Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 The Telegraphand others are reporting that not content with bringing themsleves and parliament into disrepute a couple of years ago, MP's are at it again! Guido has the scoop on this Labour MP for Halifax who thinks it is fine to rent out her flat and pocket the cash while we pay rent on another flat she lives in! This is somehow worse than the last lot. Edit: Oh no! It is worse than that! She is renting her flat to another MP, so we are no doubt paying that as well!
Guest BlueBrett Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Can't wait to see how Milliband handles this after spending weeks calling for a bloke to lose his job over swearing
Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Author Posted 19 October 2012 There are 27 of them. Who the hell wrote the rules? If you owned a property, rented it out and claimed huosing beneift on another property you would rightly be sent to jail.
Guest MattP Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Can't wait to see how Milliband handles this after spending weeks calling for a bloke to lose his job over swearing Pretty much what I thought. Hopefully anyone caught this time will be sent to prison for this theft of public money.
Guest BlueBrett Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 So pleased Bryant is one of them. His 'holier than thou' attitude has really started to grate on me lately
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Its a product of the system, MP's salaries are far lower than they should be so they are encouraged to milk the expenses system as much as possible to make up the shortfall.
steveherbe Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 JSA isnt much either, but try fiddling that and you're inside quicker than you can say Harry Pan... Panith,,,, Pathen.... Jamie Vardy!!
Guest BlueBrett Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Its a product of the system, MP's salaries are far lower than they should be so they are encouraged to milk the expenses system as much as possible to make upthe shortfall. £65,738 per annum (for what is effectively a part-time job for most of them) plus expenses paid for all their London based duties and living costs. Not to mention the subsidised bars and restaurants inside Westminster and the fact that a significant number of them have second jobs/directorships.
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 £65,738 per annum (for what is effectively a part-time job for most of them) plus expenses paid for all their London based duties and living costs. Not to mention the subsidised bars and restaurants inside Westminster and the fact that a significant number of them have second jobs/directorships. As a stand-alone job though that is really not that much (imo). I would have thought being an MP ought to be a full-time job. We should be trying to get the very best of the country to do this full-time. But that basic salary is very average for a well educated and capable proffessional with the charisma needed to do well in politics. They could make so much more money either in the private sector or as a director.
Guest Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 As a stand-alone job though that is really not that much (imo). I would have thought being an MP ought to be a full-time job. We should be trying to get the very best of the country to do this full-time. But that basic salary is very average for a well educated and capable proffessional with the charisma needed to do well in politics. They could make so much more money either in the private sector or as a director. I'd be surprised if half of them could hold down a full time job for a year.
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 I'd be surprised if half of them could hold down a full time job for a year. Maybe, but then that kind of proves my point.
Guest BlueBrett Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 As a stand-alone job though that is really not that much (imo). I would have thought being an MP ought to be a full-time job. We should be trying to get the very best of the country to do this full-time. But that basic salary is very average for a well educated and capable proffessional with the charisma needed to do well in politics. They could make so much more money either in the private sector or as a director. Well you can look at it that way but I'd argue that many of them are career politicians and probably lack the qualifications/experience to get another job with similar remuneration in the business world (that salary is pretty much comparable with a senior manager role at a large corporate firm that people will have had to work hard all their adult lives to secure). You haven't got to be clever or well qualified to be a backbench MP you've just got to persuade enough people to vote for you (or not to vote for your opponent). You could also say that being an MP is effectively an entry level position - they don't get promoted into the role they just go straight in. Not aware of any other starting salaries in that bracket. I always thought politics was meant to be a vocation anyway, not a calculated career move.
Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Author Posted 19 October 2012 I dont think you can really argue that being an MP is a part time job. The vast majority of MPs clearly work very hard and for long hours for their constituents and their party. I read somewhere the other day the suggestion that MPs pay (and that for additional roles such as select committees and ministers) should be linked to Civil servant pay grades. Seems sensible to me. Still, a realtively modest salary is no excuse for fiddling the system to line your pockets.
pSinatra Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Andrew Robathan Apparently, he is my MP. On 24 August 2009, he was quoted in The Times newspaper suggesting that MP's salaries be increased to £110,000 In 2008/09 he claimed £111,682 in expenses which was 615th (there were 614 MPs claiming more than that!!). He voted for the war in Iraq & then voted for an investigation into the war in Iraq. He is a dinosaur who voted against equal rights for gays. Blaby is about as comfortable a Conservative seat as there is. This guys represents me, but I have no idea who he is, what he stands for or where his constituency office is?? What makes him think he is worth £110,000 a year??? How does he even warrant £65,000 a year?? I don't suppose it will be long before he starts claiming his inadequate pension & lets someone else replace him on the gravy train.
