It wouldn't improve the quality of the current ones, no. But it would definitely attract better people in the future. £90K is decent money, but it's not exceptional money by any means at all, and would be absolutely nowhere near enough to make me want to go anywhere near that job. f*** that. The fact that you can make more money as a train driver than as an MP is insane.
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[Politics] Are Labour going to turn this country around?
- Thread starter Flounce
- Start date
I don't disagree with most of this, but I do disagree with you if you think we'll see the back of morons in the commons. Lee Anderson is a prime example - he's been parachuted into a charlatan party as a "man of the peepel" and continues to be an absolute gimp. I can't see how upping the salary for MPs prevents similar charlatan parties from forming in the future. And really, are our MPs any better or worse than those abroad? There's an argument than most are actually better.
I think over a generation, your average class of MP would improve. You'd never get rid of all the ****s though, obviously.I don't disagree with most of this, but I do disagree with you if you think we'll see the back of morons in the commons. Lee Anderson is a prime example - he's been parachuted into a charlatan party as a "man of the peepel" and continues to be an absolute gimp. I can't see how upping the salary for MPs prevents similar charlatan parties from forming in the future. And really, are our MPs any better or worse than those abroad? There's an argument than most are actually better.
I don't know the answer to your last question, but I do know that our current lot are worse than the generation before them.
Wes Streeting on Newsnight.....deeply impressive.
They said the same about referees when they went fully professional.
NHS waiting lists down for the fourth month in a row… and that’s during winter.
Looking forward to the media getting their teeth into getting that story out there. …Oh, wait!
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/02/waiting-list-falls-as-nhs-staff-treated-record-numbers-last-year/
It is still a nightmare, but Streeting sounded like someone who knows huis stuff, has short, medium and long term plans, is flexible, and is constantly listening and adjusting, and has 'this must be made to be better' embedded in his core programme.
A million miles from the slogans and gimmicks and immutable cod doctrine (how can a party that has always opposed the NHS have a 'plan' for it?) of the previous government's parade of failure-gimps.
GoldstoneVintage
Well-known member
Latest Gary's Economics video addresses the precise question raised by this thread, but not in a good way. 
I guess it’s whether you are motivated by money or service.
There needs to be a balance between the two.
Someone like Farage who has a deep love of money has managed to make politics pay extremely well, he is not bothered by his constituency surgery or taking up issues of individuals, he has way too many media commitments and trips to the US to bother about that. He never turned up to do his job as an MEP either.
I think hard right wingers find it impossible to believe MPs do it for anything other than the money and that hard left wingers can not understand why these roles should not be voluntary.
On reflection, I think we have it about right. Anyone wanting more than £90k pa (bearing in mind ministers get a load more plus MPs have very generous expenses) would be in it for the money, not the concept of service.
portslade seagull
Well-known member
Looks like they might be hamstrung by having to increase defence spending due to Tango man throwing all his rattles out of his pram
Yes, it doesn't help, but an increase in defense spending is urgent IMO.
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
Might need to reverse the Tory employee NI cuts and tell the farmers their inheritance tax will be 40%.
An election loser to reduce the net pay of 28m?
- Jul 10, 2003
- 28,507
I didn't come here for a lecture in communism.
Well it's only been increased for a few months.
And throwing that couple of quid to the 28M at the last minute before the election certainly didn't turn out to be the Election winner that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt hoped it would
The other thing with the £90k a year is that if you lose your seat at an election you’re out of a job in an instance (is there a severance package?). Most other jobs paying that level don’t tend to come with much risk of losing your job that abruptly.
portslade seagull
Well-known member
Likewise when they fanfare a 1p cut in personal income tax not sure anybody notices the difference. Would rather it is used towards the NHS, Police and so on rather than a cheap bribeI didn't come here for a lecture in communism.
Well it's only been increased for a few months.
And throwing that couple of quid to the 28M at the last minute before the election certainly didn't turn out to be the Election winner that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt hoped it would
I didn't come here for a lecture in communism.
Well it's only been increased for a few months.
And throwing that couple of quid to the 28M at the last minute before the election certainly didn't turn out to be the Election winner that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt hoped it would
I was against it .... because the sums didn't add up, we couldn't afford it. It was a political trap, without or with 2024 Tory election success, set to make Labour seem bad if they ever threatened to reverse it, etc.
The media and social media, which has a huge influence on GE's now, would have a field day if "hard working families are hit".
Hence, Reeves it appears isn't reversing it.
- Jul 10, 2003
- 28,507
Exactly, but what worries me is that we are both fairly normal, run of the mill blokes of average intelligence who could see and understand it a mile off, so who was it aimed at
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Exactly, but what worries me is that we are both fairly normal, run of the mill blokes of average intelligence who could see it a mile off, so who was it aimed at
Floating voters who'll happily abandon both Labour or Tory, borne out by Labour being down 8.7% in polling since July. For all the sentiment of better NHS, personal finances/economy has often been a huge driver of voting intentions in the UK (and US). Not so sure about other places e.g. Sweden and Finland?
- Jul 10, 2003
- 28,507
I thought we were all floating voters. Certainly i've voted for all the major parties over the years (and I'm pretty sure you said similar), so why didn't we believe in the NI cut ?