Why on earth would you worry about getting the gas cut off on a £60k salary? -- Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3 Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply) 116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2 Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see. www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
It's not (on this occasion). Come on Paul - You are a senior chap at your place, could you afford to live in London during the week (say Mon to Thur inclusive) and back in Newcastle (apologies if you home was Durham or Hartlepool but you get the idea) so that you could work there the other 3 days - even on the nice wedge you are on now? Bear in mind you will need a car - almost certainly - for visiting rural parts of your home town regularly, you will need an office at both locations, with broadband etc and room to welcome business guests - clients whatever. On top of that, you will be required to whizz up and down (on the train for free maybe) during the week to attend civic functions, meetings etc. How much of this will you fund out of your wages and how much do you think the employer should help out? You will have hundreds of items of mail every day to wade through and reply to. You will have total strangers wanting exclusive access to your time when it suits them. You will have papers for the work in the house to read and try to understand, so that you can explain them to your constituents and so that you can ensure that the executive is behaving themselves and you are being diligent in your role of ensuring the manifesto promises are being met. Do you think 60k for a job that means you can't fart in peace at any time is enough? If you go out of an evening, it will have to be on one of your very few evenings off, and if you dare have too much to drink, or pull, you will be on the front page tomorrow. Still think the money is OK? Just in case you do, we'll remove all job security and effectively exempt you from both the working time directive and UK employment law in that you can be sacked at a moments notice, either by the electorate or by the whips leaving you with nothing. I'm not saying 60k in itself is a bad wedge per se, but self-employed electricians make more, and don't put themselves through the mill in the same way.
YM "j'ai des compagnons avec le Semtex" I mean, come on, I can do the fucking basics. I think I'm being unsubtly influences by the fact that A. recently bought a CD of "French Cafe Classics" and every fucking time I seem to come home from work "La Mer" by Charles Trenet is playing on the mediacentre.
Have you tried running two houses on 60k? And supporting a crack habit and mistress in London and one back home too?
On Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:37:54 +0100, Catman snip> You need to take a peek and see how much hookers and cocaine cost in Westminster.
Why do you *need* two houses? What's wrong with good old brothels, crack houses and a spot of dogging, like everyone else?
I don't think anybody's suggesting that the costs of London accomodation shouldn't be met for "non-home-counties" MPs. Likewise, of course travel costs & office costs should be met. Being an MP should - as with being a councillor, which carries much of the same public focus (albeit local rather than national) but much lower remuneration - be regarded as a vocation, not a lucrative career move. <cough> "Nothing"? There's very little can be done to lob an MP out of parliament other than at a general election - and if an MP leaves at an election, they get a VERY healthy "resettlement allowance". Mmm. That old "Tradesmen coin it in" chestnut. I'm not sure it's got a lot of basis in reality outside of Harry Enfield.
On top of his £65k salary, the £20k my local MP claims in second home allowance (because, apparently, a two minute walk to the tube station then 40min to Westminster is too far for the poor dear) works out to just under £240 per day that Parliament sits.
Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Colin Irvine Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm more than happy to pay my fair share. Just not more than that. -- Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest" I have already made the greatest contribution to the fight against climate change that I can make: I have decided not to breed. Now quit bugging me and go and talk to the Catholics.
Thought she said £7, but you're right - she came across as very wrapped up in her own "celebrity" status.
LOL. I actually think I could reasonably comfortably but meh. I don't *want* to, that I accept. But seriously, they don't have to 'run two houses' on 60k, there is an expenses system which, AIUI is designed to cover that. If it's *necessary* Personally I don't believe it's *necessary* for my local MP to claim £13k for a second home[1] in Westminster when he lives in Harlow. SWMBO commutes every day without problem. I commute a ****** site further. [1] Which is not to say he doesn't need office staff, etc etc etc. -- Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3 Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply) 116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2 Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see. www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
In the interests of strict accuracy I know at least one plumber that earns more than that. -- Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3 Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply) 116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2 Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see. www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
I'm not so sure. The BNP have been waved in our faces as the bogey man deliberately. I'm reasonably sure that other than their regular hardcore support there in reality is a tiny cross ection of the public dim witted enough to be swayed by them. They may pick up the odd seat, but hey that's democracy. You have to live with the rough as well as the smooth.
