Following on from another thread where the startling claim was made that most of us on here earn more than £63K plus a £30K expense point, can we have a quick poll?
I'll start. I DO NOT earn anywhere near this.
I can only dream of such wealth and power...
This year, yes. As to next year well that depends on many things.
I don't even earn as much as the expenses bit.
I don't have a £30k expense a/c - who would? Salesmen?
Not convinced you'll get anything like a representative sample either way.
I earn rather more than an MP's basic, but do not get the expenses allowance and do not employ my wife at public expense.
All of my porn comes out of my own pocket.
😉
No to earning more than £63k MP wage 🙁
No to earning more than £30k expense point 🙁 🙁
...but then I do only work 3 days a week and often get to cycle on Monday and Friday when the trails are empty 😀
My salary was about that last year, but then I also had to pay a pension contribution and didn't get "expenses" to help with my ongoing costs. Now, I have no job.
Mind you, most of use get better redundancy terms than MPs, and most get a less shocking redundancy process.
[i]I can only dream of such wealth and power[/i]
Or, as you are so keen on setting the world to rights and so convinced of the superiority of your opinions, you could stand for Parliament and make your dream a reality. 😉
[i]I can only dream of such wealth and power[/i]
so can 90% of the population
should we all become MPs?
there are some very privaleged people on here it seems, im not jealous, honest!
Public servants are usually paid less than the private sector for more senior positions. The salaries for MPs is a lot less than most successful business people of the same calibre.
It doesn't matter what people on here earn, that's just a straw poll and not related to whether MPs are overpaid or not. I think the issue is that people on less than MPs ignore the transparency of MPs pay and (now) expenses. If you feel irritated that your local MP earns more than you it might be just because you actually have that information available to you. Most people don't really know how much their dentist/GP/local shop owner earn and therefore treat them normally.
93k isnt that much after tax, unless you live in the North of Scotland.
93k isnt that much after tax, unless you live in the North of Scotland.
It's more than £32k after tax.
93k isnt that much after tax, unless you live in the North of Scotland.
lol.
In no way do I earn anywhere close to an MP's salary. I can only dream of getting that much money a month. That would mean I could afford to replace the chainset on my bike.
"[i]The salaries for MPs is a lot less than most successful business people of the same calibre[/i]"
So why aren't they successful business people? Oh, yeah...
I may be wrong, but I have the suspicion that there is some shortage of information about London professional salaries going on here. We had this discussion the other week when Stoner and Rubedoy discussed how much one needed to live on in London. Simple fact is that for anyone in management, consultancy, finance, big law, accountancy, property etc etc etc doing 60 hours a week in London £63k is not a large salary, and while it provides a nice standard of living it does not leave a lot spare to buy a private jet or many midget strippers with trays of cocaine on their heads.
Those of us earning that kind of money are fully aware that it is a lot, but we are generally comparing what MPs do with what we do and suspecting that they do more and are overall rather better value.
🙂
Yes to the first.
No to the second.
Happy in my work? Not really. No. Bored shitless.
Trapped? Very much feels like it. Without a wife and kids I could happily be a grade 'A' tramp now the suns out.
you could stand for Parliament and make your dream a reality. [:wink:]
Now that's a bloody good idea!
'And now, the Right 'Orrible Member for Little Beirut, Mr. RudeBoy'
'Tarzan' would have nothing, on me...
Hmm, and maybe I could end up a Lord!
'Lord RudeBoy'. S'got a ring to it.
it is about 3 x the national average and a hell of a lot more than the minimum wage.
A hell of a lot of them dont need any wage (rich ****ers and landed titles on both sides)
Many have a (well paid)second job as well to (oh the irony) keep them involved with the real world and grounded.
Surely if you represent the people better you live in a similiar style to them?I say give them all a council house in London and in their constituency and see if that changes their view of things
I would prefer to pay nurses, firefighters, teachers, cleaners more money than MP's who seem to be so used to their high wages they actually think they deserve about £100,000 K a year whilst preaching to us about living modestly.
PS How many weeks hoilday a year do they get again?
I do.
great idea junkyard: Dont pay our elected representaives. No chance of them turning corrupt and taking bungs then at all is there... oh no....
[i]93k isnt that much after tax, unless you live in the North of Scotland. [/i]
I don't know what you mean about the north of Scotland bit, Aberdeen isn't any less expensive to live in than Glasgow for example.
I'm not telling you what I earn, people can get nasty about these things sometimes.
LOL Junkyard, I'm surprised you can use a keyboard with that chip on your shoulder.
To pay teachers etc more would mean an increase in taxes...which you can then blame on the government.
Shall we recall briefly that the purpose of paying MPs [i]anything[/i] was so that people who were not independently wealthy could be MPs?
