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Original poster

Furious that MP's are to get an 11% pay rise!

269 replies

Millenniumbug1 · 08/12/2013 08:42

Why? When the rest of the country is wondering how we're going to pay our heating bills, we had 30,000 deaths due to the cold last year, (many more than Switzerland), but the MPs award themselves this pay rise.
I always feel indebted to vote, but I wish we could have a box on the ballot paper which says that we don't like any of them! I just don't think they've earned an 11% pay rise.

OP posts:
kerala · 09/12/2013 12:36

What do you mean? Fair is a salary that a comparable professional would expect to receive for a job. If MPs are low paid in comparison to similar jobs fewer high quality candidates will want to become MPs. So it will attract lower quality people or those who have a private income.

PigletJohn · 09/12/2013 12:40

Oh, I see. So in your lexicon, "fair" does invlude a meaning "applies to all equally"

noblegiraffe · 09/12/2013 12:41

Is there currently a shortage of people wanting to be MPs so that the salary needs to be increased to make it attractive?
Are you suggesting that the current crop of MPs are of lower quality than you would get if the wages were higher, and that we need better quality MPs so we need to increase the salary and oust this lot?

Because otherwise, you have to argue that the current lot who went into being an MP knowing about, and happy to accept the current salary deserve a big fat pay rise, where loads of other people in different jobs on much shittier wages don't get any pay rise at all.

PigletJohn · 09/12/2013 12:41

Oh, I see. So in your lexicon, "fair" does not include a meaning "applies to all equally"

Callani · 09/12/2013 12:43

Instead of looking at MPs as some conglomerate mass, have a look at your local MP and what they do and think whether they're worthy of that pay. Are they doing enough to justify that wage?

I think that my local MP is - she works hard for our constituency, has argued for a lot of projects that have really helped the community and has spent time listening to people and taking their points on board. It also helps that she's worked prior to politics rather than being a career politician, and that she doesn't come from a political background and I genuinely believe she's trying to do the right thing.

Other MPs near us are useless - they sit in the same seats year after year doing bog all for their constituents because they think they're safe in their role and yet people just keep on voting for them - they shouldn't be getting a 11% pay rise, they should be getting replaced by someone worth the wage.

noblegiraffe · 09/12/2013 12:47

Callani, but isn't that what your MP is supposed to be doing? Has she been doing it well enough to really justify an 11% pay rise?

In most jobs, to get an 11% pay rise, how many grades would you have to go up? You'd likely have to start doing a lot more to justify such an increase.

But MPs are just going to be handed it on a plate.

farrowandbawlbauls · 09/12/2013 12:48

"particular skills, what amount is required to attract decent candidates "

A vast majority of MP don't even fit THAT criteria. How the hell you can compare them to GP's I'll never know. GP's do something that MP's never do - and that is listen. A fairly basic requirement of any job really.

GPs and Senior teachers have worked bloody hard to get where they are and deserve every single penny they get and more- MP's breeze through life of luxury, everything given to them on a plate, do fuck all in return and expect more just for breathing. Most of them can not even do their jobs properly - if it was any GP or teacher did what MP's get away with they would have been struck off in an instant and shown the door with a boot up their arse after the first major mistake or report that shows they are failing.

kerala · 09/12/2013 12:48

I think you are living in the wrong society if you believe everyone should get paid the same irrespective of brainpower/qualification/skill. Of course salaries differ. You can get furious that their salaries are higher than say a midwife. But equally in comparison to a GP, senior teacher or council bigwig they are relatively low paid. And thats not even taking into account what many of them could be earning in the City. You would splutter your lunch if you knew what junior solicitors were paid in the City - more than the PM. You may not like it but thats the way our whole system works MPs pay is just a symptom of that and it seems naive to rail against it.

SirChenjin · 09/12/2013 12:50

Not naive at all. Very sensible I would have thought to question exactly how they plan to show that 11% represents value for money rather than just dismiss it by saying it's nothing more than vitriol.

kerala · 09/12/2013 12:50

Really? I know several GPs and the MPs I know work way way harder. But thats just anecdotal. But your everything on a plate comment is wrong. Have you read Alan Johnson's biography?

That said I agree with you when it comes to Jacob Rees Mogg Grin

SirChenjin · 09/12/2013 12:53

Interesting - I know several GPs and MPs too, and the GPs work far harder than the MPs.

PigletJohn · 09/12/2013 12:53

kerala, I see you used the word "fair" but you are not comfortable with its meaning. Is English your first language?

noblegiraffe · 09/12/2013 12:54

I could be earning more in the City. I'm a maths teacher. So why aren't I being paid as much as someone in the City?

