Just a thought

[Arthurgray50@blu]

There is no link to this thought.

Just thinking we could save a lot of money overnight, by stop paying wages to MPs etc.

Anyone wondered - IF, MPs can claim expenses on everything from decorarting, to catering to cleaning the bogs and even newspapers, whats the point of paying them £100.000 grand per year in wages, what do they do with it.

Even if they fly abroad on holiday - the taxman US, pay for there flights etc.

No we couldn't save a lot of money but not paying MPs. There aren't many of them and their wages will not amount to much. It would a pittance. Additionally you would be increasing the risk of corruption as the MPs, like most of us, will probably want to earn some money and will feel less conflicted about accepting 'advisory roles' for large companies.

Legalise cannabis it will create jobs and massive revenue

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

There is no link to this thought.

Just thinking we could save a lot of money overnight, by stop paying wages to MPs etc.

Anyone wondered - IF, MPs can claim expenses on everything from decorarting, to catering to cleaning the bogs and even newspapers, whats the point of paying them £100.000 grand per year in wages, what do they do with it.

Even if they fly abroad on holiday - the taxman US, pay for there flights etc.

Oh dear, Arthur, the reason that MPs claimed for the very air they breathe is because they were not given pay rises( well not real ones) during the Thatcher and Blair years. They were advised to supplement their income via the expenses system.

That is why councillors the length and breadth of the country earn more, on paper, than Westminster MPs, and in many cases, the PM.

The expenses policy was there to supplement their wages already.

So it's a great idea, and if it makes you feel any better, you can sleep knowing you and Mrs Thatcher think the same way! Doesn't that give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside?

[Doug P]

The thought of the calibre of MPs if there was no actual wage is chilling. Some of them are bad enough as it is....

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Oh dear, Arthur, the reason that MPs claimed for the very air they breathe is because they were not given pay rises( well not real ones) during the Thatcher and Blair years. They were advised to supplement their income via the expenses system.

That is why councillors the length and breadth of the country earn more, on paper, than Westminster MPs, and in many cases, the PM.

The expenses policy was there to supplement their wages already.

So it's a great idea, and if it makes you feel any better, you can sleep knowing you and Mrs Thatcher think the same way! Doesn't that give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside?

Twaddle

Cheers

Grim

[Pog66]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Even if they fly abroad on holiday - the taxman US, pay for there flights etc.

strange statement - surely goes for anyone who works for the government, civil service etc, roadsweepers, binmen...

I'm currently working on a Govt contract - my employer is paid by the govt & indirectly that is passed to me in wages - wages i use to fly abroad on holiday with...

isn't the idea to stop MPs claiming outrageous expenses rather than encourage them more...

[Gary L]

I've always disagreed with paying them for this that and the other.

do they even pay for their own bog roll at home, or do we pay for that too?

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Pierre, Please dont even put me into the same league as Thatcher, l hated the woman and was glad when she died.

I like many others celebrated her death. She can RIP, l was sad that she had so many illnesses when she passed.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

There is no link to this thought.

Just thinking we could save a lot of money overnight, by stop paying wages to MPs etc.

Anyone wondered - IF, MPs can claim expenses on everything from decorarting, to catering to cleaning the bogs and even newspapers, whats the point of paying them £100.000 grand per year in wages, what do they do with it.

Even if they fly abroad on holiday - the taxman US, pay for there flights etc.

If you stopped ALL MPs wages and claims, you would save several million pounds, true. The problem comes because the country needs to save *billions*, not millions.

What you are suggesting would be about as useful as a little boy offering his mum and dad the savings in his piggy bank to help pay off the Bailiffs who have come to repossess the house because his parents have defaulted on the Mortgage.

Still, I can think of several organisations that could make good use of a few million.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by tizmeinnit

Legalise cannabis it will create jobs and massive revenue

Really? And what level would you tax it at so that people don't just go to their local black market dealer and get cheaper non-taxed weed yet still earns the treasury enough money to pay for potential increases in NHS costs through mental health issues and respiratory problems?

Originally Posted by Derek

Really? And what level would you tax it at so that people don't just go to their local black market dealer and get cheaper non-taxed weed yet still earns the treasury enough money to pay for potential increases in NHS costs through mental health issues and respiratory problems?

Yes really

Government sets up farms so its state run. Employs gardeners to tend the plants. Creates a whole distribution network and in doing so creates even more jobs. Also manages the strains breeds in more sativa instead of indica so there is less chance of psychotic episodes than there is with the strains available now.

Street prices are at a all time high. End users pay upto and beyond £280 per ounce and there are millions of users that spend at least £10 per week ( a hell of a lot use more )

So for point of argument you have 1 million users spending £10 per week ( sell them 2 grams for that so its a better deal) potential revenue 10 million per week after costs it is all profit so forget your tax question.Of course you do get some of the costs back in tax.

So this alone equates to 500 million gross per year. Now there are more than a million users in the uk I believe 10 times more at the very least so this equates to a possible 5 000 000 000 in gross income easy of which 2.5 billion of that will be profit

As it stand at this point all these users are doing it anyway so there will be little or no increase in costs to the NHS you mention and as I said if you manage the strain correctly you are less likely to have the mental illness issues anyway. And bare in mind research has shown only susceptible smokers will ever have one anyway

Then of course there is the other bonus and that is all these millions are no longer going into the hands of criminals

As Old bill Derek I am sure you are aware that the figures are conservative and I believe the revenue will be far greater billions every year easy all for doing something that is going on anyway

And on top of that reduced cost of Policing cannabis

I do not know of many industries that could earn el gov so much so easily

Originally Posted by GrimUpNorth

Twaddle

Cheers

Grim

No it isn't. The reason so many MPs were stretching the definition of "expenses" so far was that they had been told, privately, that if they agreed not to vote themselves pay rises they could go some way towards making it up with some very generous help with their domestic bills.

Or did you never wonder why it was that with so many ridiculous stories in the Telegraph about wisteria, duck houses and 'flipping' of the main residence, so few MPs ended up being prosecuted for actually doing something illegal?

Originally Posted by tizmeinnit

Yes really

Government sets up farms so its state run. snip ,snip

So you actually think it would be a good idea to add to the problems we already have with people controlling the amount they drink by adding cannabis fueled psychotics into the mix

[Osem]

Originally Posted by martyh

So you actually think it would be a good idea to add to the problems we already have with people controlling the amount they drink by adding cannabis fueled psychotics into the mix

Sounds ideal to me...

And of course all the low life dealers who've thus far made a good living out of supplying it will all just retrain to become primary school teachers and pillars of society. There's no way they'll just spend their time pushing more potent drugs, very cheaply at first, in order to lure, then trap people into relying on them once again...