It has gone a bit wrong, clearly, but if you stopped paying the chaps, or paid them minimum wage, you'd presumably end up with people running the country who were basically funded by family wealth. At which point we'd be furious that they were not "people like us". Or, alternatively, you'd have the country run by people who fancied a change from cleaning floors. That might work fine, but it would certainly be a major change in the way we are governed. 🙂
I earn less than the MP's expenses, and am on about the national average. With all the bankers earning less expect the national average to fall as well.
They are on a lot of money and whilst a few may be worth it most are no more than sheep and do as they are told by their party leaders. They have no interest in their constituents, the people who pay their wages. The problem with first past the post is that most people have no ability to affect the outcome of the General election, and less so with a little tactical gerrymandering of boundaries.
Scruff - the £30k expenses element probably isn't taxed.
I'm probably on track for something like the MPs basic salary this year, hard to tell as I'm running my own company and rubbish at sums. I'm probably bankrupt really.
I know I'd rather do my job than be an MP, in terms of stress and difficulty!
And I'm not nearly so generous to myself with expenses.
great idea junkyard: Dont pay our elected representaives. No chance of them turning corrupt and taking bungs then at all is there... oh no....
where have I said not to pay them? smoking to much again Stoner? 8)
cynic-al - Member
LOL Junkyard, I'm surprised you can use a keyboard with that chip on your shoulder
You have convinced me there with your powerful use of logic and reason ... Should I insult you back or can we stick to the topic?
As I say they are very well paid relative to the minmum wage and the national average.
VERY VERY good point BD .
maybe just paying them a wage and not expecting them to screw the system for every penny of expenses they could get might help our perception of them. MPs get paid £x. That's in the public domain and if anyone disagrees they can run for paliament themselves or vote for the party that says they'll change it. And if anyone wants to watch mainstream porn, that's their business. Instead of this we have the Jacqui Smith story, where she was staying in the London flat, because she has to stay there so manty nights for it to qualify as her "main home", leaving hubby in the family home, which we pay for because it's not the "main home", it's the "constituency home", and for some reson we pick up the tab for the cable tv in the second home, even if it's being watched by someone whose not the expense claimant, and it's 100% of the bill even though, by definition as the second home, the claimant will not be there 100% of the time. All of which is apparently within the rules, but just looks dodgy (without bringing up the subject of the porn).
Given that we seem to have on the most astoundingly inept governments of modern, if not all, times,a nd we have them by default because the oppostion are so rubbish they can't even mount a credible challenge to a government as pi55 poor as the one we have, is it suprising there's such a negative view of all MPs.
It has been said that Alex Salmond's first action as Scottish First Minister was to write to Tony Blair and Calamity Broon
"Dear Tony/ Gordon, Thanks for your help. Couldn't have done it without you. Cheers, Alex"
Doesn't matter what they earn, they are still politicians which means they are guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery, lacking integrity, crooked, debased in character, depraved, perverted, wicked, evil and corrupt. False, untrustworthy. DISHONEST, VENAL, without regard to honor, right, or justice. lacking native integrity & totally debased as to sell patronage. They are contaminated, putrescent, rotten and spoiled.
It also means they are inclined to touch animals inappropriately, stroking camels and tasting the fruits of their labors.
Public servants are usually paid less than the private sector for more senior positions.
Really...?
There's a good few Council Chiefs earning more than £150k, & if they stuff things up they simply put your Council Tax up to make up for it. In the Private sector they'd be out on their arses.
[i] In the Private sector they'd be out on their arses. [/i]
Like Fred Goodwin et al.?
People earn less in the North as things are cheaper to purchase.
I think you'll find that 63k + 30k is only the tip of the iceberg. I know that my company, just a relatively small local business, employ an MP as a director, although he has never been to the office. I am sure he recieves contributions from a number of other businesses as well. Its called 'commerce' I believe.
[i]People earn less in the North as things are cheaper to purchase.[/i]
Pish, have you any concept of Aberdeen house prices for example.
conmerce more like.
I don't earn that in 2 years!! Oh and I don't get expenses either!!
I don't earn anything like an MP's salary, as I suspect is the case for 90% of the people here. I'd love to know what people do to earn these megabucks, you can't all be doctors or CEOs...
That said I wouldn't mind if they got rid of the allowances and gave them a bit more. Tie it to some senior grade in the civil service and leave it at that.
Peregrine sounds to me you are talking about coppers here 😉
MP's salary in France (gross)
6.952,91 €
They can claim 6.278 per month in expenses, have a bursary of 8.949€ per month to hire someone and have free access to the whole railway network in 1st class and free taxis in Paris...
Minimum wage is under 1000€ per month (not gross but before taxes). For example I don't even earn 1800€ per month, and that is having the highest qualification one can have.
porterclough - Member
I don't earn anything like an MP's salary, as I suspect is the case for 90% of the people here. I'd love to know what people do to earn these megabucks, you can't all be doctors or CEOs..