MooseBreath Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 You'd think those bitches would have learned how to cover their tracks by now. Can't be too hard to route the money so it looks legitimate. If these people can't even do a bit of skimming without being caught then I do wonder how capable they can be in their day jobs.
ADK Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Andrew Robathan Apparently, he is my MP. In 2008/09 he claimed £111,682 in expenses which was 615th (there were 614 MPs claiming more than that!!). He voted for the war in Iraq & then voted for an investigation into the war in Iraq. He is a dinosaur who voted against equal rights for gays. Blaby is about as comfortable a Conservative seat as there is. This guys represents me, but I have no idea who he is, what he stands for or where his constituency office is?? What makes him think he is worth £110,000 a year??? How does he even warrant £65,000 a year?? I don't suppose it will be long before he starts claiming his inadequate pension & lets someone else replace him on the gravy train. He's my MP too and i know little about him aswell , only that he got reprimanded by the tory party for being a homophobe. My point was more about attracting better candidates into the job. I'm not sure it should be seen as a vocation.
pSinatra Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 He's my MP too and i know little about him aswell , only that he got reprimanded by the tory party for being a homophobe. My point was more about attracting better candidates into the job. I'm not sure it should be seen as a vocation. Increasing pay for MPs is not going to attract a better candidate. Parliament is saturated with people looking out for number one, an easy ride, the celebrity & the perks. Nurses don't go into nursing because of the pay. If MPs could earn more in the private sector.......they would be working in the private sector.
Guest Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 He's my MP too and i know little about him aswell , only that he got reprimanded by the tory party for being a homophobe. My point was more about attracting better candidates into the job. I'm not sure it should be seen as a vocation. Of course it should be a vocation. And they don't really deserve more than teachers or nurses.
Jon the Hat Posted 19 October 2012 Author Posted 19 October 2012 I have said it before and I will say it again. Pay them £110k a year and no allowances. Done.
Guest Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 I have said it before and I will say it again. Pay them £110k a year and no allowances. Done. but they don't merit pay of £110,000. £65,000 with agreed and agreeable expenses is still more than they deserve. If they're not happy then let them get a normal job. They can even become civil servants and help the population with their "skills".
davieG Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Well considering they require no qualifications only that they can convince their local political party they're aligned to and get nominated. Whole swathes of them are then automatically elected in party political strongholds where they are virtually guaranteed to be elected. Tow the party line sweet talk your committee members into believing that you're the right person for the job and you're an MP on £65k a year plus expenses, perks and anything else you can legally or it would illegally squeeze out of the system, do some businesses a favour or two with your voting and open up the door for a nice directorship or three and lifetime pension when you've got bored with it all.
Guest MattP Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 but they don't merit pay of £110,000. £65,000 with agreed and agreeable expenses is still more than they deserve. If they're not happy then let them get a normal job. They can even become civil servants and help the population with their "skills". I think £110,000 is fair, if we dont pay them well we lose our best ones to the EU while it's there. They hold weekend surgerys as well, the idea MP's do nothing all day couldn't be further from the truth.
Guest Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 Well considering they require no qualifications only that they can convince their local political party they're aligned to and get nominated. Whole swathes of them are then automatically elected in party political strongholds where they are virtually guaranteed to be elected. Tow the party line sweet talk your committee members into believing that you're the right person for the job and you're an MP on £65k a year plus expenses, perks and anything else you can legally or it would illegally squeeze out of the system, do some businesses a favour or two with your voting and open up the door for a nice directorship or three and lifetime pension when you've got bored with it all. Agreed but you forgot the talk circuit after retiring and the book.
Guest Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 I think £110,000 is fair, if we dont pay them well we lose our best ones to the EU while it's there. They hold weekend surgerys as well, the idea MP's do nothing all day couldn't be further from the truth. Lots of people work at the weekends. big deal
The Doctor Posted 19 October 2012 Posted 19 October 2012 They hold weekend surgerys as well. Seems pointless, who'd trust an MP as their doctor?
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