If ever you needed proof....
 

...that MPs live nowhere near the real world, here it is...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8588803.stm

Phew, imagine how worse off the NHS would be if they needed to attract nurses "of the right calibre".

Maybe he wants the increase to cover all those extra little perks they're missing out on in the wake of the expenses scandal?

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Attract people of the right calibre? greedy, power hungry, narcissistic liars are hardly the right calibre

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Russ this isnt the first MP to be caught out saying this if u remember last year Alun Duncan MP was recorded on Film stating MPs have to servive on petty handouts which he later tried to state he was quoted out of context and didnt mean it lol.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Peanuts/Monkeys (or corruption).

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

So by the "right calibre" he means money grabbing B******S?

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Hmmm... two things

1. Nurses, we could with more of them and less managers at NHS

2. You have to pay, in order to get good people. 65K gets you a monkey in London, don't forget you (=Daily Telegraph etc) removed the perks... 50% increase is reasonable

Have you tried to buy a flat in Westminster/Chelsea? It ain't Port Talbot mate!

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Sorry Maggy, but I think my point was well made :)

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Agreed - although aren't we lucky we don't need nurses "of the right calibre" otherwise we'd need to pay them a hell of a lot more.

Can't you see the ignorance in moaning you need a 50% pay rise when millions are out of work, especially when you're part of an establishment which has abused its expenses rights and had people moan about it now being 'rations'? Not all MPs are from London funnily enough.

So you rent one and legitimately claim it back via expenses. I don't see your point.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Hogg (appropriate name for some one with a snout in the trough) can have his 50% pay rise providing we get rid of 50% of MP's.

---------- Post added at 13:43 ---------- Previous post was at 13:42 ----------

Anyone found to be actually wanting the job should automatically be excluded from the post.

---------- Post added at 13:44 ---------- Previous post was at 13:43 ----------

Err no it doesn't.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Russ im thinking of Standing for South Wales candidate for the Monster Raving Looney Party, do i have ur vote? lol

---------- Post added at 15:15 ---------- Previous post was at 15:13 ----------

Their rent /mortgage can be claimed back in expenses anyway + living allowances so at the end of the day £65k will get them a lot in London + a lot of these MPs live outside of London and stay in Hotels when there and claim expenses for that usually at places like the Savoy at Tax payers expenses.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Far be it from me to defend MPs, but they don't stay at the Savoy on expenses; the annual overnight allowance, if spent on hotels, would only be about £120 per night, which doesn't get you much in London through the week.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

OK maybe not the savoy but these people are usually only in London a weekend or a few days at a time for Parilment

Parlimentry Green Book April 2009 states in Section 2.1.3 under appropriate expenditure....

Hotel Accomedation in Either London or the Constituancy is limited to £1250 a month which if they are only there for a few days which is usual can get a pretty decient room at somewhere like The Kingsway hall on Covent Garden where i have stayed which is 4* or even a Hilton 4* Hotel.

+ ontop of that they can claim a flat rate of £25 per night for each night away from home or parlimentry business.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

chris, they are in London through the week for 3-4 days, and back at the constituency at the weekend (usually) - 1250 per month for about 12 days a month (minimum) is about £100 a night - I stay in London about 1 night per month, and I am pushed to get anything decent for my allowance, which is £115 per night.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

Thats me sorted, I give up my Band 7 NHS managers job (so we can get some more nurses) and become an MP :D

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

I dunno about that, you seem interested in your job and appear fairly competent. Not traits associated with most MP's. :)

I think one of the problems is the 'professional' politician who have no experience of life outwith politics and get younger and younger with less and less experience.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

I would love to be an MP, I really would - if i thought i could make a difference in areas both I and other people are concerned about. But i'm not one to go with the flow for votes so thats me out i suppose. The NHS is stuck with me i'm afraid (at least until I get transferred to the council next year) :D

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

I completely disagree, ive been in London during May, August and End of December and managed to get decent rooms in Hilton Hotels for around £80 - £100 a night.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

If they got their rise which maybe they should have i don't know how much comparable politicians in other countries are paid perhaps ours are not well paid for the position. But and here is the big but if they did get it in return they should agree to be criminally prosecuted if caught up in anything like the expenses scandal or any other form of corruption and automatically resign if they behave in anyway that brings disrepute on the position. It's easy to say "ah but they should be greatful at this time" but we have to realise if we want clean politicians maybe like everything else we have to pay for it. I would also put a lower age limit on being an mp and some proof of living in the real world as a requirement of the job as well because my local mp couldn't understand my problems if i spelt it out in forty foot high neon letters for him.

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

It`d probably help Rizzy if elected politicians in our country came from a working class background so that they knew the needs of/for the people that they were going to serve, it helps to know the real world before you can change it.;)

Re: If ever you needed proof....
 

I think there needs to be a balance of people with a balance of life skills such as ordinary people that have had to live well within budget for basics but you also have to have those who have a business background. I think thats the problem the balance has shifted to professional politicians who have neither in any real quantity but know all about politics as a career rather then it being a means to serve the people of a given country.