Seven in ten MPs on £65k believe they are underpaid

[Waynflete]

You can't stop private business paying the going rate plus a bit more to get the right people in. The pay a politician gets is poor and if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Well as I said I don't think the pay is the main reason there are so many monkey MPs. Plenty of talented people out there earning less than 65k working for schools, health service, small businesses, charities.

And while you can't stop businesses paying what they want, the top salaries in the private sector have grown something like five times more than the average private sector salary over the past 30 years or so - partly because top bosses set their own and each others' pay. Industries themselves should find better ways to regulate that.

 

[Meade's Ball]

That is because the majority of politicians get on with their jobs quietly (in terms), serving their constituency and making the weekly journeys to London for Parliament business. But the majority of hard working MPs don't make good news in the tabloids.

True. I am no anti-MP person. I do lose respect for a bunch, particularly the Libdems, who backed the policy to raise benefits below the rate of inflation, classing the non-working as natural layabouts, but i would think a number of them will work hard for their communities and it's often that you can't from a distance see their level of toil and labour of those nearby to them. It's a shame there are so few stories to find these little "heroes" at a higher level at present.
Anyway, £65k is still enough to a job in representing their constituents out of choice with all the benefits that could come with it if one chose them.

 

[Barn Door Billy]

They are definitely underpaid. They run our country for ffs! It is a difficult, thankless job from which they can be kicked out of at any time. Anyone who thinks their job is easy is a moron.

 

[soistes]

However, despite my earlier post supporting MPS, there are a few who don't merit £65 (actually more in this case, cos the t**t is a minister).

You couldn't make this up.

Skills minister Matthew Hancock 'couldn't get out of bed' for interview | Politics | The Guardian

 

[Waynflete]

A lot of these people that are claimed to do a far better job and earn less are just not cut out for public life, it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Edit: Sorry only read the first sentence and posted... I don't want to be regulated thank you very much, if I can do what I do and earn a good days pay, then that is what it is all about, why should the private sector be regulated exactly? So that the rest of the world pick up our best talent because we refuse to pay?

On your first point that's exactly the point I originally made - our political culture currently puts off good people, so we should try to change it if possible.

On your second point I'm not talking about regulating your salary. I mean that industries and businesses themselves should find better ways to set pay levels to reflect genuine value, e.g. Including ordinary employees on pay review boards.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

On your first point that's exactly the point I originally made - our political culture currently puts off good people, so we should try to change it if possible.

No, what I mean is some people are not cut out to do it, they aren't great orators, they may not be the type of people that handle crowds well, they may not be good at paperwork (plenty of), they may even be a little promiscuous, can't take the pressure, there could be 101 reasons why, but they just are not cut out for the job, I'm certainly not cut out to do that type of job, it is unforgiving.

 

[Waynflete]

No, what I mean is some people are not cut out to do it, they aren't great orators, they may not be the type of people that handle crowds well, they may not be good at paperwork (plenty of), they may even be a little promiscuous, can't take the pressure, there could be 101 reasons why, but they just are not cut out for the job, I'm certainly not cut out to do that type of job, it is unforgiving.

Sure, I agree some people will never want to do, or be good at, the job. I think there are plenty who might be good though, but they're put off by the crappy political culture that rewards self promotion over talent. Point is, it has little to do with the salary.

 

[upthealbion1970]

They are definitely underpaid. They run our country for ffs! It is a difficult, thankless job from which they can be kicked out of at any time. Anyone who thinks their job is easy is a moron.

Underpaid and thankless is getting my disabled mrs in the shower and cleaning at 3am after an accident in bed, then changing the bed, only to be labelled a layabout as I don't have a "job" when it would cost the state north of £40k to do what I do. The difference between being on the dole and doing what I do...... £35 a week.

 

[Ernest]

Do we really need 600+ MP's in a country our size ? Why not reduce this to a quarter and quadruple their pay then everyone is happy

 

[Leekbrookgull]

£65k is more than enough for what an MP does. They're not living in the real world. Anything over £50k is far too much for them in my opinion, but admittedly I haven't really done the necessary research. Their arrogance and inflated sense of self worth is amusing though.



