How much do you think MPs and councillours should earn?

[agricola]

Thats a total lie. I said no such thing. You can spin spin spin just like the worst of our politicians (of all persuasions). But by totally - TOTALLY - misquoting me, you lose all credibility. I say again: get your facts right. I'm sick and tired of reading rants from people who think that they have the answers but can't even get the facts about a post that they're responding to correct.

Apologies, that sentence was meant to read:

It is factually wrong to suggest that, as ymu did (and as you appear to), that the pre-1911 Parliament was entirely composed of toffs.

Now please pick your teddies back up and put them back into the pram. I understand if you feel hurt at being TOTALLY MISQUOTED but, after all, it was only one letter that was in error.

 

[DotCommunist]

House them on a prison ship on the Thames and feed them ginsters.

 

[tbaldwin]

i didn't saw that inspectors were unique, did i, i said that it was a highly skilled job. teachers and nurses can and do earn in excess of 50k. also, market forces are also a factor.

right, HMRC were looking for about 300 inspector trainees last year. they got about 150 applicants who made the grade. how do you expect them to recruit anything like the right number of people if they can't pay a salary with although not comparative to the private sector, at least acknowledges that the inspectors are highly sought after?

tax inspectors earn about half what they could earn in the private sector. i think you need to look elsewhere for the reasons for the low tax take. ie. government policy, budget cutbacks and a 25% forced cut in staff.

The thing is like the police your policing a system of unjust laws. How much time is spent on policing people who work quite hard for their money compared to people who just continue to rake it in year after year,generation after generation?
Unlike the police though your personal safety is rarely at risk.

 

[doddles]

Apologies, that sentence was meant to read:



Now please pick your teddies back up and put them back into the pram. I understand if you feel hurt at being TOTALLY MISQUOTED but, after all, it was only one letter that was in error.

Where? Where did I say any such thing?

 

[agricola]

Here:

So let's make the system even worse by making sure that *no* people lacking in money and/or lacking in time enter parliament?! While we're at it, maybe we should just scrap every system that isn't perfect. Democracy would be a starter I guess...

I was talking - and you quoted it - about Keir Hardie, who had already been mentioned as someone who was not paid, and who opposed MPs being offered renumeration. You made a point that if MPs were not paid noone lacking in money would get in. YMU had made a similar point, mentioning that pre-1911 was entirely composed of toffs. Both of you were wrong - you because we have had a Commons where MPs were not paid and yet poor people got in, and ymu for factual reasons. I conflated the two because they are similar points.

Seeing as you somehow extrapolated the end of democracy from my suggestion that MPs not be paid, I think you are taking the piss somewhat in your complaints.

 

[ymu]

I was talking - and you quoted it - about Keir Hardie, who had already been mentioned as someone who was not paid, and who opposed MPs being offered renumeration. You made a point that if MPs were not paid noone lacking in money would get in. YMU had made a similar point, mentioning that pre-1911 was entirely composed of toffs. Both of you were wrong - you because we have had a Commons where MPs were not paid and yet poor people got in, and ymu for factual reasons. I conflated the two because they are similar points.

Seeing as you somehow extrapolated the end of democracy from my suggestion that MPs not be paid, I think you are taking the piss somewhat in your complaints.

Oh ffs, are you still flogging this dead horse because I worded a post a bit carelessly? How desperately weak is your argument if you can't come up with anything better?

1895 Independent Labour Party fights its first election, pulling in an SWP-esque number of votes.

1911 MPs start getting paid.

This 16 year period existed and Keir Hardie didn't think that MPs should get paid. This is all you need to know folks. No other period of British history is relevant.

You donkey.

 

[agricola]

Oh ffs, are you still flogging this dead horse because I worded a post a bit carelessly? How desperately weak is your argument if you can't come up with anything better?

Its better than yours - which appears to have the express aim of making MPs obscene pay seem to be a far more acceptable option than paying MPs £15k and ensure that everyone who earns over £50k gets 95% of it taxed, because apparently its those people who are to blame for all this greed.

 

[trevhagl]

One of the reasons the country is fucked is because MPs earn such a high wage they only associate with other rich people so have no idea what it's like for the ordinary bloke (or woman) in the street. Therefore their allegiance is always with big business

 

[_float_]

In this day and age, with today's rates of pay and workload, it seems amazing to me that anyone would be suggesting that politicians shouldn't get paid. How could anyone, except the exceedingly rich, afford to be an MP under those circumstances?

Given that some people live on benefits (ie next to nothing) then it won't make much different to them. Maybe MPs should be entitled to a council flat in Westminster, a free travel card and Incapacity Benefits - ie the same amount of money they have decided people who are unable to work due to illness or disability need to live on?

At the very least they might suddenly "rethink" benefit levels.

 

[tbaldwin]

One of the reasons the country is fucked is because MPs earn such a high wage they only associate with other rich people so have no idea what it's like for the ordinary bloke (or woman) in the street. Therefore their allegiance is always with big business

Perhaps. But 387 who are unelected and paid over £150,000 from the public purse are also part of the problem. And they hold huge power in this country. And so do people in the media like the editor of the Guardian who earns 3x as much as the editor of the Sun.
And dont even get me started on the so called voluntary sector.

 

[tbaldwin]

NHS managers received salary rises averaging 7.6% last year, frontline workers received 1.9%. Mps salaries are a bit of a red herring when it comes to the huge level of wealth inequality amongst people funded by public spending.
The Tories are now promising that anybody earning more than the PM from the public sector will need to apply for special permission from the Chancellor of exchequer!!!! Sounds unlikely i know but the continuing silence from the middle class left about huge wage differentials in the public and voluntary sector is a continuing disgrace.

 

[tbaldwin]

Lots of fake outrage about MPs expenses at the moment but how much should they earn? And how limited should their expenses be?

 

[durruti02]

an average workers wage .. govt should provide a hostel/hotel for MPs to stay in in London .. no second homes bollox.. only expenses a PA/researcher and travel

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

80 grand a year, with all expenses required to come out of this.
A pool of shared PA's/secretaries.
London residential block to be provided for MPs use
MP to be a full time job, with any other form of income illegal.

 

[dennisr]

an average workers wage .. govt should provide a hostel/hotel for MPs to stay in in London .. no second homes bollox.. only expenses a PA/researcher and travel

yep, and completely open books

 

[tbaldwin]

80 grand a year, with all expenses required to come out of this.
A pool of shared PA's/secretaries.
London residential block to be provided for MPs use
MP to be a full time job, with any other form of income illegal.

Agree with nearly all of that. But i think that MPs probably should be allowed a second job in some circumstances as long as for every £ they earn they pay back the money from their MPs wage.