11% Wage Increase For MP's

[Benfleet A1]

Well? Worth the rise or completely out of touch with the rest of the working people of this country.

 

[callan]

As we are all in it together....they should be in line with the public sector and no higher.

 

[Pubey]

As we are all in it together....they should be in line with the public sector and no higher.

bingo.:thumbsup:

 

[dloman]

Interesting one as most MP's and ministers from all sections of the house are telling them to basically "stick" the pay rise. Unfortunately i am not sure they can do this as the power to decide their wages was passed to an independent body a few years back.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Interesting one as most MP's and ministers from all sections of the house are telling them to basically "stick" the pay rise. Unfortunately i am not sure they can do this as the power to decide their wages was passed to an independent body a few years back.

I shouldn't think they can be forced to except it. If they want to refuse a rise then surely that is a personal right of choice. When it comes into affect however I can't see many not taking it, if any.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

*******os, useless lying scheming overpaid pigs at the trough!

 

[South Bank Hank]

*******os, useless lying scheming overpaid pigs at the trough!

I'm curious - do you really believe that about EVERY MP? Or is it just the fashion at the moment?

To everyone who says they're overpaid I simply ask: would you want to do the job?

Personally, I wouldn't do it if they quadrupled the pay!

11% is bonkers though in this climate as most MPs with even a little insight into prevailing moods seem to recognise.

 

[Neil_F]

To everyone who says they're overpaid I simply ask: would you want to do the job?

This is the point though. There is no shortage of people wanting to be MPs. It is very simple supply and demand in action. The number of MPs is fixed yet there are at least 10 people competing for each position, probably more. On that basis they should cut pay substantially. The only reason for increasing pay would be if the current level did not attract sufficient quality individuals, yet that would require the existing group of MPs to admit they are useless.

 

[A Century United]

They are the victim of their leader's complete lack of backbone over the years. Time and again they have grandstanded on refusing pay rises to make themselves look sincere and responsible, and the result is that, having told the rank and file that they could make up the missing pay rises by generous expense allowances with the resulting scandal (and rather self-righteous hue and cry from Jo Public), they now find themselves hoist by their own petard in the form of the independent pay review.

What is also not being properly discussed and disclosed is the fact that some of what they will gain from their pay rise will be lost in the form of less generous pensions and golden goodbyes. Surely the relevant figure here is what the overall increase in the running cost per MP will be, rather than the headline-grabbing large percentage wage rise.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Think it's shocking - had the same conversation on FB yesterday...

Anyway, if you want your say, here you go

http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/payandpensions/Pages/default.aspx

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.
Is that the calibre of MP that people really want to represent them?

 

[Neil_F]

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.
Is that the calibre of MP that people really want to represent them?

And why do you think paying more will attract better people? For a start paying more now would benefit the MPs you are calling monkeys. We'd have to wait for an election before we could replace them.

Politics attracts a certain type of person anyway. You could double the salary and it still wouldn't attract quality applicants.

I think we should pay MPs a nominal amount, say £10-20k and let them have whatever outside interests they want (properly declared of course). That way you would have MPs who actually knew something about the real world (since they would need to make a living in it), would act more as legislators and not the scheming, corrupt professional politicians we have at the moment.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Democracy is dead. I doubt I'll ever bother voting again. Each party are a Rizla paper apart - none follow through on their manifestos and they're all in the pockets of big businesses.

 

[Bielzibubz]

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.
Is that the calibre of MP that people really want to represent them?

The events of the last decade regarding pay and the calibre of people thereof would suggest that wages and remuneration are no indication of either a persons ability to do the job properly nor their trustworthiness regardless of whether it's in the public or private sector.

Hubris, ego and greed. Politicians of all colors have an overabundance of all three.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

And why do you think paying more will attract better people?

It seems to be a common enough belief in the city,banking etc.Um... hang on a minute....:dim:


FWIW, I happen to believe that MP's should -in the current economic climate-restrict themselves to the 1% maximum pay rises on offer for public sector workers and forgo the rest of this untimely 10% increase.

 

[londonblue]

Democracy is dead. I doubt I'll ever bother voting again. Each party are a Rizla paper apart - none follow through on their manifestos and they're all in the pockets of big businesses.

Not true. In 1997 Labour printed a large number of credit card sized promises. On it they listed everything they would achieve by the end of their first term in office. They achieved every one of them. To the point that not one reporter from the Tory press, or the tories themselves were able to pick them up on it come the next General Election.

Not only that, but they also kept to the finance promises that Ken Clarke made directly before the election, that he himself said after the election that he had no intention of keeping to should the tories have been re-elected.

I understand peoples' cynicism about politics in general, but you're actually wrong making statements such as that.

 

[londonblue]

This is the point though. There is no shortage of people wanting to be MPs. It is very simple supply and demand in action. The number of MPs is fixed yet there are at least 10 people competing for each position, probably more. On that basis they should cut pay substantially. The only reason for increasing pay would be if the current level did not attract sufficient quality individuals, yet that would require the existing group of MPs to admit they are useless.

The thing is, this isn't like most other jobs. Parties try to have as many candidates in as many constituencies as they can in order to give the impression of being a national party, when in reality most of the people standing have next to no chance of winning, and frankly probably don't have the calibre to achieve anything even if they did get elected.

 

[londonblue]

The events of the last decade regarding pay and the calibre of people thereof would suggest that wages and remuneration are no indication of either a persons ability to do the job properly nor their trustworthiness regardless of whether it's in the public or private sector.

Hubris, ego and greed. Politicians of all colors have an overabundance of all three.

Knowing at least 2 MPs personally, (one tory and one Labour) I can tell you that neither are greedy people. Both are highly qualified people that could easily earn double their MPs salary if they hadn't wanted to go into politics.

As for Hubris and ego, the tory certainly has one of those, but I'll let you decide which! The Labour MP is actually quite an unassuming and quiet person and certainly doens't show those traits...

Again, it's easy to make generalisations, but I don't think they hold up to scrutiny.

 

[Neil_F]

It seems to be a common enough belief in the city,banking etc.Um... hang on a minute....:dim:

There is a labour market for such employees. There is no such labour market for MPs. They cannot go and be an MP somewhere else.

Likewise you could find someone to replace them of equal calibre for less pay. Therefore they are overpaid.

I'm determined to get you to understand how markets work, Barna. It will be one of my finest achievements if I can manage it...

 

[steveo]

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.
Is that the calibre of MP that people really want to represent them?

Good post Barna. The wages should be higher or the capable people will work elsewere.

There was a labour MP on the radio yesterday who basically said any MP who refuses to take the rise will find himself about 6 grand out of pocket thanks to adjustments in their expenses and pensions.