M.P's to get 10% rise....

[grayx]

How fcuking dare they?  Makes my piss boil.

[Iberian Red]

It's because all those poor Etonians don't want to shout a round at Charles Kennedy ' s funeral.

[IC1967]

They should get a lot more.

Pay peanuts, get monkeys. Just look at what a state Labour are in. At least a lot of the Tories are already rich and can do the job for peanuts because money is not a big issue for them. That's why they piss all over Labour. Tory MPS are of a far higher calibre.

[bobjimwilly]

Tory MPS are of a far higher calibre.

You mean like this chap?

[IC1967]

Educated at Eton. No money worries. Bags of personality.

I could go on. What more do you want?

[bobjimwilly]

You DO realise you don't have to be bright to get an education at Eton, don't you?

You ask what more do I want; how about a politician I can take seriously?

[grayx]

They should get a lot more.

Pay peanuts, get monkeys. Just look at what a state Labour are in. At least a lot of the Tories are already rich and can do the job for peanuts because money is not a big issue for them. That's why they piss all over Labour. Tory MPS are of a far higher calibre.

What a dick...

[BillyStubbsTears]

I've only known one Tory MP personally. Tobias Ellwood. MP for Bournemouth East. We sparred as student politicos back in the day.

He was as thick as a bucket of monkey spunk, but had that natural "born to lead" air to him.
He once gave an impassioned speech at the Student Union decrying Nelson Mandela and saying that there were other people in South Africa that more deserved our support. "Like Steve Riko for example."

Silence.

"Eh? Never heard of Steve Riko, eh?"

Titters.

"It's not funny. He was killed in custody."

Shout from the audience. "It's 'Biko' you pillock."

"Err? Ahh yes! Yes of course. Steve BIKO."


I despair that this is the calibre of some MPs that get seats for life.

[RobTheRover]

Did anyone catch the new Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan (https://www.gov.uk/government/people/nicky-morgan), on BBC Breakfast this morning, talking about the Tory's plans to force all "failing" schools to become Academies?

Charlie Steyt asked her how many existing academies are failing, and she fell to pieces.  Started giving the old politicians classic "This isnt about existing academies...." swerve line.  Made a right t**t of herself.  Charlie pushed her for a bit with a couple of "That wasnt the question.  Do you know how many Academies are failing?" comments, but in the end let her off the hook.

[Mike_F]

I've worked for a few reasonably sized companies in the grocery industry and seen many a director/senior manager paid much more than the people we put in charge of the country when the sum of their responsibility is essentially flogging sweets or pies to retailers (or putting together the teams to do so and deliver their numbers for them).

I reckon the going rate for an MP should be around £150k. It might attract a clutch of brighter and more skillful people into the job rather than the silver-spoon tosspots inhabiting many a constituency at present. Of course there are a few driven ideologists in Westminster but you can count them on the fingers of one hand.

[Wild Rover]

Consider this. In Ireland a branch manager of Aldi earns 100,000 euro ( £75K) roughly. An are a manager 135,000 euro (£100K ). They live in the area they work. MPs are in London most of the time ( say 4 days), then home to constituency stuff for 3 days. Not a great time either home or away.
In Ireland did you know the Tesoich ( excuse spelling ) is paid more than US President. and members of "Dail" are paid infinitely more than UK MPs.
£100K is a good starting figure for a MP. Having said that, its actions needed from MPs not just being eloquent speakers.

[wilts rover]

I'm sorry but anyone who choses to go into politics to make money shouldn't be in politics. MP's should be paid the average wage, and that would give them an incentive to raise everyones wages not just their own.

[GazLaz]

An average wage for such an important job?? Crazy. £150k is about right I think. Need to tray and attract the best like Mike said.

[wilts rover]

The best at what? Being told what to do. If you want a crane driver to do a job you go and find someone who has been trained to do it and knows what they are doing. If you want an MP you get what you are given, mine is a doctor from the Royal Navy, the next constituency along is a farmer. Do they decide what the country's defence or agricultural policy is going to be in the years to come? No the government commissions experts/outside agencies/universities to compile reports and then the cabinet tells them which way they are going to vote. What they know is irrelevant.

We need a whole new political system if we are to get the best brains running the country, not a tranch of richer MP's.

[grayx]

An average wage for such an important job?? Crazy. £150k is about right I think. Need to tray and attract the best like Mike said.

Or just attract the plain greedy t**ts.

[IC1967]

I'm sorry but anyone who choses to go into politics to make money shouldn't be in politics. MP's should be paid the average wage, and that would give them an incentive to raise everyones wages not just their own.

You're just jealous of an MP earning £150k because they'd be on more than 10 times what you are.

It's a very tough, demanding, important job. Pay MPs the right money and we'd have far fewer clowns in the Labout Party.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Wilts

You're not doing justice to how Parliament works.

1) a large number of MPs are junior ministers or shadow ministers. These have a crucial role in developing and implementing the detail of policy (often with budgets running into the billions of pounds) and, on the Opposition side, questioning and proposing alterations to Bills. This requires a high level of expertise and managerial ability.

2) The very best of backbenchers perform brilliantly in the Select Committees, where they hold the Executive and civil servants (and leading industry figures) to account. This is Parliament at its best.

I agree that there are some who are lobby fodder, but even these have a job to do to represent issues relating to their constituency and learn how to pull levers and call in favours.

To my mind, paying them less than the deputy head of a big comp is ridiculous and is bound to put off some first-rate possible MPs.

