| Proposal for MP's pay 08:50 - Apr 6 with 1939 views | Guthrum |
That it should be treated like Universal Credit (it is, after all, similarly funded by the taxpayer), namely any additional, outside earnings are deducted on a £1 for £1 basis, first from the basic salary until that reaches zero, then from the expenses claims.
If a politician cannot live on a salary of two and a half times the UK median income (not to mention the possibility of spousal earnings), then they are either greedy, or so out of touch with real life they oughtn't to be trusted with our economy. At least historically there was the excuse for grift (and corruption) that MPs were unpaid. But that has not been the case since 1911. |  |
| |  |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 09:06 - Apr 6 with 1873 views | NthQldITFC |
The ubiquitous corruption, on a large and small scale and seemingly in or attached to all political parties - or at least the perception of it - certainly undermines my faith in democracy, and my willingness to engage with it.
I'd totally agree with your proposal, and also say that the job of politics ought to be a career for life when you reach the upper echelons of a party, such that you are guaranteed a good income from the state, and totally precluded from gaining any other form of income. This, obviously, to prevent corrupt behaviour rewarded later.
I'd also make penalties for proven corruption harsh in jail time and asset-based scalable fines.
There are surely enough honest and dedicated people on all sides of politics who would choose to commit themselves to this life, and actually give us genuine democracy rather than the shabby and ever shabbier sham we have now. |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:06 - Apr 6 with 1812 views | wrightsrightglove |
I’ve long said that MPs should be paid the national average wage and not be allowed any other income, that would show who really wants to make a difference and commit to making the world a better place rather than a load of Eton educated fraudsters pretending they live in the real world. |  | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:21 - Apr 6 with 1778 views | chicoazul |
On a related topic I saw a job advertised by the Treasury recently which was a Digital Security manager role (or very similar forgive me not knowing the job title) which paid 57k.
57k to secure the Treasury. |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:28 - Apr 6 with 1761 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:21 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
On a related topic I saw a job advertised by the Treasury recently which was a Digital Security manager role (or very similar forgive me not knowing the job title) which paid 57k.
57k to secure the Treasury. |
Well in fairness, that’s probably more than is left in the treasury after contracts for pub landlords and yachts for lingerie tycoons… | | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:32 - Apr 6 with 1751 views | Guthrum |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:21 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
On a related topic I saw a job advertised by the Treasury recently which was a Digital Security manager role (or very similar forgive me not knowing the job title) which paid 57k.
57k to secure the Treasury. |
That's about the going rate, especially when you consider Civil Service pay for such roles is generally lower than the equivalent in the private sector. And for that you are not listened to and sidelined by senior managers (until something goes wrong).
I have friends who work in that field. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:33 - Apr 6 with 1747 views | DanTheMan |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:21 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
On a related topic I saw a job advertised by the Treasury recently which was a Digital Security manager role (or very similar forgive me not knowing the job title) which paid 57k.
57k to secure the Treasury. |
Head of Cybersecurity I believe it was. 57k if you're based in London.
It was ridiculous enough that I assumed it was a typo. |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:33 - Apr 6 with 1743 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:06 - Apr 6 by wrightsrightglove |
I’ve long said that MPs should be paid the national average wage and not be allowed any other income, that would show who really wants to make a difference and commit to making the world a better place rather than a load of Eton educated fraudsters pretending they live in the real world. |
Representation by people who live like the people? And a real motivation for driving up the general standard of living.
But if we want to attract the best like Johnson, Truss, Hunt, Rees-Mogg, Corbyn, Abbott, Starmer, et al, we need to up their salary so they are not attracted away to be CEO of a multi-national company or a professional footballer (as I am sure every single one of them would have been otherwise). |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:50 - Apr 6 with 1723 views | Simonds92 |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:06 - Apr 6 by wrightsrightglove |
I’ve long said that MPs should be paid the national average wage and not be allowed any other income, that would show who really wants to make a difference and commit to making the world a better place rather than a load of Eton educated fraudsters pretending they live in the real world. |
A role in government should be an aspirational to encourage the best people to work within it. All your idea does is encourage mediocrity. That doesnt mean we need the idiots in charge we currently have who have got in to their positions due to their background and who they know, but it should be that people that are top of their fields should be in charge of leading a country. They should have 1 job which is as an MP and the level of expenses should be cut significantly to stop them taking the mick. But their pay should be in the top 5% of the UK population. Pay rises for them should be in line with the average pay rises given to the rest of the public sector. | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:55 - Apr 6 with 1703 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:50 - Apr 6 by Simonds92 |
A role in government should be an aspirational to encourage the best people to work within it. All your idea does is encourage mediocrity. That doesnt mean we need the idiots in charge we currently have who have got in to their positions due to their background and who they know, but it should be that people that are top of their fields should be in charge of leading a country. They should have 1 job which is as an MP and the level of expenses should be cut significantly to stop them taking the mick. But their pay should be in the top 5% of the UK population. Pay rises for them should be in line with the average pay rises given to the rest of the public sector. |
I get what you are saying but how do you square the hole that too many of them have no idea what life is really like for those they are supposed to be representing?
