We shouldn’t pay them, but we should freeze all their assets on election thereby forcing them to claim benefits through the normal channels. This would achieve two things: ensure that only people who really want to make a difference would stand; and dramatically improve the benefit system.

All those details they give in their manifesto etc are just bunch of hot air to be honest.

Very true. However the business* you are choosing to vote for doesn’t actually have a manifesto.

*to be very clear, they are a business, not a party. This means they have income, not donations. Income is covered under different rules from donations.
Limited liability company filing rules allow the Brexit Party to trade past the date of the General Election and not file its accounts (dated back to 31 December 2019) until August 2020. It won’t have to declare its ‘persons of significant control’ until 21 February next year and that won’t be available for public scrutiny until 6 March 2020.
Nige has a long history of using limited liability companies to take the piss.

The whole essence of the present Tory party distilled into one clip…

Home Secretary Priti Patel tells @NinaWarhurst that high levels of poverty can't be blamed solely on the government. She was visiting Barrow-in-Furness where, according to @CumbriaCC , central wards of the town are some of the most deprived in the country. pic.twitter.com/XgV9cRThGX

— BBC North West (@BBCNWT) November 21, 2019

We shouldn’t pay them, but we should freeze all their assets on election thereby forcing them to claim benefits through the normal channels. This would achieve two things: ensure that only people who really want to make a difference would stand; and dramatically improve the benefit system.

And what would motivate them to be MP’s other than an appetite for loving wallowing in bullshit and corruption?
There are far more direct way’s to make a difference… (teaching, medicine for example).

I suspect after that performance, like Jacob, Priti will find herself “Campaigning hard in her own constituency”

Its quite something isn’t it? Given the present company she keeps, to stand out as being particularly callous and uncaring.

The very fact others are grossly overpaid does not mean that we have to overpay mps.

What is overpaid? Do you think state school headteachers are overpaid or NHS doctors?

If we’re going to get hot under the collar about the Brexit Party being a company, then let’s remind ourselves that Momentum is as well, and John Landsman is it’s corporate Head.

This should be bigger news than it is – it’s as much a threat as is the status of the BP.

If it’s true that is?

Part of the problem is most people have no idea what other people earn like the guy on news night “calling Labour out” because he earns >£80k but he’s definitely not in the top 5% of earners – except according to the ONS you are
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-50514656

Not necessarily “really wealthy”, just people who don’t need to work for a living

That is “really wealthy” for most people.

Although why is being really wealthy such a bad thing in itself?

You could argue that there isn’t (or you could argue otherwise) but it’s highly likely that the really wealthy won’t be good at representing people who aren’t really wealthy, because they just don’t get it. As we’re seeing right now, in the other topic running on this very thread. Politicians can be told how bad thing are for the poor, but they often don’t really understand – internally they’ll invent justifications for the poor being poor – ‘they must not be working hard enough’ or ‘they must be making bad decisions’ otherwise why wouldn’t they be well off? If you’ve never had been in a really difficult position* then chances are you really don’t see how the system can **** you over when you most need help, and it’s often not your fault. Most rich or even middle class people just don’t get this, which is why most of them vote Tory – they don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t.

If only wealthy people became politicians, then you would only get wealthy people’s interests represented (even more so than now). Which is exactly what used to happen, which is why they changed it. Even now it’s not easy to basically quit or suspend your job and take off months to campaign.

*not that I’m claiming to have experienced true difficulty – I haven’t – but I try to listen to those who have

but he’s definitely not in the top 5% of earners – except according to the ONS you are

Being in the top x% of earners is not the same as being in the top x% of income.
Even assuming DECLARED income people (when most of the really wealth don’t declare) are easily divided by bunching salary into broad swathes… i.e. top 50% or top 5%

Even if you add a load of hated bankers who previously received million pound bonus’s (how many?) then they are in the same group as an MP or someone earning 80k PER HOUR if you use 5% yet most of the wealth is in the top 0.01%….

The lower/middle and upper working classes are deluded into fighting each other.

You underpay nurses/soldiers/maths teachers you end up with a shortage of good nurses/soldiers/maths teachers.

Do you actually know many teachers/police officers/nurses etc? I do, loads of them, including many who have left their jobs. Not a single one of them did so because they were underpaid. I really can assure you that in most public service professions, money is barely a consideration.

Ok, I concede the point. No need to increase pay for public servants.

OOB – what you do not understand here is the public service ethos. I want people with that public service ethos in parliament. Not the venal ******** that make up the vast majority of them

Its something I find is very common in the right wing – the lack of understanding of the public service ethos and the “price of everything, value of nothing” attitude

DazH that is also a good point. I think most doctors and experienced nurses are reasonably OK with the pay. Its the other things around the job that drives folk out ie not being able to do your job properly, poor management etc

I’m not following…. why would they leave a job where they can at least provide a positive benefit but have to put up with some crap for one in the Sewage pit of Westminster where the entire role is dealing with crap and get paid less and they can make no positive contribution?

https://fullfact.org/election-2019/labour-manifesto-2019/

Looks like Labour are being pretty truthful to me.

You underpay nurses/soldiers/maths teachers you end up with a shortage of good nurses/soldiers/maths teachers.

Do you actually know many teachers/police officers/nurses etc? I do, loads of them, including many who have left their jobs. Not a single one of them did so because they were underpaid. I really can assure you that in most public service professions, money is barely a consideration

Ok, I concede the point. No need to increase pay for public servants.

Where I work we pay junior web developers more than a senior paramedic or social worker (and the web devs continually moan about their pay!).

Yes, and you’re saying those pay levels have no impact on recruitment. …and I’ve conceding that point to you.

The loony-bin Telegraph woman on QT last night. You’d think people would give up defending the Tory economic ethos of giving it to the market to deal with.

Steve – I think we were at cross purposes. Yo asked why a teacher would want to go into government I thought.

Nope… I’m just saying if you are the type of person who wants to help your fellow man (or woman) there are more way’s to do it than being a politician.

Some people can thrive in what to me would be a toxic atmosphere .. and good on them but if the crap around being a teacher, doctor etc. is what is driving you away then Westminster or even local politics will probably make you ill – seriously ill and most likely you’ll achieve NOTHING other than making yourself ill.

Can somebody FACT CHECK inheritance tax and confirm the Tories have never cut it – since they’ve been in power (other than a standard lift of the limit by £12,000 which happened under Labour too.).

Because I can find articles (RWM) that are saying the Tories cut it? And Labour would reverse it.

Anyone with any solid stuff on that?

(Not that it will impact me!)