MPs' pay: Watchdog can 'stick' increase, says Michael Gove (bbc news)

says a man with personal wealth estimated at £1m. Hmmm.

 

The over paid useless tossers can say that they do not want the pay rise as much as they want: They all know that they will all get it anyway as they do not have a say in it. Still, at least their expenses are getting reduced and their entitlement to a free dinner in the House of Commons if they work late!!!!

 

Where do you even start with the shower of **** MP's.

 

They are all corrupt and they criticise to look good because they know they will get the increase. Now if they publicly give the increase to charity....... ( silly me...)

 

He's a very dangerous individual is Mr Gove.

 

Come on, Gove is a tw@t at the best of times but at least on this his stance is what people are wanting from MP's. They are being criticised over the potential rise so now you have an MP saying they shouldn't get it and you still criticise.

Credit where it's due.

 

If I had the personal wealth I would forego the rise. It is as you intimate a populist move ,albeit a false one and in my opinion will be used in any argument against public sector pay increases. I'm sure Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron will also be vociferous in their rejection of the rise. 'In it together? ' of course.

 

Now where's that Like button when you need it.

 

It's all a sideshow though. Set the pay that it is determined is right but remove the complex allowances system that supports it and then ban them from making any other income from chairmanships, boards etc.

This would

a) stop rich individuals like Michael Gove flipping their homes after spending thousands on refurbishment

b) stop rich individuals like Michael Gove being open to undue influence from people with money

 

Government of the square mile

by the square mile

for the square mile ?

 

I know it won't be popular, because a lot of MPs are a right bunch of cnuts, but personally I agree with a pay rise. They do a very important job and I think their pay should reflect that. But along with that pay rise I'd severely cut what they can claim on expenses. And I'd have none of this second homes ******** either. Build some flats on the edge of London with good transport links, nothing too plush, along the same lines as nurses flats or halls of residence, kit it out with decent kitchens, laundry rooms, appliances, some TVs, add a few conference and meeting rooms, and give every MP who lives outside the M25 access to a room there. Their job requires them to be in two places, they need somewhere to lay their head down while in London, but that doesn't mean the tax payer should be paying for them to live in a fancy pad in Chelsea. If they want to do that and they're rich enough they can buy their own with their own money. Otherwise, it's in to those MPs flats.

No more claiming for rent/mortgages, or home improvements/maintenance, or kettles, bog seats, flat screen TVs, duck houses or moat clearing. Their accommodation is provided.

Give 'em a decent wage up front that we can all see and cut out the way they can triple their wage through the back door.

 

That.

 

I'm sure Al- Qaeda would love a target like that !

Good idea though

 

Even more reason to build it.

 

That's the one

 

Just like Tony's and Gordon's.

 

We should pay 'em £125k but like other contracts in the proper World that is their only job. No consultancies, no second homes etc. £125k is more than reasonable.

PM should be on £500k. Ministers £250k

 

Agree with this, and Jay - the salary should be increased to reflect the fact that it is an important job.

I also agree with the theory that an increase to a salary commensurate with the job they do would attract better quality candidates. For example, The PM, running the country, earns less than any chief executive in a decent sized company, including many CEOs in local authorities. Ministers earn significantly less than the top people in the depts they are meant to be heading up - eg. Gove is the Education Minister responsible for education policy across the country and earns less than many large high school head teachers. MPs earn less than many ordinary Joe's on a half decent salary. I know that MPs rank somewhere alongside paedophiles in popularity stakes but if they were paid decent salaries then perhaps we would get people with good real life working and management experience as MPs instead of career MPs who fancy the limelight because they already are weathly enough to not worry about the salary.

 

He can afford to say these things, it makes him look good, but at the same time I bet he will end up on the board of some company who he has helped while he was a minister.

 

The wealthy go into politics so that they and their class can remain wealthy. At Eton or Harrow you learn to honour and serve your class mates, that is why they are in it. They don't care about the country as long as it serves them to keep their class on top.