I have a Ph.D. (so not a proper Dr then :wink:) and work in the oil industry. And i'm not the CEO either - he earns a lot more than me!
To be honest I was surprised their base salary is so low. I know a lot of not especially bright or capable people earning significantly more money than that (in financial services) and they're not elected officals who we charge with the responsibility of running the country. What's that old saying about monkeys and peanuts?
if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys I think Sam
Surprised how many people on here claim to earn the same or more than that. Thats a load of wedge!
You have convinced me there with your powerful use of logic and reason ... Should I insult you back or can we stick to the topic?As I say they are very well paid relative to the minmum wage and the national average.
Merely expressing an opinion on your motivation - you've not answered my point that reducing MPs salaries would creat **** all to give to teachers.
slight hijack - snakebite is your hawg still for sale
[i]Doesn't matter what they earn, they are still politicians which means they are guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery, lacking integrity, crooked, debased in character, depraved, perverted, wicked, evil and corrupt. False, untrustworthy. DISHONEST, VENAL, without regard to honor, right, or justice. lacking native integrity & totally debased as to sell patronage. They are contaminated, putrescent, rotten and spoiled.
It also means they are inclined to touch animals inappropriately, stroking camels and tasting the fruits of their labors. [/i]
..amd if they ride bikes, they're singlespeeds
No where close.....
and I wonder what the Inland Revenue would make of it if I tried to claim my TV package as a legitimate expense ( never mind the fact that the salaries dept would have a hissy fit if i tried ! )
Mind you, most of use get better redundancy terms than MPs
You think so?
'A Resettlement Grant to assist with the costs of adjusting to "non-parliamentary life", is payable to any person who ceases to be an MP at a General Election. The amount is based on age and length of service, and varies between 50% and 100% of the annual salary payable to a Member of Parliament at the time of the Dissolution.'
[i]To be honest I was surprised their base salary is so low. I know a lot of not especially bright or capable people earning significantly more money than that (in financial services) and they're not elected officals who we charge with the responsibility of running the country. What's that old saying about monkeys and peanuts?[/i]
come to the institute i work at just rated the best in the country for cancer research and ill show you everyone bar the director below an MPs salary
Fortunately, kimbers, a lot of the very best people aren't motivated solely by money. I'd argue we should be after people like that to be MPs as well...
I don't know why people have a problem with MP's pay. For a start it isn't that much (and no, I don't earn anywhere near that amount - I'm a scientist).
Secondly, I'd be happy to pay them £1m a year. It would still be a tiny dent in the UK GDP and it might encourage more competition for better candidates (although it could just increase the number of people who get to be MPs by dubious methods I suppose).
i actually agree they should have more pay
rather than pay plus nebulous expenses
what i really object to is the attitude of pickles who claims we should pay for his 2nd home cos he has to be in work by 9-30
kimbers are you working in surrey by any chance 😉
And that is because like me you've choose to be a scientist... Hard (sometimes usefull) work poor pay
come to the institute i work at just rated the best in the country for cancer research and ill show you everyone bar the director below an MPs salary
Likewise the software company I work at (a world leader in a niche field) where everyone has degrees in maths, computing or physics and several people have PhDs... only the directors earn MP type money.
Here's an interesting take on the whole expenses thing. And this is from a guy i know who fraternises with a few of them.
Most MP's are bricking it about these expenses claims being published. But not because of what it will show about what they've been frittering away public money on.
What they're really crapping it about is that it will show what they've been getting up to. Credit card receipts for hotel rooms/restarants etc are going to be seen by wives/husbands/girlfriends who are going to say "you said you were in Southampton that weekend. This says you were at a hotel by lake windermere"
What goes on in public is going to be the last of their worries. Expect a raft of divorced MP's very soon.
I cant wait for it. If you work for the public you should do so in the eye of the public.
MPs earning the basic salary do not run the country - and MPs in the government tend to earn rather better. As a reality check, 90% of the UK population earns less than £40k and 50% earns less than £24k.
I'd have thought a useful check would be to compare an MPs salary with their income before being an MP. And also afterwards - I daresay it's a useful addition to anyone's career path!
[i]What they're really crapping it about is that it will show what they've been getting up to. Credit card receipts for hotel rooms/restarants etc are going to be seen by wives/husbands/girlfriends who are going to say "you said you were in Southampton that weekend. This says you were at a hotel by lake windermere"[/i]
I thought that the MPs were allowed to vet the data before it's released and then run a big black line through anything they deemed was not in the publics interest. Apart from that being a joke anyway, does that not allow them to hide events such as weekends away banging the secretary in Windermere?