Mainly I think the system is wrong and some form of proportional representation would remove some of the power held by the big parties that allows them to appoint anyone they want who will get voted in because of the colour of their rosette and little else. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 11:01 - Apr 6 with 1698 views | Guthrum |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:50 - Apr 6 by Simonds92 |
A role in government should be an aspirational to encourage the best people to work within it. All your idea does is encourage mediocrity. That doesnt mean we need the idiots in charge we currently have who have got in to their positions due to their background and who they know, but it should be that people that are top of their fields should be in charge of leading a country. They should have 1 job which is as an MP and the level of expenses should be cut significantly to stop them taking the mick. But their pay should be in the top 5% of the UK population. Pay rises for them should be in line with the average pay rises given to the rest of the public sector. |
That is a good point. Pay for MPs was introduced in 1911 precisely to allow candidates af all backgrounds to stand, rather than simply drawing from those with private means.
Between constituency work and the Commons, being an MP ought to be a full-time job (especially with the number of junior ministerial and private secretarial roles handed out). There shouldn't be time for other stuff on the side. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 11:15 - Apr 6 with 1656 views | Guthrum |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:55 - Apr 6 by Nthsuffolkblue |
I get what you are saying but how do you square the hole that too many of them have no idea what life is really like for those they are supposed to be representing?
Mainly I think the system is wrong and some form of proportional representation would remove some of the power held by the big parties that allows them to appoint anyone they want who will get voted in because of the colour of their rosette and little else. |
That's part of the problem with (pure) PR. It entrenches the power of the parties who are drawing up the lists of those who will get in on their vote share.
Altho a fairer distribution of seats, along with an acceptance of coalitions, does perhaps weaken the urge for factions to stick together under the big party banners.
My main gripe with pure, nationwide PR is that it would break the direct, personal link between constituency and MP, which I believe to be the bedrock of UK democracy. That ability to contact your MP for help with problems or to question policy (as was talked about in yesterday's thread). Thus I prefer either the Scottish/German dual-strand system (part PR, part constituency-based), or having larger constituencies with three or four seats distributed on a proportional basis. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 11:35 - Apr 6 with 1619 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:50 - Apr 6 by Simonds92 |
A role in government should be an aspirational to encourage the best people to work within it. All your idea does is encourage mediocrity. That doesnt mean we need the idiots in charge we currently have who have got in to their positions due to their background and who they know, but it should be that people that are top of their fields should be in charge of leading a country. They should have 1 job which is as an MP and the level of expenses should be cut significantly to stop them taking the mick. But their pay should be in the top 5% of the UK population. Pay rises for them should be in line with the average pay rises given to the rest of the public sector. |
Plenty of mediocrity in there at present but I get your point.
I also think there should be a requirement to have worked at least 5 years in the private or public sector (including armed forces etc) before becoming an MP. Frankly it’s ludicrous that so many have simply gone to private school, then a PPE degree. How can you know anything about the real world having taken that sheltered route into politics. | | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 11:58 - Apr 6 with 1555 views | wrightsrightglove |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:50 - Apr 6 by Simonds92 |
A role in government should be an aspirational to encourage the best people to work within it. All your idea does is encourage mediocrity. That doesnt mean we need the idiots in charge we currently have who have got in to their positions due to their background and who they know, but it should be that people that are top of their fields should be in charge of leading a country. They should have 1 job which is as an MP and the level of expenses should be cut significantly to stop them taking the mick. But their pay should be in the top 5% of the UK population. Pay rises for them should be in line with the average pay rises given to the rest of the public sector. |
It’s just a broken system, and there are plenty of people on or below the national average wage who wouldn’t be considered mediocre in their job, inspirational teachers, nurses, etc etc. The pay of nurses doesn’t encourage mediocrity (even though they should be paid far more) but it attracts genuinely hard working and caring people who want to make a difference, why can’t the same be said of politicians? No one goes off to study a nursing degree to aim for mediocrity, they do it because it’s a career that they know they can make a difference in. I’d much rather see someone who is embedded in their local community and who is passionate about making the country a better and more caring place than worry about whether or not they are being paid enough to encourage city bankers, lawyer etc into the role. | | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 12:24 - Apr 6 with 1513 views | chicoazul |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 10:33 - Apr 6 by DanTheMan |
Head of Cybersecurity I believe it was. 57k if you're based in London.
It was ridiculous enough that I assumed it was a typo. |
That’s the one! Absolutely deranged salary. Who are they hoping to attract? | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 12:26 - Apr 6 with 1509 views | chicoazul |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 11:01 - Apr 6 by Guthrum |
That is a good point. Pay for MPs was introduced in 1911 precisely to allow candidates af all backgrounds to stand, rather than simply drawing from those with private means.
