I think that there should be more people who are not doctors etc, but at the same time they still need to be GOOD at what they are doing.
The job involves a lot of understanding complex issues and reading a lot of difficult documents (or it should and if there are MPs who are not doing this they should be).
You NEED a certain level of education or experience or ability in maths and english. Not necessarily phD level, but you do need basics.
This DOES open up a problem in representation though and parties have a real blind spot here and aren't encouraging a range of people through the ranks at all levels.
The problem with the quality and opportunity for MPs is more down to party politics, nepotism and scratching the right backs more than money. If you come from a middle class background you have the right contacts and CV and are more likely to get picked for this reason.
It comes down to who shouts the loudest and has the most mates in the party. Thats the popularity contest that matters, not the election.
Jared O'Mara really rather proved the point on this. He was picked cos he ticked the right boxes and sucked up to the right people. And its been a total disaster for his constituents.
I wonder if there should be training courses such as apprenticeships for those who don't do so well at school to go into politics and to offer them something to overcome that disadvantage.
Not only this, but there is actually a shortage of people willing to stand across the country as it is. There's lots of people queuing up for safe seats or marginals, but real no depth beyond that. Thats a problem. It just encourages career politicians who have no connection with an area rather than locals coming through in an area who know issues well.
On the financial side, I think about how I could become an MP and how money comes into it though. I would need enough to cover child care otherwise we'd be taking a drop in the quality of life we have. We could do it now, but once we'd moved to our new house, it just wouldn't be an option without having to sell the house and downsize. And you've already stated that you don't like the idea of locum MPs. So straight away your idea means that women are less likely to be MPs than they are now. And thats already not enough. Yes I would like to see better child care policies but if women can't stand to push that, then its even less likely.
Yes, it would be nice to have a lot more MPs from less well off backgrounds who know issues that affect them, but I can't see offering a lower wage as incentivising that either.