[wilts rover]

Perhaps so Billy but what are there, 150 members all told on these committees, thats 25% of the HofC.

Should we pay our teachers more? And doctors? And university professors? And civil servants? Why are they less important to the society we live in?

I think you will find that when MP's pay goes up - so will that of the deputy head of that corporation too. That's the way capitalism works.

As I said previously, anyone who goes into politics for the money shouldn't be in politics.

[wilts rover]

I'm sorry but anyone who choses to go into politics to make money shouldn't be in politics. MP's should be paid the average wage, and that would give them an incentive to raise everyones wages not just their own.

You're just jealous of an MP earning £150k because they'd be on more than 10 times what you are.

It's a very tough, demanding, important job. Pay MPs the right money and we'd have far fewer clowns in the Labout Party.

  zzzzz

[Dagenham Rover]

I'm sorry but anyone who choses to go into politics to make money shouldn't be in politics. MP's should be paid the average wage, and that would give them an incentive to raise everyones wages not just their own.

You're just jealous of an MP earning £150k because they'd be on more than 10 times what you are.

It's a very tough, demanding, important job. Pay MPs the right money and we'd have far fewer clowns in the Labout Party.

Hey up Micks made another "deliberate" typo 

[BillyStubbsTears]

Wilts

It's not a question of people going into politics for the money. It's a question of whether very good people are put off going into politics because of the pay cut that they would have to take. That is a subtly different take on things.

I'm nowhere near the calibre of person that we ought to have as MP. But if I DID do that job, I'd have to take a pay cut AND see far less of my family because of the demands of the work. That is barmy.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

We don't pay you anything and look what we've got.

[River Don]

Wilts

It's not a question of people going into politics for the money. It's a question of whether very good people are put off going into politics because of the pay cut that they would have to take. That is a subtly different take on things.

I'm nowhere near the calibre of person that we ought to have as MP. But if I DID do that job, I'd have to take a pay cut AND see far less of my family because of the demands of the work. That is barmy.

Not sure BST

I think the job of an MP is very much a public service. I want people like Dennis Skinner who really believe they want to give something.

The problem with politics is it is often driven by personal gain. I want people who really want to make a difference. People who want to give.

The problem is wherever there is money there is corruption. See FIFA for details. Human nature is a largely sickening.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RD

I agree that you want a leavening of Skinners. But God f**king help us if Parliament was totally taken up by Skinners!

Most of what Parliament does is technocratic. It requires managerial and forensic ability, not rabble-rousing. and it requires 100 hour weeks at the desk.

In short, good MPs have the sort of skill set that could command VERY big salaries in the outside world. Yes, there will always be a few who have easy seats and do f**k-all. But we shouldn't base our belief system on them. We should shine a spotlight on them and make the f**kers squirm. For the rest, we should make sure that there is a material incentive to get the very best into Parliament.

Go back to 1840, when MPs weren't paid at all. Back then, only those with Property behind them could stand for Parliament. That means you'd have a Parliament full of MadMicks. There's a thought...

[River Don]

BST

If you go down the road of saying we just need the 'best' people, that plays into the hands of the Olde Eton elite we have now, doesn't it? A country run by lawyers. We need more people in government from different backgrounds if you ask me, doctors, engineers, scientists.

I just feel we need to pay MPs a good salary but not a fantastic salary. Those in senior government positions should probably earn more.

But really I want passionate people who want to give something.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RD

No. The Eton Elite have other sources of funding. What we need to do is to get the very, very best of the working class to aspire to Parliament rather than financial services.

I couldn't agree more that we need Doctors, Scientist and Engineers in Parliament. We desperately need them. But the best of those can earn £250k pa in their profession. Why on earth would they take a 75% pay cut to offer themselves up to the vagaries of a half-educated electorate?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Welcome back by the way. You've been missed.

[River Don]

RD

No. The Eton Elite have other sources of funding. What we need to do is to get the very, very best of the working class to aspire to Parliament rather than financial services.

I couldn't agree more that we need Doctors, Scientist and Engineers in Parliament. We desperately need them. But the best of those can earn £250k pa in their profession. Why on earth would they take a 75% pay cut to offer themselves up to the vagaries of a half-educated electorate?

Because, politics is a public service and it should be.

You would get the wealthy who would do it as they always have and passionate left wing people who do it out of principle.

[River Don]

Welcome back by the way. You've been missed.

thanks, I've had a lot on lately as you can probably guess.

[Glyn_Wigley]

RD

No. The Eton Elite have other sources of funding. What we need to do is to get the very, very best of the working class to aspire to Parliament rather than financial services.

I couldn't agree more that we need Doctors, Scientist and Engineers in Parliament. We desperately need them. But the best of those can earn £250k pa in their profession. Why on earth would they take a 75% pay cut to offer themselves up to the vagaries of a half-educated electorate?

I had the thought that when they were reforming the Lords under Blair, it would have been a decent idea, in order to get specialists into Parliament, to widen the Lords Spiritual and the Law Lords concept. At the moment, the holders of certain bishoprics and law appointments are automatically members of the House Of Lords, regardless of who they are. That principle could be widen out so that holders of certain other positions - Head of the CBI/TUC/BMA/RCN/branches of the armed forces/Bank of England/Royal Institute/ACAS/Shelter/RSPCA/etc./etc./take your pick could also be made members of the Lords so that their specialist knowledge could be called upon when debating legislation.

In this way, they wouldn't have to give up the salary that goes with their job as it's their job that gives them the place in the Lords, in the same way the bishops and the lawyers are.