If ever you needed proof....

[Russ]

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

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

Mr Hogg went on to say an MP's annual salary of £65,000 was far too low.
He said he wanted it increased by about 50% to attract people of the right calibre into politics.

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?

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

[Welshchris]

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.

[Horace]

Peanuts/Monkeys (or corruption).

[Toto]

He said he wanted it increased by about 50% to attract people of the right calibre into politics.

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

Okay I'm asking nicely that people remember the T&Cs about swearing and not starring out letters to beat the swear filter..

[Maribel]

Originally Posted by Russ

...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?

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!

[Toto]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Okay I'm asking nicely that people remember the T&Cs about swearing and not starring out letters to beat the swear filter..

Sorry Maggy, but I think my point was well made

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Maribel

Hmmm... two things

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

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.

Originally Posted by Maribel

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

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.

Originally Posted by Maribel

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

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

[TheDaddy]

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 ----------

Originally Posted by zing

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

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 ----------

Originally Posted by Maribel

2. You have to pay, in order to get good people. 65K gets you a monkey in London,

Err no it doesn't.

[Welshchris]

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 ----------

Originally Posted by Maribel

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!

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.

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.

http://www.channel4.com/news/article...+claim/3287067

[Welshchris]

Originally Posted by foreverwar

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.

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.

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.