Pay Freeze for our top Officials

NewbieMoneySaver**

I have been saying this for years. I think I should be PM.

Why has it only taken minutes for the US president to freeze pay for his top officials under the current climate and I have been saying this all along. Even without the credit crunch.

Our MP's are on a unthinkable wage and also have benefits that allow them to have two houses and also claim for the expenses for the traveling back and forth them both.

Why is this allowed under the current climate and why can we not put a stop to it.

Just to cap it all off we have had that article printed the other day about the state of our banks in this country and the pay grades of the bosses that run them are on.

Something really need to be done about this before we see the end to this Country.

Please can everyone post here there thoughts and what they think should be done about it.

baileysbattlebus

It does depend on your definition of unthinkable

MP's £63k
PM £189k
Minister £138k
Leader of the Opposition £132k

I think the allowances more than salaries need to looked at or the abuse of them.

For most members of the various parliaments through out Europe their salaries can be virually doubled because of the expenses they can claim.

The French PM gets 240k eruos
the French president the same
French MP 62k euros -

German MP's 100k euros
Chancellor 240k euros

Swedish MP 67k euros

Italy MP 144k euros

The US president $400k
vice president $212k
member of congress $174k


prime minister Singapore $2 million !

In the grand scheme of things, no I don't think their salaries are too high, they have (or should have) responsible jobs and they shouldn't be paid peanuts. I know every one thinks they can do a better job than the government and do it for lot less money.

And there's nothing stopping any one trying, if you feel so strongly, become a member of a party and get yourself elected and start lobbying for lower salaries

Generali

NewbieMoneySaver** wrote: »

I have been saying this for years. I think I should be PM.

Why has it only taken minutes for the US president to freeze pay for his top officials under the current climate and I have been saying this all along. Even without the credit crunch.

Our MP's are on a unthinkable wage and also have benefits that allow them to have two houses and also claim for the expenses for the traveling back and forth them both.

Why is this allowed under the current climate and why can we not put a stop to it.

Just to cap it all off we have had that article printed the other day about the state of our banks in this country and the pay grades of the bosses that run them are on.

Something really need to be done about this before we see the end to this Country.

Please can everyone post here there thoughts and what they think should be done about it.

Cabinet ministers earn far less than they would if they took up a similar position at the top of a large company.

Of course there is an argument that the current Government should be looking to the circus for their wage level.

torontoboy45

baileysbattlebus wrote: »

It does depend on your definition of unthinkable

MP's £63k
PM £189k
Minister £138k
Leader of the Opposition £132k

I think the allowances more than salaries need to looked at or the abuse of them.

For most members of the various parliaments through out Europe their salaries can be virually doubled because of the expenses they can claim.

The French PM gets 240k eruos
the French president the same
French MP 62k euros -

German MP's 100k euros
Chancellor 240k euros

Swedish MP 67k euros

Italy MP 144k euros

The US president $400k
vice president $212k
member of congress $174k


prime minister Singapore $2 million !

In the grand scheme of things, no I don't think their salaries are too high, they have (or should have) responsible jobs and they shouldn't be paid peanuts. I know every one thinks they can do a better job than the government and do it for lot less money.

And there's nothing stopping any one trying, if you feel so strongly, become a member of a party and get yourself elected and start lobbying for lower salaries

good call. £63k doesn't amount to megabucks for an mp but there are more than a few (esp. on the opposition benches) who benefit from 'extra-parliamentary activities' (i.e directorships, consultancies, etc). the pension arrangements are pretty generous.
there is a good argument for increasing mp's salaries and banning 'outside interests', giving the mp the opportunity to represent his/her constituency with the same conviction and focus as they promised when canvassing.

macaque_2

MPs deserve higher salaries than they get. However, I would prefer to see the job restricted to older people or those with independant means. These groups are more likely to have independant minds.

Too many government MPs are now dependant on their MPs salaries. When the government orders these career drones to vote against their consiences or against the party manifesto, they dutifully obey. The process also throws up career leaders like Mandelson and Hain. I deeply object to people of their ilk running the country.

