you know like employers do for employees. I'd also ban them from having other incomes from private companies including collecting checks for dinner speeches.
Should this apply to all employees even in the private sector?
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The more you pay, the more snakes you get?