To think Piers Morgan has a point?

[Bluebellpainting]

Personally not a fan of Piers Morgan and his interview style annoys me with the constant interruptions. However when questioning the health secretary I did think he had a point about taking a pay cut. Matt Hancock was quite quick when asked to suggest that footballers should take a pay cut but isn’t willing to do the same himself. My husband and I disagree but wondered what others thought. AIBU to think the Matt Hancock is being hypocritical by suggesting others should be taking a pay cut but not being willing to take one himself?

Typical Premier League footballers have assets worth between, say, £5 -50 million. The very elite might have something like 100milliln. - eg someone like Ozil is worth an estimated $100 million.
There are about 1000 people in Britain with a net worth of over £100milllion. So that is to say, in a list of the UKs richest people, you’d probably see no more than a dozen footballers (ie the very, very wealthiest Premier League players like Ozil). And even they would be right at the bottom of the list.
Conclusion: stupid government posturing, attacking an easy target to try to score points with the public.

If all UK politicians take a 20% pay cut...then so what?! It would be a tiny drop in the ocean. What the point? To make some virtue signalling gesture to appease the British public?

To make some virtue signalling gesture to appease the British public?

This appears to be what people want. I would rather that our politicians were paid well and worked hard.

Footballers could step up and request a pay cut couldn't they? They have haven't they? Of course that means they are paying less tax so let's think the big earners would have been paying 40% tax, so taking a 20% paycut isn't much of a sacrifice is it. The point is it isn't for Matt Hancock to be deciding particular groups should have to give money, why not let them give their support to whatever group they want to support. Matt Hancock said this morning he gives to charity, should he have to tell us how much and who to? I don't think so, people are entitled to deal with these things as they think fit and if they want to do it without telling the world and his wife that should be their choice.

Generally I don't like the virtue signalling of people who have to tell everyone what they are doing, I do understand exceptions like Piers Morgan kicking off the snowball effect for Captain Tom by immediately saying, "Here's £10k to get things moving." but generally I think charity giving is a personal matter.

I was more annoyed by Hancock claiming that we were one of the best prepared countries going into the crisis. You can see the Conservatives are already doing their utmost to rewrite history.

I am very far from a Tory, can't stand this cabinet and think they're not handling this remotely well. But. Whatever my dislike of the guy, I can't imagine that Hancock isn't working his arse off at the moment and while they earn a good salary, it's hardly footballer level.
Plus plenty of them are independently wealthy so the whole thing would be a bit of an empty gesture.

I would rather that our politicians were paid well and worked hard. Working hard is all very well, working effectively is more important. Matt Hancock won't admit it but not enough has been done for care home residents or workers.

Personally I'm a bit sick of his, "I'm working day and night" Let's be honest he isn't working 24 hrs a day.

plenty of them are independently wealthy so the whole thing would be a bit of an empty gesture

All the more reason for them to lead by example as in NZ.

Pretty sure Piers Morgan will be earning more than any MP. What exactly is he doing about his own pay cut? Self serving twat

Also - I am no fan of how the Government have handled this whole situation, but who does he think he is to ask a question and then shout the whole time over the answer?

As long as Piers Morgan also takes a pay cut.
I think Piers Morgan is hypocritical to suggest anyone still working should take a pay cut unless he also does.

I can't stand Jacinda Ardern. There. I said it.

Piers Morgan is so un peaceful. I feel sorry for his kids and wife.

Even when he's right he's an arse.

The NZ prime minister has taken a 20% pay cut

"Ms Ardern's salary is NZ$471,000 [£225,000], a comparatively high amount for a country with a population of only 5 million people."

Her salary is huge compared to our MPs. She is also a wokey so am not a fan.

Ms Ardern's salary is NZ$471,000 [£225,000], a comparatively high amount for a country with a population of only 5 million people."
Is that the going rate for a prime minister in NZ? If it is and she didnt set it herself I don't see the issue.

I think the point about footballers taking pay cuts are the clubs are furlonging low paid staff; cleaners, grounds men, admin staff etc but footballers were taking their full wage. The idea being footballers take a very small pay cut which will pay for the clubs regular staff to receive full wage which in turn will mean the taxpayer doesn't have to pay back more. It's nothing to do with them earning loads of money.

Matt Hancock is probably working harder than normal, he's still out working and attempting to keep the county running. I doubt his wage is anywhere near what motor mouth Morgan earns.

Piers Morgan doesn't seem to have offered to take a pay cut or donated to a charity supporting food banks/elderly/ vulnerable. I'm sure if he had he would be banging on about how amazing he is.

People like Rees-mogg earning of the back of this isn't any worse than Tesco's profits skyrocketing (even tho they have attempted to reduce rent ) some companies will profit due to the nature of the company.

New Zealand again;

"There have been critics and rebels.The police have been ordering surfers out of the waves.The health minister was caught - and publicly chastised by Ms Ardern, who said she would have fired him if it weren't disruptive to the crisis response - for mountain biking and taking his family to the beach."

Nicola Sturgeon asked her chief medical officer to resign for visiting her second home.

Footballers are still working, there's zero doubt about that. The fact that they can't train and play as normal simply isn't a refutation to that. Otherwise none of the people who are working in a way that isn't their normal way wouldn't be working either, which is clearly incorrect.

And it's true, it is very telling that he was quick to pick on footballers but not other groups with high incomes. There are lots of reasons why that might be the case and none of them are good.

Her salary is huge compared to our MPs. She is also a wokey so am not a fan.

Piers, is that you?

My whole family are key workers and are either working harder/longer for the same or less money.
For those in your family working harder/longer for less money, why is that?

Flynn, you are exactly right. It was because it was in the news that day that a few big and rich football clubs had paid massive dividends to their owners at the end of March, then announced that they were furloughing staff (at the tax payer's expense) and cutting other staff pay by 20% but not cutting footballer pay. An odd set of priorities. Taxpayers money is being provided to keep businesses afloat and staff on their pay roll so that the iconic recovery after this is quicker. It is not meant to be there to allow rich men to continue to pay themselves obscene amounts of money. After it was in the headlines there were some mutterings about football players setting up a fund for the club employees, but that has all gone quiet, so it would appear that nothing has happened on that front.

Matt Hancock didn't set out to talk about footballers. He was asked a pointed question. He could have wriggled out of answering it, but people don't like slippery politicians. If he had said it was not his concern that football clubs are abusing the furlough scheme then he would have been taken to task. What he said wasn't offensive. It is bizarre that Piers Morgan should be defending their obscene salaries and twisting what was actually said. Surely we all have more important things to worry about than the financial wellbeing footballers.

economic, not iconic

She was also interviewed on Sky, much more polite, low key but again she was broadly grinning through out. I

Oh ok then. But perhaps that is her "awkward questions face". What's her name Patel has a sneery face when interviewed .

New Zealand PM and politicians are taking a 20% pay cut in solidarity with people being furloughed.
I certainly don't think our MPs deserve the extra 10k they can claim for the 'extra expenses' of working from home.