Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:13 am  

At least that's one thing we can all be happy about.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:24 am  

We're all in it together.

[John_D]

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:50 am  

I'd be OK with it if it also came with a bar on outside earnings while in office and stricter rules on expenses. But it doesn't. So I'm not.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:05 pm  

11% for them and 1% for some of us.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:07 pm  

John_D wrote:

I'd be OK with it if it also came with a bar on outside earnings while in office and stricter rules on expenses. But it doesn't. So I'm not.

Indeed.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:12 pm  

It's still not a lot for the stature of people you would ideally want in such a role.

Whilst we might ideally love for MPs to perform for their beliefs rather than money, really we will get:
Those rich enough not to need the money.
MPs taking outside work to generate pay.
A dodgy expense system used to subsidise an inadequate pay scheme.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:40 pm  

Sir Ian Kennedy says what with other reforms around pay and expenses this increase will not cost the taxpayer an extra penny.
So just what is the problem?
Yeah,sure Sir Ian.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 2:24 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

Sir Ian Kennedy says what with other reforms around pay and expenses this increase will not cost the taxpayer an extra penny.
So just what is the problem?
Yeah,sure Sir Ian.

The "extra penny" bullcrap seems to basically be saying that it "won't cost any extra" only on the basis that the extras perks and scams some of them fiddle at the moment will instead be converted to salary. Great. You no longer need to scam it, cos we're giving you all an extra 11% so you don't have to.

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 2:29 pm  

Richie wrote:

It's still not a lot for the stature of people you would ideally want in such a role.

Whilst we might ideally love for MPs to perform for their beliefs rather than money, really we will get:
Those rich enough not to need the money.
MPs taking outside work to generate pay.
A dodgy expense system used to subsidise an inadequate pay scheme.

That's a similar excuse to the one used to justify paying CEOs £sqillions and it's utter bullcrap.

Without the increase, MPs are on a basic that is more than twice the average wage and is similar to recently qualified doctors, better than the vast majority of teachers and lawyers all of whom do not enjoy an expense system that would make an oligarch envious.

If MPs reckon they're struggling financially and could earn more elsewhere, let them resign. There'd be no shortage of applicants to replace them

Re: Christmas Cheer! MPs' pay to go up 11% : Thu Dec 12, 2013 2:33 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

That's a similar excuse to the one used to justify paying CEOs £sqillions and it's utter bullcrap.

Without the increase, MPs are on a basic that is more than twice the average wage and is similar to recently qualified doctors, better than the vast majority of teachers and lawyers all of whom do not enjoy an expense system that would make an oligarch envious.

If MPs reckon they're struggling financially and could earn more elsewhere, let them resign. There'd be no shortage of applicants to replace them

But would the applicants be any good? Is the skill set of a recently qualified doctor, majority of teachers or lawyers adequate for that kind of position?