The next time that you hear a politician say that they don't understand why the voting turnout has fallen and they feel lonely and unloved remind them of the debate in the Commons over this past week or so into MP's expenses and salaries.
Am I alone in thinking that the so called "John Lewis" list is nothing less than a scandal? Or the 'second home' subsidy (especially when some of us don't possess first homes)? Or the really specious arguement concerning MP's salaries based on the "equal work/equal reward" arguement. Lets be brutally honest with these men and women. Most of them make nothing, manage nothing, and are without any responsibility whatsoever. This certainly goes for all back benchers. They cannot equate themselves with 'senior' businessmen and executives. Absolutely no way. Professional politicians (and 99% of those who sit in the house are professional politicians in that this is the only thing they have done since they left University) are precisely that and have no one except themselves to compare with. My local MP claimed £110,000 in 'expenses' last year and he does very little for this constituency.
My breath was taken away this lunchtime when I heard a Labour MP (sorry, didn't catch his name) from South Wales justifying a large increase in salary and actually saying that the present 'John Lewis" list was 'very poor' and he wanted more. Lots more. He actually justified this by claiming that his constituents what want nothing less for him! Hubris! Yes you bet. Has this man got not one shred of humility in his heart? Now South Wales is a notorious economic blackspot. I wonder how many of his constituents are earning even the £13,400 a year which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says is necessary for a single person to enjoy a near decent lifestyle? I am talking about families here, not single people.
I will be so bold as to remind these ladies and gents the reason why they are in Parliament. Its called public service and it usually requires sacrifice. Years ago most MP's and others who entered into the public service understood this. They would give up large salaries and the advantages of wealth in order to enter parliament or the civil service or judiciary to serve the people.
Sadly, todays MP's (of whatever persuasion) seem to think that being an MP is a licence to print money. They remind me of nothing less than pigs with their snouts greedily in the trough called public (taxpayers) money.
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