Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Forum index | Previous Thread | Next thread
Politicial Reform Solution 10:07 - Jan 14 with 1185 viewsWarkTheWarkITFC

I'm pretty sure I have fixed politics. If anyone has any reason to disagree with any of the below do let me know.

The current political system is not fit for purpose. It's an outdated system from years gone by that quite simply no longer works in the current climate.

There are three main issues with the politicians in this country stopping them from doing a proper job for the people

1) Salary
2) Mitigation of Impact
3) Conflict of Interest

SALARY

MP's are paid an extremely significant amount of money, in some cases three or four times above the national wage. They do an important job, however they are not working for a private company as a Chief Executive or Marketing Manager. They are working for and on behalf of us - the taxpayer.

There is a reason why people bang on about nurses being underpaid. They do a bloody amazing job in difficult conditions for not a lot of money. Do you know why people do these jobs? These amazing jobs for not much money? BECAUSE THEY CARE. Because they are genuinely amazing people who actually care about helping other people. That's why. Not the status. Not the money. But because they care.

If you capped MP salaries at say £40,000 or £50,000, this would still be a very good salary, capable of attracting some very intelligent, decent people, but not enough to only attract those that are only in it for the money. You will get a balance between people that want to make a difference and people that are clever enough to make a difference. Perfect.

MITIGATION OF IMPACT

A lot of MP's come from privileged backgrounds. Of course, we now have some working class politicians that grew up on council estates, but by definition of becoming an MP and earning the salary an MP does, they are no longer a 'normal person' that identifies with the common man or woman. They are deemed to be well off and as a result of that, the impact of their decisions has far less power to alter the course of their lives.

MP's will not end up homeless, needing food banks, struggling for child care. That is that what 90% of the population could face based on the outcomes of the decisions or mistakes made by Government. But we have people running the country who can make decisions which will not have any bearing on them. That in itself is madness. There is little accountability for anything that goes wrong, because there is no fear of getting it wrong. Incredible.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

18 months on from the horrors of Grenfell there are still flats using the same lethal materials that have not been replaced. There are MP's that own companies, own property, own businesses all of which can be positively or negatively altered by decisions made by the Government. If you were due to pay £1m out of your own pocket to update the cladding on the property you own as a result of new legislation would you actually vote fairly on this?

Anyone acting as MP should have no involvement in any other business, nor should they be related to anyone that may have an impact and if this situation changes it should be declared (not forgotten as they usually claim to have been the case). All decisions taken should be based on what is actually best for your constituents. Is it any surprise so many MP's are now against Brexit when the implications on their own companies and wealth is being threatened. Absurd.

In summary, we have a group of ego maniacs on a power trip, past vast sums of money to not rock the boat and keep their cushy deal and many of those who entered politics for the right reasons probably never make it far. Those prepared to simply climb on the gravy train do.

These people will never be effected by the decisions they make, often done for their own personal, financial reasons of what works best for them, not for me or you or anyone else.

It is farcical and it's depressing that Brexit still rumbles on. A clusterf*ck of power plays by maniacs with their own interests in mind. My solution instead has perfectly capable people, earning a decent amount and wanting to do their best to keep their jobs, but not so much that they are immune to feeling the impact of any errors that they do make. Whilst making decisions on our behalf because they actually care and are one of us to all intents and purposes.

That's my political rant for the next 10 years.
[Post edited 14 Jan 2019 10:10]

Poll: How many points from 18 would Lambert need to have to actually be sacked?
Blog: Ipswich Town and the Rotten Kitchen Cupboards

0
Politicial Reform Solution on 10:28 - Jan 14 with 1133 viewsFixed_It

Haven't you just described civil servants?

Ready! Steady! Cook!
Poll: Club v. Country - which comes first for you?

0
Politicial Reform Solution on 10:35 - Jan 14 with 1127 viewsBrianTablet

Why not save cash by getting a few journeyman House of Lords peers in on loan from the Commons?

"......Paul Mariner......John Wark...... Brian Tablet...errrrrrr Talbot"
Poll: In a hellish scenario, would you rather...

0
Politicial Reform Solution on 10:50 - Jan 14 with 1114 viewsGuthrum

MPs are not paid that much (£77,379 basic) for the job they do (running the country), considering what even moderately senior people are paid in business. The whole point of introducing pay for MPs, in 1911, was to allow people without a private income to stand for election to the House.

Lopping £20k or £30k off that is not going to make a huge difference to who stands, except that it might mean an increase in those with other sources of income, who can afford to take on a relatively poorly paid position. Also a migration of talent to the private sector (as is seen in the Civil Service).

I don't actually think anyone becomes a professional politician in the hope of becoming wealthy through it. Former senior ministers may have opportunities after they retire, but that is only a very small proportion of the whole HoC. Also worth remembering that many MPs have had careers before going into politics, often in industry, banking or the law. They may actually have taken a pay cut upon entering the Commons.

If an MP performs poorly, there is a good chance they may lose their job altogether, i.e. get voted out.

Worth looking up about the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Register of Members' Interests.

A far bigger issue - and one which has a major impact upon Brexit - is the party structure within Parliament. It turns MPs from representatives of the people into servants of their party, promoting the interests of the latter over the former. It shields incompetence/inaction (through safe seats). All too frequently, it provides a distraction to the business of running the country.

Good Lord! Whatever is it?
Poll: McCarthy: A More Nuanced Poll
Blog: [Blog] For Those Panicking About the Lack of Transfer Activity

2
Politicial Reform Solution on 13:30 - Jan 14 with 1063 viewsElephantintheRoom

A noble effort but you forget the real problem with British politics - the vast number of MPs, the vast majority of whom are sitting in safe seats which renders general elections virtually pointless for the majority of voters - and creates greedy, complacent MPs with multiple jobs and consultancies. This in turn has disenfranchised tens of millions who no longer bother to vote. This in turn has magnified the Brexit problem. The best solution is to reduce the number of MPs by the proportion of the electorate who do not vote - circa 45%. If that does not focus MP minds and lead to more balanced constituencies, repeat until we have a sensible number of MPs - say 100 maximum.

Blog: The Swinging Sixty

0
About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024