Between constituency work and the Commons, being an MP ought to be a full-time job (especially with the number of junior ministerial and private secretarial roles handed out). There shouldn't be time for other stuff on the side. |
Once again; being in the Government is literally a second job. Who is going to run the Education dept? Who’s going to be PM? | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 13:58 - Apr 6 with 1431 views | Guthrum |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 12:26 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
Once again; being in the Government is literally a second job. Who is going to run the Education dept? Who’s going to be PM? |
Yes they are additional roles, but within the same Parliamentary system of government. Not working (or consulting) for outside business entities. Even less reason for them to take on other work.
I like the fact that Ministers (and their Shadows) are also MPs and face the same electoral jeopardy as the rest. Should increase their sense of responsibility. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 14:13 - Apr 6 with 1380 views | DanTheMan |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 12:24 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
That’s the one! Absolutely deranged salary. Who are they hoping to attract? |
People who are bad at their job at a guess. Even very good pensions won't make much difference.
You can easily get 85k as a Senior Software Engineer for a London based company and work remotely. I have no idea what they were thinking unless the job is not really what was advertised. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 14:29 - Apr 6 with 1340 views | HARRY10 |
The flaw there is that it assumes all outside earnings are declared. By the very nature of what is being paid for much is not.
It is not too difficult to have the money paid to a partner, friend etc via another consultancy firm.
One way is to pay the person for a speech. The money is paid through a third party so there is no direct link from the football club to the manager. Quite a 'Rosie' arrangement. Same with politics.
As long there are corrupt MPs this will continue. And there will continue to be corrupt MPs as long as there are no real biting sanctions. This latest Tory MP should be sacked. Any other walk of life and such a breach of trust, breaking the rules would lead to suspension, before sacking.
Owen Paterson only resigned when other MPs objected to the corrupt Johnson and the odious Rees-Mogg trying to cover up for him. Had that cover up not happened then what ? A five day ban at most.
Malfeasance in public office should see a prison sentence.
Take a look at what is currently happening in the Met - 'Met police chief says he lacks power to sack officers who pose risk to the public'
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/apr/06/metropolitan-police-mark-r
How has it come to this ? | | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 17:12 - Apr 6 with 1266 views | chicoazul |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 13:58 - Apr 6 by Guthrum |
Yes they are additional roles, but within the same Parliamentary system of government. Not working (or consulting) for outside business entities. Even less reason for them to take on other work.
I like the fact that Ministers (and their Shadows) are also MPs and face the same electoral jeopardy as the rest. Should increase their sense of responsibility. |
So it is possible to do more than one job? | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 18:12 - Apr 6 with 1239 views | factual_blue |
Yeah, but boris can't manage on less than £300k a year. |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 19:28 - Apr 6 with 1178 views | Guthrum |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 17:12 - Apr 6 by chicoazul |
So it is possible to do more than one job? |
They are additional roles within the same job - which is people elected to run the country. Much as a Deputy Head Teacher does not have two jobs, they have a teaching role and an administrative/supervisory role within the same job.
In practical terms (tho not due to any strict constitutional restriction) you can't be Prime Minister without being an MP. It's not like taking on some outside consultancy or lobbying position. | |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 19:58 - Apr 6 with 1157 views | Lord_Lucan |
What’s the U.K. average wage now - £30 - £40k??
To expect an MP to work for £75k to £100k is ok for rank and file junior MP’s but for higher and cabinet posts etc that’s madness.
We need some brains and inspiration, not village fete organisers.
IMHO of course. |  |
| |
| Proposal for MP's pay (n/t) on 20:52 - Apr 6 with 1104 views | HARRY10 |
| Proposal for MP's pay on 19:58 - Apr 6 by Lord_Lucan |
What’s the U.K. average wage now - £30 - £40k??
To expect an MP to work for £75k to £100k is ok for rank and file junior MP’s but for higher and cabinet posts etc that’s madness.
We need some brains and inspiration, not village fete organisers.
IMHO of course. |
| | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay (n/t) on 20:54 - Apr 6 with 1101 views | HARRY10 |
| Proposal for MP's pay (n/t) on 20:52 - Apr 6 by HARRY10 |
|
err, MPs get paid £85,000
If they are appointed as a minister they get an extra £20,000 to £100,000 (attorney general), depending on their job
PM is another ££80,000
I am not sure who these 'rank and file junior MPs' are | | | |
| Proposal for MP's pay (n/t) on 21:39 - Apr 6 with 1064 views | Lord_Lucan |
| Proposal for MP's pay (n/t) on 20:54 - Apr 6 by HARRY10 |
err, MPs get paid £85,000
If they are appointed as a minister they get an extra £20,000 to £100,000 (attorney general), depending on their job
PM is another ££80,000
I am not sure who these 'rank and file junior MPs' are |
Oh, ok.
Maybe we should double it then.
I would have suggested this in the first instance but I thought I might get picked on. | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