My M/P Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) has taken on her husband as her P/A at £45K AND HE WAS A FARMER !!

 

[Super Steve Earle]

If they didn't claim up to the same again in expenses, £65k might be a bit low. But they do. With their apparent trough mentality and alleged, sometimes proven fraudulent claims, many people now believe them to be both dishonest and overpaid. Not forgetting the wives and family they still employ despite it being against official guidance.

 

[kingcole]

If you cant live on 50K then you are too incompetant to have kids.

that really boils down to an individuals definition of living.

If I got out for a meal and can only afford cheap £10 bottles of house wine, I would not regard myself as living!

 

[Pavilionaire]

I would agree £65k is underpaid, the your average qualified, accountant lawyer etc would easily exceed that. If you wanna earn serious money you don't become an MP..

Your average accountant is on a lot less than £65k.

 

[clippedgull]

Underpaid and thankless is getting my disabled mrs in the shower and cleaning at 3am after an accident in bed, then changing the bed, only to be labelled a layabout as I don't have a "job" when it would cost the state north of £40k to do what I do. The difference between being on the dole and doing what I do...... £35 a week.

This. Carers Allowance is pitiful for what carers save the state. National disgrace.

As for the MP's, if they think they are hard done by why don't they leave and get another job.

 

[clapham_gull]

They are definitely underpaid. They run our country for ffs! It is a difficult, thankless job from which they can be kicked out of at any time. Anyone who thinks their job is easy is a moron.

They can't get kicked out any time. Once every four years and even then most are quite safe. Even if they do they have absolutely no problem whatsoever in getting employment.

To suggest a Member of Parliament (particularly at the moment) has relative job insecurity is frankly laughable.

I'm quite bored of hearing the bleating of MPs comparing their lot to the rest of us.

I'd be more prepared to listen if they treated their jobs as national service and did something else after a couple of terms or three. Try to hit it at your peak, build up experience in other disciplines but then do please piss off. For your time I'd be quite happy to pay you more.

The fact that so many obviously view it "as a career" is the reason we should be paying them less rather than more.

 

[Ernest]

They can't get kicked out any time. Once every four years and even then most are quite safe. Even if they do they have absolutely no problem whatsoever in getting employment.

To suggest a Member of Parliament (particularly at the moment) has relative job insecurity is frankly laughable.

5 years fixed term parliament now

 

[clapham_gull]

5 years fixed term parliament now

Yes sorry. Two terms and go away please. Stop treating as a career with the mild inconvenience of a general election every few years.

Couldn't care less how much they get paid or what expenses they cream off either.

The fact that a long political career has allowed one to build a property empire in the past is the biggest scandal.

Serve your country then bugger off !

 

[Ernest]

Yes sorry. Two terms and go away please. Stop treating as a career with the mild inconvenience of a general election every few years.

Most people would kill these days for a 5 year contract on £65k a year plus 'generous' expenses and a very nice redundancy package should you lose your seat at the election

 

[goldstone]

If we want the right people to be MPs we need to attract people from the business world, not have our country run by career politicians. In order to attract these people a salary of £80k+ is the minimum we would need to pay.

And it would be easy to finance without it costing the taxpayer a penny. There are currently 650 MPs. Reduce the number to 500 (more than adequate for a country our size). 650x£65k is about equal to 500x£85k.

Result: Better and more qualified people interested in becoming MPs; there are fewer of them to create mayhem in the House of Commons; no increase in cost.

 

[clapham_gull]

If we want the right people to be MPs we need to attract people from the business world, not have our country run by career politicians. In order to attract these people a salary of £80k+ is the minimum we would need to pay.

And it would be easy to finance without it costing the taxpayer a penny. There are currently 650 MPs. Reduce the number to 500 (more than adequate for a country our size). 650x£65k is about equal to 500x£85k.

Result: Better and more qualified people interested in becoming MPs; there are fewer of them to create mayhem in the House of Commons; no increase in cost.

Quite agree but if you bugger up in a company or simply sit on your arse on a salary like that they won't hang around 5 years to get rid of you.

That's the difference.