If they could earn more in the City, why aren't they working in the City? Presumably because they want to be an MP. So long as they aren't being paid buttons, the wages really don't need to be at the same level.

The question is, are the current wages high enough for recruitment purposes?

Is there a shortage of prospective MPs?

Callani · 09/12/2013 12:56

I totally see your point noble but MPs themselves don't get a say in what they get given and I'd be a hypocrite to expect someone to turn down a pay rise that I'd happily take.

I think my point is that whether you agree with the payrise, you should be assessing the MP on the quality of their work and voting for or against them on the strength of this.

In my case I think that my MP is worth £74k a year, and I think I'm lucky to have an MP worth that much because that means that she's doing enough good that she equals 3 teachers, or 4 nurses, because she is helping that many people by improving our community. I also genuinely think that if you went around my local area and asked everyone for 35p to pay her salary, most people would be happy to give it up - because she is a good MP.

Obviously lots of MPs are not good, and I think they should be replaced which is a question for voters. I also think there are a lot of public sector workers not being paid their dues which I would also change if I could but that's not the issue here.

kerala · 09/12/2013 12:57

Yes it is - thats an odd thing to say. Fair is subjective though. I think these raises are fair, you don't. Thats all to be said really.

InMySpareTime · 09/12/2013 12:59

Why do MPs work long weeks and have long holidays? Surely it'd be easier to "attract the best people" if the working conditions were looked at.
Some have cited childcare issues as a reason for high pay. How many MPs have young families needing extra childcare, and wouldn't it be great if MPs could work, say, 40 hours a week but 48 weeks a year?
Also, more people would be attracted to life as an MP if it were possible to telecommute for parliamentary sittings or job-share.
This is not simply a pay issue, perhaps a shake-up of how parliament works is due.
But that's not going to happen, because it would mean admitting that the best people for an MPs job might not be after the money, but after a way to help their community.
Heaven forbid those people should get in...

Rooners · 09/12/2013 13:00

'One of the people I know is super bright could be on twice her salary in the city but feels passionately about improving things so is in politics. It's tough on her and her little daughter. So no wont be joining the baying mob'

So your friend is earning about half a city salary? You are calling that 'tough' - I'd call it probably more than most people are ever likely to earn.

LOL at your conception of tough...do they have to use a food bank?

dontlookback · 09/12/2013 13:02

I have NC for this as am a regular on a specific board and dont want to have too much about my job etc known. .

I don't think many people realise that I got a 20% pay CUT from the government this week. I work as a medical expert in the Family Court, assessing and giving evidence the most severe types of cases of child abuse and neglect. This type of work is paid by legal aid, and our rates of pay were simply cut by 20% as of Monday this week. There was a so-called "consultation" process by government but we all knew it be a charade. We were told by MPs and ministers that the cuts simply had to be made and so, bang, 20% off your pay.

You can imagine my feelings about a pay rise for MPs!

PigletJohn · 09/12/2013 13:05

OK, kerala, so you should be (but are not) familiar with the concept of Fairness, and you use the word "fair" incorrectly.

What do you understand the slogan "We're all in this together" to mean?

kerala · 09/12/2013 13:09

Rooners you are missing the point. Of course its not "tough" in comparison to people who are struggling on benefits/disabled/unemployed. But she is in a fortunate position of being extremely talented so could choose another, easier and more lucrative job but has chosen politics because she wants to help people etc (she is on the left). She lives apart from her young daughter in the week. If I were her with her opportunities no way would I make her choices.

kerala · 09/12/2013 13:10

I think its a meaningless political slogan piglet john! Right I must do some work

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 09/12/2013 13:14

comparable wages

BakerStreetSaxRift · 09/12/2013 13:17

Kerala I went to uni with very many people who were incredibly smart, and could easily have worked in the city earning 6 figure salaries.

Some of them are doctors, lawyers, journalists, accountants, teachers, etc, because they wanted to help people. But they could have worked in the city, (as could I), so should we all be given the 6 figure salary too?

That is the weirdest rational I ever heard!

expatinscotland · 09/12/2013 13:17

Diddums. They are working 145 days next year. It is a part-time job with subsided alcohol, a breakfast budget equivalent to many people's entire week.y food budget, gold-plated pension, free second home (now what they do is rent from each other so they still get their mortgages paid), transport, free utilities, etc etc.

Oh, and free to take on consulting or other work.

And they aren't paid enough?