If we want to restore the reputation of democracy, we have to cut back on career politicians. Labour is desperately short of Tam Dalyells and Denis skinners.

baileysbattlebus

torontoboy45 wrote: »

good call. £63k doesn't amount to megabucks for an mp but there are more than a few (esp. on the opposition benches) who benefit from 'extra-parliamentary activities' (i.e directorships, consultancies, etc). the pension arrangements are pretty generous.
there is a good argument for increasing mp's salaries and banning 'outside interests', giving the mp the opportunity to represent his/her constituency with the same conviction and focus as they promised when canvassing.

I have to agree about the outside interests - in Germany MP's have to declare all earnings over 1k euros earned outside parliament - one MP was recently fined 35k euros for not doing this.

They all seem to able to have 2nd homes etc, but in Sweden the govt own and supply flats to those whose constituencies are outside Stockholm and they aren't allowed to improve them. Probably a much better idea in the long run here. Their travel has to be arranged through the parliamentary travel shop too, and I think they have to travel using the cheapest method.

There are lots ways the govt could cut costs - but no MP is going to vote changes like this through parliament - if I was an MP - I'm sure I wouldn't either.

As you say £63k is not a lot of money and I think they should earn decent salaries - enough to stop them being dishonest about expenses, earnings, donations etc. Though you will always get some.

misskool

MPs should show some leadership and be the first to take a paycut or a pay freeze, especially when so many workers are now having enforced sabbaticals.

NewbieMoneySaver**

See this is why I started this thread.

I like the opinions of others. I really can't agree with everyone's opinion though as like misskool said above, they should be first to take a stand and sort out their pay. They have collectively got us into this mess and they have to get us out.

The thread was not just for MP's though. Most top directors are being paid above what they actually deserve. Why do the bank bosses deserve to get massive bonuses especially after what is happening.

Come on Britain. Let's do something about it.

baby_boomer

NewbieMoneySaver** wrote: »

Our MP's are on a unthinkable wage

Many MPs I have spoken to agree with you.

They think it is unthinkably low :rotfl: !

I personally wouldn't mind them getting a 15% increase if you stopped the pension benefits (which are worth more than all the others put together) and the housing benefits.

Such a structured increase would save the taxpayer £millions, while not completely putting off talented individuals from wanting to become MPs.

I'm not convinced we need so many MPs, either, so that's another potential saving.

I'm expecting proposals to move MPs onto a defined contribution pension scheme in the next Conservative Party manifesto. They've made the right noises so we'll have to wait and see.

It would certainly educate MPs about pensions more effectively than anything else - as well as aligning their interests more closely with the majority of the UK population.

baileysbattlebus

If the govt freeze public sector salaries, then MP's pay should be frozen too. And morally they probably should vote themselves a pay cut - to set an example. But MP's have never performed well in the morals department.

But generally speaking I don't think they are overpaid. The allowances need reigning in, but their salaries aren't huge. OH earns more than an MP (no allowances though)

Bank bonus payments are another matter, for most people bonuses are performance related, good performance and profits = bonus. Or that was how it worked when I was in industry. Poor performance and no profit = no bonus.

But I guess it's ok to reward failure of the magnatude suffered by the banks- the figures involved are beyond most people's comprehension. What's a few more million when we don't EVEN NOW know the full extent of the losses the banks have made.

I really think it is totally wrong to give these people bonus payments - I have a bit more sympathy for those at the bottom the pile in the banking industry - doing their normal day to day work, tellers etc at branch level - they probably knew as little as most other people did about what was happening.

SGE1

macaque wrote: »

MPs deserve higher salaries than they get. However, I would prefer to see the job restricted to older people or those with independant means. These groups are more likely to have independant minds.

Too many government MPs are now dependant on their MPs salaries. When the government orders these career drones to vote against their consiences or against the party manifesto, they dutifully obey. The process also throws up career leaders like Mandelson and Hain. I deeply object to people of their ilk running the country.

If we want to restore the reputation of democracy, we have to cut back on career politicians. Labour is desperately short of Tam Dalyells and Denis skinners.

You what??